Cross Medical Products, Inc. v. Medtronic Sofamor Danek, Inc. And Medtronic Sofamor Danek Usa, Inc.

480 F.3d 1335, 82 U.S.P.Q. 2d (BNA) 1065, 2007 U.S. App. LEXIS 6415, 2007 WL 817660
CourtCourt of Appeals for the Federal Circuit
DecidedMarch 20, 2007
Docket05-1415
StatusPublished
Cited by26 cases

This text of 480 F.3d 1335 (Cross Medical Products, Inc. v. Medtronic Sofamor Danek, Inc. And Medtronic Sofamor Danek Usa, Inc.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Cross Medical Products, Inc. v. Medtronic Sofamor Danek, Inc. And Medtronic Sofamor Danek Usa, Inc., 480 F.3d 1335, 82 U.S.P.Q. 2d (BNA) 1065, 2007 U.S. App. LEXIS 6415, 2007 WL 817660 (Fed. Cir. 2007).

Opinions

Opinion of the court filed PER CURIAM. Concurring opinion filed by RADER, Circuit Judge.

PER CURIAM.

This case is the second appeal to this court in a patent litigation between Cross Medical Products, Inc. (Cross Medical) and Medtronic Sofamor Danek, Inc. (Medtronic). Cross Medical accuses Medtronic’s polyaxial screws of infringing U.S. Patent No. 5,474,555 (the '555 patent). In the prior appeal, this court set aside a permanent injunction issued by the United States District Court for the Central District of California and reversed the summary judgment of infringement and validity of claim 5 of the '555 patent in favor of Cross Medical. See Cross Med. Prods., Inc. v. Medtronic Sofamor Danek, Inc., 424 F.3d 1293 (Fed.Cir.2005) (First Appeal). In this appeal, the district court issued another permanent injunction after Medtronic redesigned its polyaxial screws in an attempt to avoid the '555 patent. Cross Med. Prods., Inc. v. Medtronic Sofamor Danek, Inc., SA CV 03-110-GLT, slip op. at 2 (C.D. Cal. April 8, 2005) (Trial Court Opinion). The court determined that claim 5 of the '555 patent was infringed under the doctrine of equivalents by Medtronic’s redesigned screws, but that claim 7 of the '555 patent was not infringe ed by either the original or redesigned screws. Id., slip op. at 14, 20. Notably, the district court did not have the benefit of this court’s opinion in the First Appeal before issuing the second permanent injunction.

Because Medtronic’s redesigned polyaxial screws do not infringe the asserted claims literally or under the doctrine of equivalents, this court reverses the grant of summary judgment of infringement of claim 5. On the redesigned screws, the district court should grant Medtronic’s motion for summary judgment of non-infringement. The remaining issues, which involve the validity of claim 7 and infringement of this claim by Medtronic’s original [1338]*1338polyaxial screws require reconsideration in light of this court’s prior opinion in the First Appeal. Accordingly, this court reverses-in-part and vacates-in-part the district court’s findings on the remaining issues and remands.

I

This litigation began on February 4, 2003, when Cross Medical sued Medtronic for infringement of the '555 patent. Med-tronic denied infringement and counterclaimed seeking a declaration of non-infringement and invalidity. On September 28, 2004, the district court issued a permanent injunction after granting Cross Medical’s motions for partial summary judgment on validity and infringement of claim 5. Medtronic immediately filed an appeal with this court despite ongoing proceedings at the district court. First Appeal, 424 F.3d at 1299.

While the first appeal was pending, Medtronic redesigned its polyaxial screws in an attempt to avoid infringement of claim 5. In response, Cross Medical asserted that the redesigned screws still infringe claim 5 and that Medtronic’s original and redesigned screws infringe claim 7.

On the claim 5 issue, the district court found that Medtronic’s redesigned screws infringe under the doctrine of equivalents. Trial Court Opinion, slip op. at 22. In reaching this finding, the district court determined that a narrowing amendment to claim 5 during prosecution was only “tangentially related” to the accused equivalent and thus not subject to an estoppel under Festo. Id., slip op. at 8-11; see Festo Corp. v. Shoketsu Kinzoku Kogyo Kabushiki Co., 344 F.3d 1359 (Fed.Cir.2003) (en banc). The district court also found that none of the accused screws (original or redesigned) infringe claim 7, Trial Court Opinion, slip op. at 14-20, but upheld the validity of this claim in the face of similar challenges Medtronic had previously raised with respect to claim 5, Trial Court Opinion, slip op. at 20-22. Having concluded Medtronic’s redesigned screws infringe claim 5, the district issued a second permanent injunction. Medtronic filed a second appeal with this court, which is the basis for the present appeal.

After Medtronic submitted its initial brief in this appeal, this court issued its opinion overturning the first permanent injunction. See First Appeal, 424 F.3d 1293. In the First Appeal, which involved claim 5 and Medtronic’s original polyaxial bone screws, this court (1) affirmed the district court’s construction of three limitations; (2) modified its construction of two limitations; (3) reversed its grant of summary judgment on infringement; (4) affirmed its grant of summary judgment on validity for indefiniteness and anticipation; and (5) reversed its grant of summary judgment on validity for obviousness due to factual issues on the motivation to combine various references. Id. at 1297.

This appeal overlaps considerably with the issues in the First Appeal. Because the First Appeal remanded several issues common to both injunctions, the parties agree that the second permanent injunction cannot stand. However, the parties dispute what issues, if any, remain for decision in this second appeal. Cross Medical asserts that the only issues remaining are: (1) whether the redesigned Medtronic screw meets the “thread-depth” limitation of claim 5 literally or under the doctrine of equivalents; and (2) whether the district court’s grant of summary judgment of non-infringement of claim 7 conflicts with this court’s findings with respect to claim 5 in the First Appeal. Br. of Pl. Appellee, 3, Cross Med. Prods., Inc. v. Medtronic Sofamor Danek, Inc., No. 05-1415 (Fed.Cir.2006) (Appellee Brief). Of these two issues, Medtronic argues that [1339]*1339only the claim 5 issue is properly before the court. According to Medtronic, this court lacks jurisdiction to entertain the claim 7 issue because Cross Medical did not file a cross-appeal to challenge the district court’s adverse holdings with respect to this claim. Reply Br. of Defs.-Appellants, 16-24, Cross Med. Prods., Inc. v. Medtronic Sofamor Danek, Inc., No. 05-1415 (Fed.Cir.2006) (Reply Brief).

II

With that backdrop, this court turns first to the claim 5 issue. The district court granted Cross Medical a summary judgment that Medtronic’s redesigned screws infringe. “This court reviews the district court’s grant or denial of summary judgment under the law of the regional circuit.” MicroStrategy, Inc. v. Bus. Objects, S.A., 429 F.3d 1344, 1349 (Fed.Cir.2005) (citation omitted). The United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit reviews a grant of summary judgment without deference. Leonel v. Am. Airlines, Inc., 400 F.3d 702, 708 (9th Cir.2005). Thus, “[i]n the context of summary judgment, this court reviews de novo the district court’s determination that there is no genuine issue as to any material fact regarding infringement.” Wilson Sporting Goods Co. v. Hillerich & Bradsby Co.,

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Related

Eli Lilly and Company v. Hospira, Inc.
933 F.3d 1320 (Federal Circuit, 2019)
Ajinomoto Co. v. Int'l Trade Comm'n
932 F.3d 1342 (Federal Circuit, 2019)
Galderma Labs., L.P. v. Amneal Pharm., LLC
337 F. Supp. 3d 371 (D. Delaware, 2018)
SFP Works, LLC v. Buffalo Armory LLC
221 F. Supp. 3d 923 (E.D. Michigan, 2016)
Stopinc Aktiengesellschaft v. J.W. Hicks, Inc.
131 F. Supp. 3d 763 (N.D. Indiana, 2015)
Printeron Inc. v. Breezyprint Corp.
93 F. Supp. 3d 658 (S.D. Texas, 2015)
Health Grades, Inc. v. MDX Medical, Inc.
71 F. Supp. 3d 1203 (D. Colorado, 2014)
Split Pivot, Inc. v. Trek Bicycle Corp.
987 F. Supp. 2d 838 (W.D. Wisconsin, 2013)
Paone v. Microsoft Corp.
881 F. Supp. 2d 386 (E.D. New York, 2012)
Pfizer Inc. v. Teva Pharmaceuticals U.S.A., Inc.
882 F. Supp. 2d 643 (D. Delaware, 2012)
Millipore Corporation v. Wl Gore & Associates, Inc.
750 F. Supp. 2d 253 (D. Massachusetts, 2010)
Viskase Companies, Inc. v. World Pac International AG
731 F. Supp. 2d 764 (N.D. Illinois, 2010)
Duramed Pharmaceuticals, Inc. v. Paddock Laboratories, Inc.
715 F. Supp. 2d 552 (S.D. New York, 2010)
Intervet, Inc. v. Merial Limited
District of Columbia, 2009
Intervet, Inc. v. Merial Ltd.
643 F. Supp. 2d 97 (District of Columbia, 2009)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
480 F.3d 1335, 82 U.S.P.Q. 2d (BNA) 1065, 2007 U.S. App. LEXIS 6415, 2007 WL 817660, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/cross-medical-products-inc-v-medtronic-sofamor-danek-inc-and-medtronic-cafc-2007.