Opinion ID: 209952
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: Why does it matter?

Text: These nine years of proceedings do not reflect an optimum mode of patent dispute resolution. The jury verdict of infringement under the doctrine of equivalents was rendered in February 2001, and all outstanding issues were resolved by the district court by opinion rendered in 2001. The jury was instructed in accordance with precedent: Instruction No. 3.5.3. . . . The test for determining equivalency is whether, at the time of the asserted infringement, one of ordinary skill in the art would consider the differences between the accused product or method and the element or elements of the patent claim not literally present to be insubstantial. If such a person would consider those differences not to be substantial, then infringement exists under the doctrine of equivalents. Honeywell must prove infringement under the doctrine of equivalents by a preponderance of the evidence. In determining whether Honeywell has proven that a feature of the Hamilton Sundstrand product is equivalent to an element of a patent claim, you should focus on the individual element and maintain a special vigilance against allowing the concept of equivalence to eliminate that element entirely.    It is not a requirement under the doctrine of equivalents infringement that those of ordinary skill in the art knew of the equivalent when the patent application was filed or when the patent issued. The question of whether Hamilton Sundstrand's product is equivalent to that defined in Honeywell's claims is to be determined as of the time of the alleged infringement. The correctness of the instruction was not in dispute. The verdict of no literal infringement, but of infringement under the doctrine of equivalents, was sustained by the district court. Honeywell Int'l, Inc. v. Hamilton Sundstrand Corp., 166 F. Supp.2d 1008 (D.Del.2001). The court's holding today takes another step to remove patent issues from the jury, but adds nothing to consistency or stability or predictability of the law. I respectfully dissent.