Durdin v. Kuryakyn Holdings, Inc.

440 F. Supp. 2d 921, 82 U.S.P.Q. 2d (BNA) 1139, 2006 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 52885, 2006 WL 2079140
CourtDistrict Court, W.D. Wisconsin
DecidedJuly 26, 2006
Docket06-C-39-C
StatusPublished

This text of 440 F. Supp. 2d 921 (Durdin v. Kuryakyn Holdings, Inc.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, W.D. Wisconsin primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Durdin v. Kuryakyn Holdings, Inc., 440 F. Supp. 2d 921, 82 U.S.P.Q. 2d (BNA) 1139, 2006 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 52885, 2006 WL 2079140 (W.D. Wis. 2006).

Opinion

OPINION AND ORDER

CRABB, District Judge.

This is a civil action for infringement of a design patent. Plaintiffs Ralph Durdin and Richard J. Diotte are the owners of U.S. Patent Des. 432,470 (the '470 patent), which claims an ornamental design for a motorcycle brake or clutch lever in the shape of a naked human female body from the upper torso to the feet. Plaintiffs contend that defendant Kuryakyn Holdings, Inc. is infringing the '470 patent by designing, manufacturing and selling a substantially similar lever under the trade name “Silhouette Lever.” Defendant has asserted a counterclaim that the '470 patent is invalid because the design lacks originality as required under 35 U.S.C. § 171. Jurisdiction is present. 28 U.S.C. § 1331,1338.

Presently before the court is defendant’s motion for summary judgment. In addition to its argument concerning lack of originality, defendant contends that it is entitled to dismissal of plaintiffs’ claim because plaintiffs have not adduced evidence sufficient for a reasonable jury to return a verdict in their favor under the two tests used to analyze design infringement claims: the point of novelty test and the ordinary observer test. Contessa Food Products, Inc. v. Conagra, Inc., 282 F.3d 1370, 1377 (Fed.Cir.2002). For the reasons stated below, defendant’s motion will be denied. In brief, there is evidence in the record from which a reasonable jury could conclude that defendant’s design infringes the '470 patent under the ordinary observer and point of novelty tests. In addition, I conclude that plaintiffs design qualifies as original under § 171 because it was the product of the inventive process and is not a mere reproduction or imitation of the human form. Finally, defendant’s request for correction of inventorship of the '470 patent will be denied because the record does not permit an evaluation of the contributions made by plaintiff Diotte to the patented design.

A brief note about the parties’ proposed findings of fact is in order. Defendant submitted a set of proposed findings in support of its motion. Plaintiffs submitted a set of responses to defendant’s proposals and a set of additional proposed findings. Defendant submitted a set of responses to plaintiffs additional findings. Neither side submitted a set of replies to the other side’s responses. Therefore, any additional facts contained in the responses that are material have been treated as undisputed.

From the parties’ proposed findings of fact, I find the following to be material and undisputed.

UNDISPUTED FACTS

A. Parties

Plaintiff Ralph Durdin is a Canadian citizen residing in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. Plaintiff Richard Diotte is a Canadian *924 citizen residing in Gloucester, Ontario, Canada. Plaintiffs are named as co-inventors of the design as shown in the '470 patent.

Defendant Kuryakyn Holdings, Inc. is a corporation formed under Wisconsin law with its principal place of business in Somerset, Wisconsin. Defendant sells aftermarket motorcycle accessories, including a brake and clutch lever which is sold under the name “Silhouette Lever.”

B. Background to the 'k70 Patent

Plaintiff Durdin conceived of the design claimed in the '470 patent as early as 1994. The first prototype was made in 1995. In the fall of that year, plaintiff Durdin showed plaintiff Diotte several maquettes, or small models, of a brake or clutch lever having a female form. Plaintiff Diotte showed the maquettes to three dealers and asked their opinions regarding their aesthetics. In addition, he assisted plaintiff Durdin with mechanical aspects of the design and in refining the design and putting it into its current form.

On July 7, 1998, plaintiffs filed U.S. Patent Application No. 29/090,584 ('584 application). The application contained the following ten figures.

*925 [[Image here]]

*926 [[Image here]]

Plaintiffs filed a “Combined Declaration ajad Power of Attorney” with the application in which each declared as follows: “I verily believe I am an original, first and joint inventor of the design entitled MOTORCYCLE BRAKE OR CLUTCH LEVER described and claimed in the attached specification.” Plaintiffs declared further that they had “reviewed and understand the contents of the above-identi-fiecj specification, including the claims as *927 amended by any amendment specifically referred to above.”

The patent examiner identified two distinct groups of inventions in the '584 application: Group I directed to figures 1-5 and Group II directed to figures 6-10. He required plaintiffs to select one group of figures for examination. In addition, the examiner rejected the claim pursuant to the first paragraph of 35 U.S.C. § 112. He indicated that “the claimed invention is not described in such full, clear, concise and exact terms as to enable any person skilled in the art to make and use the same.” In addition, he stated that it could not “be determined from Figs. 6-10 exactly what the claimed design is.” The examiner requested clarification concerning what plaintiffs considered to be the claimed design: the simulated figure shown in figures 6-8 or the figure and portions of a handlebar and brake or clutch shown in figures 9 and 10.

The examiner rejected the drawings as well, stating that the appearance of the design was subject to conjecture because the contours of the simulated figure were informally and inconsistently rendered in figures 6-10. He suggested that plaintiffs submit formal drawings so he could understand their exact appearance and determine whether their appearance could be completed without the introduction of new matter.

Plaintiffs did not disclose any prior art to the Patent and Trademark Office before the ’470 patent issued. The examiner cited the following design patents as prior art to the '584 application: U.S. Patent Nos. D 156,182; D 175,240; D282,736; D328,-885; D328,886; and D411,727. The following items existed before plaintiffs filed their application and were not considered by the examiner: U.S. Patent No. Des. 117,567, entitled “Tobacco Smoking Pipe,” which was issued on November 14, 1939; U.S. Patent No. Des. 337,454, entitled “Plumb Bob,” which was issued on January 21, 1997; and a design of a nude female figure entitled “Speed Nymph” which was used as an automobile mascot during the 1930s and described in a printed publication more than one year before the invention of plaintiffs’ design.

In response to the examiner’s Office Action, plaintiffs filed an amendment that contained new written description. In addition, the amendment cancelled figures 1-10 and replaced them with four drawings.

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440 F. Supp. 2d 921, 82 U.S.P.Q. 2d (BNA) 1139, 2006 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 52885, 2006 WL 2079140, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/durdin-v-kuryakyn-holdings-inc-wiwd-2006.