Opinion ID: 770809
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 4

Heading: Ultimate Determination of Obviousness

Text: 59 As stated earlier, the ultimate determination of whether an invention is obvious is a legal question based on the totality of the evidence. See Richardson-Vicks, 122 F.3d at 1483, 44 USPQ2d at 1187. That evidence includes the district court's findings, which we have upheld, that the prior art: (1) included the More cigarette which met all of the limitations of the claims at issue except the circumference limitation; (2) provided motivation to reduce the circumference of the More by less than 9% to the claimed range; and (3) taught that sustained smoulder could be achieved at a 19 mm circumference. This constitutes overwhelming evidence of obviousness, particularly in light of the relatively small difference between the prior art More cigarette and the claimed invention, and the high degree of skill for the ordinary artisan. 60 The only evidence which B&W can marshal against these findings consists of the secondary indicators of nonobviousness which the district court erred in not considering. Those indicators are: (1) the market share of the VSSS; (2) PM's skepticism, praise, and copying; and (3) Cundiff's skepticism. We will assume, as B&W argues, that the VSSS enjoyed a 0.5% market share and we will accept B&W's characterization of PM's skepticism, praise, and copying of the Capri, as well as Cundiff's skepticism. We find persuasive, however, the facts that despite PM's skepticism, praise, and copying it was only able to achieve a 0.5% market share with the VSSS, and that only a single competitor is alleged to have praised or copied the Capri. Further, although Cundiff's skepticism is entitled to some weight, we find persuasive the district court's disagreement with the purported conventional wisdom, at the time of the Luke invention, that a 19 mm cigarette was not feasible. See B&W Opinion, slip op. at 24. Accordingly, these indicators of nonobviousness cannot overcome the strong evidence of obviousness. See Newell, 864 F.2d at 769, 9 USPQ2d at 1427 (finding obviousness despite strong evidence of commercial success). The district court's errors in not considering various secondary indicators are, therefore, harmless. See id. at 768, 9 USPQ2d at 1426 (stating that secondary indicators do not control the obviousness conclusion). 61 We conclude that the prior art would have suggested to one of ordinary skill in the art at the time the `615 invention was made that claims 1, 4, and 11 should be carried out and would have a reasonable likelihood of success. See In re Dow Chem., 837 F.2d at 473, 5 USPQ2d at 1531. Accordingly, we hold as a matter of law that claims 1, 4, and 11 would have been obvious over the prior art and are, therefore, invalid under 35 U.S.C. 103.