Michels v. United States

72 Fed. Cl. 426, 81 U.S.P.Q. 2d (BNA) 1575, 2006 U.S. Claims LEXIS 259, 2006 WL 2524040
CourtUnited States Court of Federal Claims
DecidedSeptember 1, 2006
DocketNo. 06-290 C
StatusPublished
Cited by11 cases

This text of 72 Fed. Cl. 426 (Michels v. United States) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering United States Court of Federal Claims primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Michels v. United States, 72 Fed. Cl. 426, 81 U.S.P.Q. 2d (BNA) 1575, 2006 U.S. Claims LEXIS 259, 2006 WL 2524040 (uscfc 2006).

Opinion

OPINION AND ORDER

GEORGE W. MILLER, Judge.

This ease is before the Court on the motion of defendant (“the Government”) to dismiss plaintiffs complaint for failure to state a claim upon which relief can be granted. In her complaint, plaintiff seeks to recover damages for the taking of her property without compensation in violation of the Fifth Amendment to the United States Constitution. Specifically, plaintiff alleges that the early expiration of her patent by reason of her failure to pay a statutorily-mandated maintenance fee constituted such a taking. The Government seeks dismissal of plaintiffs claim pursuant to United States Court of Federal Claims Rule (“RCFC”) 12(b)(6), arguing that the expiration did not constitute a taking but rather was a result of plaintiffs failure to satisfy a condition to which her patent was subject. In her opposition to the Government’s motion, plaintiff sets forth a new allegation challenging the constitutionality of the maintenance fee.

I. BACKGROUND

A. Legal Background

In 1980, Congress passed Public Law 96-517, 94 Stat. 3015 (1980), which provided that patent-holders must pay prescribed maintenance fees to the United States Patent and [427]*427Trademark Office (“USPTO”) in order to maintain their patents in force. This law, now codified at 35 U.S.C. § 41 (2000), became effective on December 12, 1980 and applies to all patents for which the application was filed on or after that date. Under 35 U.S.C. § 41(b) (hereinafter, the “maintenance fee provision”), a maintenance fee must be paid at three times during a patent’s life.1 If a patent-holder fails to pay a maintenance fee by the deadline or within a six-month grace period thereafter, “the patent will expire as of the end of such grace period.” Id.

B. Factual Background and Procedural History

On September 26,1991, plaintiff Cindy Michels 2 filed for a patent on “Ergonomically Engineered Underwear.” That application was allowed just over a year later, and she was granted United States Patent Number 5,157,793.

Plaintiff paid the first and second required maintenance fees in accordance with the schedule set forth in the maintenance fee provision, see supra note 1, but failed to pay the third and final fee. Pursuant to the statutory scheme, this failure resulted in the expiration of plaintiffs patent following the six-month grace period after the third payment’s due date. After the expiration of her patent, plaintiff filed suit in this court.

In her complaint, filed April 12, 2006, plaintiff seeks “damages ... for the taking of private property without compensation ... in violation of the Fifth Amendment____” Compl. ¶ 1. In the complaint, plaintiff quotes Justice Holmes’s seminal opinion in Pennsylvania Coal Co. v. Mahon, 260 U.S. 393, 415, 43 S.Ct. 158, 67 L.Ed. 322 (1922) in support of the proposition that “if regulation goes too far, it will be recognized as a taking.” Compl. ¶2. Plaintiff also argues that, as a policy matter, (1) although the purpose of patents is to encourage innovation, the “implementation of the maintenance fees ha[s] the opposite effect,” and (2) the common practice of notifying the attorney of record of a maintenance fee’s impending due date is inadequate, and the patent-holder should be personally notified instead.3 Id. ¶ 7.

On June 12, 2006, the Government filed Defendant’s Motion to Dismiss for failure to state a claim upon which relief can be granted. In its motion, the Government sets forth two grounds for dismissal. First, the Government argues that the Takings Clause of the Fifth Amendment does not apply to legislation that requires the payment of money. Def.’s Mot. at 6. Second, the Government cites case law from this court supporting the contention that patent rights are conditioned upon payment of maintenance fees and therefore do not exist as an unconditional property right; thus, the Government argues, the expiration of plaintiffs patent did not constitute a taking of property since she had no right to the patent absent her compliance with the conditions prescribed by Congress. Id. at 4-7.

On July 6, 2006, plaintiff filed her “Reply Brief of Cindy Michels et al.” (the “Opposing Brief’). The bulk of the Opposing Brief is dedicated not to bolstering or clarifying plaintiffs original allegation that the Government had taken her property, but rather on challenging the constitutionality of the maintenance fee provision. This claim is not [428]*428raised in plaintiffs complaint.4 Plaintiff has not sought leave to amend her original complaint, nor has she indicated any intent to do so.

The thrust of plaintiffs argument challenging the constitutionality of the patent maintenance fee is that the maintenance fee provision is not within Congress’s power under the Intellectual Property Clause. The Clause, plaintiff explains, covers both patents and copyrights and grants Congress the power “to promote the progress of useful arts” by granting exclusivity to patent-holders. PL’s Opp. Br. at 8-12. Plaintiff cites case law which, she contends, establishes two tests for determining whether intellectual property legislation is within Congress’s power: (1) whether the legislation is categorically beyond Congress’s authority based upon text, history, and precedent, and (2) whether Congress has a rational basis for concluding that the legislation promotes the “Progress of Science.” Id. at 9 (citing Eldred v. Ashcroft, 537 U.S. 186, 123 S.Ct. 769, 154 L.Ed.2d 683 (2003) (quoting U.S. Const. Art. I, § 8, Cl. 8)). Plaintiff argues that the maintenance fee provision fails these tests for constitutionality. PL’s Opp. Br. at 9-10.

The Government filed its Reply to Plaintiffs Opposition Brief on July 24, 2006. The Government first argued that the new claim set forth in plaintiffs Opposing Brief is beyond the scope of the allegations set forth in plaintiffs complaint. The Government stated:

Plaintiffs’ complaint claims that then-patents were taken from them without compensation ____ In contrast, much of their opposition to our motion to dismiss ... instead attacks the constitutionality of Congress’ patent maintenance fee legislation----These arguments ... are beyond the scope of, and irrelevant to, plaintiffs’ complaint. They may not properly be considered in support of plaintiffs’ opposition to our motion to dismiss the complaint they actually filed.

Reply to PL’s Opp. Brief at 1-2. After arguing the foregoing point, the Government reiterated arguments set forth earlier in support of its motion to dismiss plaintiffs taking claim.

II. DISCUSSION

A. Jurisdiction

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72 Fed. Cl. 426, 81 U.S.P.Q. 2d (BNA) 1575, 2006 U.S. Claims LEXIS 259, 2006 WL 2524040, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/michels-v-united-states-uscfc-2006.