Classen Immunotherapies, Inc. v. Biogen Idec

659 F.3d 1057

• Court: Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit
• Decided: December 19, 2008
• Docket: 2006-1634
• Status: Unpublished

Opinion

NOTE: This disposition is nonprecedential.

United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit

2006-1634, -1649

CLASSEN IMMUNOTHERAPIES, INC.,

Plaintiff-Appellant,

v.

BIOGEN IDEC,

Defendant-Appellee, and

GLAXOSMITHKLINE,

MERCK & CO., INC.,

Defendant-Cross Appellant, and

CHIRON CORPORATION, KAISER-PERMANENTE, INC., KAISER PERMANENTE VENTURES, KAISER PERMANENTE INTERNATIONAL, KAISER PERMANENTE INSURANCE COMPANY, THE PERMANENTE FEDERATION, LLC, THE PERMANENTE COMPANY, LLC, THE PERMANENTE FOUNDATION, THE PERMANENTE MEDICAL GROUP, INC., KAISER FOUNDATION HOSPITALS, KAISER FOUNDATION ADDED CHOICE HEALTH PLAN, INC., and KAISER FOUNDATION HEALTH PLAN INC.,

Defendants.

Joseph J. Zito, Zito tlp, of Washington, DC, argued for plaintiff-appellant.

Joshua M. Hiller, Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr LLP, of Boston, Massachusetts, for defendant-appellee, Biogen IDEC. On the brief were David B. Bassett, of New York, New York, and David A. Wilson, of Washington, DC.

George F. Pappas, Covington & Burling LLP, of Washington, DC, argued for defendant-appellee, GlaxoSmithKline. With him on the brief were Jeffrey B. Elikan and Kevin B. Collins. Of counsel was Scott C. Weidenfeller. Mary B. Graham, Morris, Nichols, Arsht & Tunnell, LLP, of Wilmington, Delaware, argued for defendant-cross appellant. With her on the brief was James W. Parrett, Jr. Of counsel on the brief were Robert L. Baechtold, Fitzpatrick, Cella, Harper & Scinto, of New York, New York; and Edward W. Murray and Mary J. Morry, Merck & Co., Inc., of Rahway, New Jersey.

Appealed from: United States District Court for the District of Maryland

Judge William D. Quarles, Jr. NOTE: This disposition is nonprecedential.

Defendant-Appellee,

and

GALAXOSMITHKLlNE,

Defendant-Cross Appellant,

CHIRON CORPORATION, KAISER-PERMANENTE, INC., KAISER PERMANENTE VENTURES, KAISER PERMANENTE INTERNATIONAL, KAISER PERMANENTE INSURANCE COMPANY, THE PERMANENTE FEDERATION, LLC, THE PERMANENTE COMPANY, LLC, THE PERMANENTE FOUNDATION, THE PERMANENTE MEDICAL GROUP, INC., KAISER FOUNDATION HOSPITALS, KAISER FOUNDATION ADDED CHOICE HEALTH PLAN, INC., and KAISER FOUNDATION HEALTH PLAN INC.,

Appeal from the United States District Court for the District of Maryland in Case No. 04- CV-2607, Judge William D. Quarles, Jr. ____________________________

DECIDED: December 19, 2008 ____________________________ Before NEWMAN and MOORE, Circuit Judges, and FARNAN, District Judge. *

MOORE, Circuit Judge.

In light of our decision in In re Bilski, 545 F.3d 943 (Fed. Cir. 2008) (en banc), we

affirm the district court’s grant of summary judgment that these claims are invalid under

35 U.S.C. § 101. Dr. Classen’s claims are neither “tied to a particular machine or

apparatus” nor do they “transform[] a particular article into a different state or thing.”

Bilski, 545 F.3d at 954. Therefore we affirm.

* Hon. Joseph J. Farnan, Jr., United States District Court for the District of Delaware, sitting by designation.

2006-1634, -1649 2