Zoltek Corp. v. United States

58 Fed. Cl. 688, 2003 U.S. Claims LEXIS 373, 2003 WL 22937304
CourtUnited States Court of Federal Claims
DecidedDecember 9, 2003
DocketNo. 96-166 C
StatusPublished
Cited by10 cases

This text of 58 Fed. Cl. 688 (Zoltek Corp. 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
Zoltek Corp. v. United States, 58 Fed. Cl. 688, 2003 U.S. Claims LEXIS 373, 2003 WL 22937304 (uscfc 2003).

Opinion

OPINION

DAMICH, Chief Judge.

I. Introduction

Defendant filed a Motion for Partial Summary Judgment alleging that 28 U.S.C. § 1498(c) barred Plaintiff from receiving reasonable compensation under 28 U.S.C. § 1498(a) for infringement of Plaintiffs U.S. Patent No. Re. 34,162 (hereinafter, “Re. ’162 Patent”). The Re. ’162 patent teaches a process for making a silicon fiber sheet product used in the production of F-22 fighter planes. Because the fibers that form the sheet product are manufactured in a foreign country, and the manufacturing of the fibers is part of the patented process, this Court agreed with Defendant and held in its opinion of March 14, 2002, that Plaintiffs suit was barred by § 1498(c), because it was based on a “claim arising in a foreign country.” Zol-tek v. United States, 51 Fed.Cl. 829, 834 (2002).

Nevertheless, the Court stayed Defendant’s motion, pending additional briefing by the parties on several issues that arose out of the Court’s holding regarding the effect of § 1498(c). The thrust of these issues was whether Plaintiff had a cause of action outside of § 1498 for a taking of its patent rights under the Fifth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, over which this Court has jurisdiction by virtue of the Tucker Act.1 For the reasons stated herein, this Court holds that Plaintiff may assert in this Court a claim outside of § 1498 for a taking of its patent rights under the Fifth Amendment. Therefore, Defendant’s Motion for Partial Summary Judgment is DENIED.

II. Background

The background of this matter is set forth in the Court’s March 14, 2002 opinion, but a brief recitation of the relevant facts follows. Zoltek Corporation (“Zoltek” or “Plaintiff’) is the owner of the Re. T62 patent.2 The focus of this litigation is on the United States’ production of the F-22 fighter plane and its alleged use of the invention claimed in the Re. ’162 patent, which includes a set of process claims describing a method for manufacturing a carbon fiber sheet product.3 Plaintiff seeks to recover for the use of its patented process by the government, which requires both the “carbonization” of the fiber to create partially carbonized fiber and the formation of a sheet product. See, e.g., Re. ’162 Pat., col. 8, II. 42-66.

It is undisputed that Defendant contracted with Lockheed Martin Corporation (hereinaf[690]*690ter “Lockheed”) to design and build the new F-22 fighter. It is also undisputed that Lockheed subcontracted with other companies to provide fiber sheet products for use in the construction of the F-22. Similarly, it is undisputed that two types of fiber sheet products are used on the F-22 fighter: the first is a prepreg that is made from Niealon fibers; the second is a silicon carbide fiber mat made from Tyranno fibers. Zoltek Corp. v. United States, 51 Fed.Cl. 829, 831 (2002). Both fibers are manufactured in Japan and have been imported into the United States. The Niealon fibers are manufactured in Japan by the Nippon Carbon Co. and are then distributed in the United States; the Tyran-no fibers are also manufactured in Japan by Ube Industries, a Japanese Company. Id.; Mot. to Submit the Stipulation of Expected Test, of Composite Optics, Inc. The parties agree that Nippon Carbon Co. and Ube Industries have provided the fibers used in the construction of the F-22 fighter. Only the act of forming the sheet product from the imported fibers takes place in the United States; the “partial carbonization” steps of the claimed invention are not carried out in the United States. Defendant’s Motion for Partial Summary Judgment Pursuant to the RCFC [Rules of the Court of Federal Claims] 56 With Respect to Silicon Carbide Fiber Sheet Products Used by the F-22 Program (hereinafter, “Def.’s Mot. Par. Summ. J.”) at 7.

Defendant argued in its motion for partial summary judgment that Plaintiff was not able to assert a claim for reasonable compensation under § 1498(a) because both the Ni-ealon and Tyranno fibers are manufactured in a foreign country and, thus, any claim based on the manufacture of the sheet products arises in a foreign country. Defendant contended that pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 1498, the government’s use of the accused process must arise in the United States and that “[s]ince the formation of the fiber from its precursor occurs outside the United States, the process is not ‘used’ in this country.” Def.’s Mot. Par. Summ. J. at 7. According to § 1498(c), the reasonable compensation described in § 1498(a) is not paid when the claim is one “arising in a foreign country.”

The Court’s March 14, 2002 ruling on Defendant’s motion for partial summary judgment agreed with Defendant in part. After a review of the statutory text and its legislative history, this Court found that 28 U.S.C. § 1498 does not apply to all forms of direct infringement as currently defined in 35 U.S.C. § 271. Zoltek Corp., 51 Fed.Cl. at 837. The Court found that § 1498(c) provided the government with an affirmative defense to Plaintiffs infringement claim.4

Hence, the Court’s interpretation of § 1498 leaves Zoltek in a rather curious position. Although Zoltek possesses an exclusive property right in its patented process, both parties concede that under the Court’s interpretation Zoltek has no ability to enforce its right against the United States or its contractor, Lockheed Martin.5 Zoltek Corp., 51 Fed.Cl. at 837-38; Tr. of Oral Arg. on Takings Issue at 18-20. Under the Patent Act, however, it seems that Plaintiff might have a cause of action for use or importation of products made abroad, using a process covered by a U.S. patent.6 Because Zoltek [691]*691would have no remedy under § 1498, yet it may be deprived of its patent rights under the Patent Act, the Court questioned whether the government’s action might constitute a taking under the Fifth Amendment. The Court said: “Where the government infringes [the] right to exclude, interpreting § 1498(c) to bar such a claim might violate the Fifth Amendment.” Zoltek Corp., 51 Fed.Cl. at 839.

The Court ordered supplemental briefings on whether the alleged patent infringement in this case constitutes a Fifth Amendment taking and, if the alleged patent infringement does indeed constitute a Fifth Amendment taking, whether the Court’s interpretation of 28 U.S.C. § 1498(c) violates the Fifth Amendment. Zoltek Corp., 51 Fed.Cl. at 839. In addition, Plaintiff was granted permission to brief an additional issue: whether the rationale underlying the “headquarters claim” doctrine of the Federal Tort Claims Act is applicable to claims under § 1498. The parties were asked to consider these issues while remaining mindful of the government’s sovereign immunity and remembering that statutory provisions waiving sovereign immunity are strictly construed.

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58 Fed. Cl. 688, 2003 U.S. Claims LEXIS 373, 2003 WL 22937304, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/zoltek-corp-v-united-states-uscfc-2003.