Butamax™ Advanced Biofuels LLC v. Gevo, Inc.

117 F. Supp. 3d 632
CourtDistrict Court, D. Delaware
DecidedAugust 3, 2015
DocketCiv. Nos. 12-1036-SLR 12-1200-SLR 12-1300-SLR
StatusPublished
Cited by3 cases

This text of 117 F. Supp. 3d 632 (Butamax™ Advanced Biofuels LLC v. Gevo, Inc.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, D. Delaware primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Butamax™ Advanced Biofuels LLC v. Gevo, Inc., 117 F. Supp. 3d 632 (D. Del. 2015).

Opinion

MEMORANDUM OPINION

ROBINSON, District Judge

1. INTRODUCTION

Plaintiff ButamaxTM Advanced Biofuels LLC (“Butamax”) filed three complaints against defendant Gevo, Inc. (“Gevo”), alleging infringement of U.S. Patent No. 8,241,878 (“the '878 patent”) (D.I. 1), on August 14, 2012;1 alleging infringement of U.S. Patent No. 8,273,558 (“the' '558 patent”) (Civ. No. 12-1200, D.I. 1), on September 25, 2012; and alleging infringement of U.S. Patent No. 8,283,144 (“the '144 patent”) (collectively with the '558 patent, “the Donaldson patents,” and with both the '558 and '878, “the patents-in-suit”) (Civ. No. 12-1300, D.I. 1), on October 8, 2012. Gevo answered the complaint regarding. the '878 patent ;on December 18, 2012 and counterclaimed for non-infringement and invalidity. (D.L 30) Gevo answered the. complaints. regarding the Donaldson patents on November. 5, 2012, counterclaiming for invalidity, (Civ. No. 12-1200, D.I. 8; Civ. No. 12-1300, D.I. 7) Butamax answered the counterclaims as to the '878 . patent on January 30, 2013 (D.I. 36) and as to the. Donaldson patents on- November 30, 2012 (Civ. No. 12-1200, D.I. 12; Civ. No. 12-1300, D.I. 11). The cases were coordinated for the purposes of discovery and claim construction. (D.I. 37) After a Markman hearing, a claim construction order issued-.on February 3, 2015. (D.I. 203; D.I. 219) Presently before the court are Butamax’s motion for summary judgment of infringement of certain claims of the patents-in-suit (D.I. 240);2 Gevo’s cross motion for summary judg[636]*636ment of non-infringement of claim 3 of the '889 patent and no willful infringement (D.I. 268);3 and Gevo’s motion for summary judgment of invalidity (D.I. 245).4 The court has jurisdiction pursuant to 28 U.S.C. §§ 1331 and 1338(a).

II. BACKGROUND

A. The Parties

Butamax is a limited liability corporation organized and existing under the laws of the State of Delaware, with its principal place of business in Wilmington, Delaware. (D.I. at ¶ 1) Gevo is a corporation organized and existing under the laws of the State of Delaware, with its principal place of business in Englewood, Colorado. (D.I. 30 at 4 ¶ 1) Both parties are engaged in research and development of commercial methods to produce isobutanol using biological methods.

B. The Patents-in-Suit

“Engineering of yeast for fermentative production of commercial products is an active and growing field.” ('878 patent, 1:32-33) The '878 patent is directed to a method of converting 2,3-dihydroxyisoval-erate (“DHIV”) to a-ketoisovalerate, (a-KIV) — a step in the isobutanol biosynthetic pathway — catalyzed by a particular type of dihydroxy-acid dehydratase (“DHAD”) enzyme not normally found in yeast. DHAD enzymes require a cofactor known as an iron-sulfur cluster (“Fe-S”). In native yeast, Fe-S clusters are assembled and loaded into enzymes in a highly regulated manner. As a result, heterologous DHAD enzymes recombinantly expressed in the cytosol of yeast are not always fully loaded with Fe-S clusters and, therefore, are not fully active. (D.I. 83 at 4) The '878 patent provides “recombinant yeast host cells comprising at least one heterologous Fe-S cluster protein wherein the yeast host has reduced expression of at least one endogenous Fe-S cluster protein.” ('878 patent, 2:17-20) The Donaldson patents are directed to recombinant yeast comprising DNA for recombinant expression of three enzymes — DHAD, a decarboxylase (“DC”), and alcohol dehydrogenase (“ADH”) — in the cytosol, and methods of producing iso-butanol with such yeast. (D.I. 83 at 5)

III. STANDARD OF REVIEW

“The court shall grant summary judgment if the movant shows that there is no genuine dispute as to any material fact and the movant is entitled to judgment as a matter of law.” Fed. R. Civ. P. 56(a). The moving party bears the burden of demonstrating the absence of a genuine issue of material fact. Matsushita Elec. Indus. Co. v. Zenith Radio Corp., 475 U.S. 574, 586, 106 S.Ct. 1348, 89 L.Ed.2d 538, n. 10 (1986). A party asserting that a fact cannot be — or, alternatively, is — genuinely disputed must be supported either by citing to “particular parts of materials in the record, including depositions, documents, electronically stored information, affidavits or declarations, stipulations (including those made for the purposes of the motions only), admissions, interrogatory answers, or other materials,” or by “showing that the materials cited do not establish the absence or presence of a genuine dispute, or that an adverse party cannot produce admissible evidence to support the fact.” Fed. R. Civ. P. 56(c)(1)(A) & (B). If the moving party has carried its burden, the nonmovant must then “come forward with specific facts showing that there is a genuine issue for trial.” Matsushita, 475 U.S. at 587, 106 S.Ct. 1348 (internal quotation marks omitted). The Court will “draw [637]*637all reasonable inferences in favor of the nonmoving party, and it may not make credibility determinations or weigh the evidence.” Reeves v. Sanderson Plumbing Prods., Inc., 530 U.S. 133, 150, 120 S.Ct. 2097, 147 L.Ed.2d 105 (2000).

To defeat a motion for summary judgment, the non-moving party must “do more than simply show that there is some metaphysical doubt as 'to the material facts.” Matsushita, 475 U.S. at 586-87, 106 S.Ct. 1348; see also Podobnik v. U.S. Postal Service, 409 F.3d 584, 594 (3d Cir.2005) (stating party opposing summary judgment “must present more than just bare assertions, conclusory allegations or suspicions to show the existence of a genuine issue”) (internal quotation marks omitted). Although the “mere existence of some alleged factual dispute between the parties will not defeat an otherwise properly supported motion for summary judgment,” a factual dispute is genuine where “the evidence is such that a reasonable jury could return a verdict for the nonmoving party.” Anderson v. Liberty Lobby, Inc., 477 U.S. 242, 247-48, 106 S.Ct. 2505, 91 L.Ed.2d 202 (1986). “If the evidence is merely colorable, or is not significantly probative, summary judgment may be granted.” Id. at 249-50, 106 S.Ct. 2505 (internal citations omitted); see also Celotex Corp. v. Catrett, 477 U.S. 317, 322, 106 S.Ct. 2548, 91 L.Ed.2d 265 (1986) (stating entry of summary judgment is mandated “against a party who fails to make a showing sufficient to establish the existence of an element essential to that party’s ease, and on which that party will bear the burden of proof at trial”).

IV. DISCUSSION

A. The'878 Patent
1. Indefiniteness

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Bluebook (online)
117 F. Supp. 3d 632, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/butamaxtm-advanced-biofuels-llc-v-gevo-inc-ded-2015.