Novozymes A/S v. Genencor International, Inc.

474 F. Supp. 2d 592, 2007 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 10577, 2007 WL 506828
CourtDistrict Court, D. Delaware
DecidedFebruary 16, 2007
DocketCIV A 05-160-KAJ
StatusPublished
Cited by12 cases

This text of 474 F. Supp. 2d 592 (Novozymes A/S v. Genencor International, 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
Novozymes A/S v. Genencor International, Inc., 474 F. Supp. 2d 592, 2007 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 10577, 2007 WL 506828 (D. Del. 2007).

Opinion

POST-TRIAL FINDINGS OF FACT AND CONCLUSIONS OF LAW

JORDAN, Circuit Judge. 1

I. INTRODUCTION

Novozymes A/S (“Novozymes”) has sued Genencor International, Inc. (“Genencor”) and Enzyme Development Corporation (“EDC”) (collectively “Defendants”), alleging infringement of U.S. Patent No. 6,867,031 (issued Mar. 15, 2005) (the “ ’031 patent”). Briefly, the technology at issue relates to alpha-amylase enzymes that are used in the production of fuel ethanol. Trial of this matter was bifurcated. The first bench trial focused on patent infringement, invalidity, and unenforceability. In my post-trial Findings of Fact and Conclusions of Law issued on August 24, 2006, I concluded that Defendants infringed claims 1, 3, and 5 of the ’031 patent, that those claims are valid, and that the ’031 patent is enforceable. Novozymes A/S v. Genencor Int’l, Inc., 446 F.Supp.2d 297, 333-34 (D.Del.2006). The second bench trial, focusing on willfulness and damages, was held from October 10 to October 12, 2006. The following, issued pursuant to Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 52(a), are my findings of fact and conclusions of law as to the issues in that second trial.

For the reasons set forth, I conclude that;

(1) Novozymes’s subsidiary, Novozymes of North America, Inc. (“NZNA”), does not have standing to join this lawsuit as a party plaintiff; 2

(2) Novozymes is not entitled to lost profits damages;

(3) Defendants must pay reasonable royalty damages;

(4) Genencor willfully infringed the ’031 patent;

(5) Novozymes is entitled to double damages and reasonable attorneys’ fees; and

(6) Defendants will be permanently enjoined from infringing the ’031 patent. 3

II. FINDINGS OF FACT 4

A. The Parties

1. Novozymes is a Danish corporation with a place of business in Bagsvaerd, Denmark. (Uncontroverted Facts, Docket Item [“D.I.”] 101 at ¶ III.A.) Novozymes is the sole assignee of the ’031 patent, titled “Amylase Variants.” (’031 patent.)

*596 2. Genencor is a Delaware corporation having a principal place of business in Palo Alto, California. (Uncontroverted Facts, D.I. 101 at ¶ III.B.) Genencor sold an alpha-amylase product under the brand name Spezyme® Ethyl. (Id. at HIII.V.) Spezyme Ethyl infringes claims 1, 3, and 5 of the ’031 patent. Novozymes, 446 F.Supp.2d at 321-22.

3. EDO is a Delaware corporation having a principal place of business in New York, New York. (Uncontroverted Facts, D.I. 101 at HIII.C.) EDC was a United States distributor of Spezyme Ethyl. (Id. at ¶ III.W.)

B. The Relationship Between Novo-zymes and NZNA

4. NZNA is an indirect wholly owned United States subsidiary of Novozymes. (Uncontroverted Facts, D.I. 213 at A14503, ¶ III.E.) NZNA manufactures and distributes industrial enzymes. (Olofson, 5 Trial Transcript, D.I. 213, A15000-A15557 [“Tr.”] at A15162:4-6.)

5. NZNA’s board of directors has five members: four executives from the parent company, Novozymes, and one officer from NZNA. (Id. at A15163:l-6; Meyer, 6 Tr. at A15014:12-A15015:18.)

6. Day to day operations at NZNA are controlled by NZNA employees, but strategic decisions, including those regarding marketing and tax strategies, are made by the parent, Novozymes. (Olofson, Tr. at A15163:7-20.) Novozymes is organized into industry strategy groups that are responsible for different businesses on a worldwide basis. (Meyer, Tr. at A15010:7-A15011:2.) The Novozymes industry strategy group for biofuel starch, for example, is responsible for portfolio planning, product introduction, licensing, and intellectual property strategy for the biofuel starch business. (Id. at A15012:4-18.)

7. Novozymes sets the financial policies for its subsidiaries, including NZNA. (Loft, 7 Tr. at A15055:4-14.) To comply with certain regulatory requirements, No-vozymes consolidates the financial information from its subsidiaries into an overall financial report that is available to the public and filed with securities regulators in Denmark and the United States. (Id. at A15055:23-A15056:ll, A15060:5-13; Olof-son, Tr. at A15164:19-A15165:6; Trial Exhibit [“TX”] 456A, D.I. 214 at A16550-A16591.)

8. Novozymes owns the technology developed by itself and its subsidiaries. (Meyer, Tr. at A15018:7-14.) That technology includes the ’031 patent (supra Finding of Fact [“FF”] ¶ 1; Meyer, Tr. at A15017:14-16) and another patent related to alpha-amylases, U.S. Patent No. 6,297,-038 (issued Oct. 2, 2001) (the “ ’038 patent”) (Meyer, Tr. at A15020-.8-23). Novo-zymes is the sole assignee of both of those patents.

9. According to agreements made with Novozymes, its subsidiaries have the right to use Novozymes’s technology. (Meyer, Tr. at A15018:l-2, A15018:15~22.) Of particular relevance here, on January 1, 1996, the predecessors in interest to Novozymes and NZNA entered into a Technology Li-cence Agreement (“TLA”) granting NZNA a “non-exclusive non-transferable right and license, without right to sublicense, to use the Technology in the process of producing enzymes, including finished products and concentrates, and to make and *597 use apparatus and machinery of implementing and maintaining that process.” (TX 240, D.I. 214 at A16028, ¶ l.b.) That agreement remains in effect and gives NZNA blanket rights to use Novozymes’s technology (Meyer, Tr. at A15022:19-22, A15023:8-ll, A15024:14-18, A15025:23-A15026:7), including the ’031 and ’038 patents (id. at A15027:6-13). According to the TLA, Novozymes also covenants not to sue NZNA “under any patent that may issue in the United States to [Novozymes] and which claims all or any part of the Technology.” (TX 240, D.I. 214 at A16028, ¶ l.c.)

10. In return for the use of Novo-zymes’s technology, NZNA pays royalties at the rate of 40% of net sales. (Loft, Tr. at A15063:4-23; TX 240, D.I. 214 at A16029-A16030, ¶ 5.a, A16033 (amendment to ¶ 5.a).) That royalty rate was negotiated by Novozymes, NZNA, and tax authorities from Denmark and the United States to provide NZNA with the income level of similar companies in the United States. (Loft, Tr. at A15074:17-A15075:8, A15076:8-19, A15077:24-A15078:12.)

11. Novozymes maintains control over licensing and litigation regarding its technology. (Meyer, Tr. at A15048:19-25.) NZNA has “no authority” to license the technology or sue for patent infringement. (Id.)

12. Novozymes has a general policy of not licensing what it considers “core technology” outside of its corporate family. (Id.

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474 F. Supp. 2d 592, 2007 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 10577, 2007 WL 506828, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/novozymes-as-v-genencor-international-inc-ded-2007.