Court Opinion

ID: 9488570
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-05 12:49:03.201792+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T17:52:57.914939
License: Public Domain

MAYER, Circuit Judge,
concurring in the judgment.
Claim interpretation demands an objective inquiry into how one of ordinary skill in the relevant art at the time of the invention would comprehend the disputed word or phrase in view of the patent claims, specification, and prosecution history. A patent, however, is written for a person of ordinary skill in an art; it is not written for a court. Because it is beyond argument that “[a] judge is not usually a person conversant in the particular technical art involved and is not the hypothetical person skilled in the art to whom a patent is addressed,” Markman v. Westview Instruments, Inc., 52 F.3d 967, 986, 34 USPQ2d 1321, 1335 (Fed.Cir.1995), a disputed word or phrase in a patent claim, as well as the technology disclosed in the specification and prosecution history, is often far beyond the court’s unaided understanding. “Extrinsic evidence, therefore, may be necessary to inform the court about the language in which the patent is written.” Id.
In this ease, infringement hinged on the definition of the word “skinless”. The paten-tee and supporting expert witnesses who were membranologists testified that in light of the specification and prosecution history, one of ordinary skill would understand “skinless” in terms of specific pore size, shape, and resulting way in which fluid flows through the membrane. Micron’s experts countered that “skinless” refers to a visible physical characteristic of the membrane that could be viewed with an electron microscope, and requires that a membrane not visually appear to have a skin. Both of these interpretations are plausible and are adequately supported. After a lengthy trial, the district court found in favor of Pali’s definition as a matter of underlying fact.
On appeal this panel unanimously agreed on an opinion which held that those findings of fact were not clearly erroneous. Then Markman intervened and this case was revisited by direction of the court en banc. Now, without explanation, where it was prepared to sustain the interpretation of “skinless” based on the findings of fact, the court says it is correct as a matter of law. I continue to believe Markman was wrongly decided, see 52 F.3d at 989, 34 USPQ2d at 1337, and this case is an example of why. I see no principled basis on which the court may rest its conversion of what once was mutable fact into immutable law. I can sustain the judgment of the district court as not based on clear error. Otherwise there is little for the uninitiated to choose between the contending interpretations. As far as I can see, this court’s action is based on mere preference, thus illustrating the artificiality of Markman. How it fosters greater predictability and consistency in the law or a certainty that a judge will “arrive at the true and consistent scope of the patent owner’s rights”, id. at 978, 34 USPQ2d at 1329, is beyond my understanding.
Judge Learned Hand put it cogently: “The question was of how the art understood the term, which was plainly a question of fact; and unless the finding was ‘clearly erroneous,’ we are to take this definition as control*1225ling. It is an issue which we are altogether incompetent to decide upon the merits; even the terminology is beyond our acquaintance ... indeed the very elements themselves are in dispute among those who have made them their life study, as the merest smattering of modem physics quickly discloses to a lay reader. While Congress sees fit to set before us tasks which are so much beyond our powers, suitors must be content that we shall resort to the testimony of experts, though they are concededly advocates with the inevitable bias that advocacy engenders.” Harries v. Air King Prods. Co., 183 F.2d 158, 164 (2d Cir.1950).
These cases often deal with the interpretation of complex scientific terms in areas of cutting edge technology. But science is not absolute, it is dynamic; and what is “truth” today is often shown to be error tomorrow. The fact finder may or may not arrive at the “true” meaning of the claims, but that problem is inherent in any judicial undertaking because an undisputed knowledge of fact is largely unobtainable. To suggest that appellate judges, precious few of whom are trained in science, will always arrive at the “true” meaning of words embodying complex concepts endows them with knowledge and enlightenment far beyond those who have training and experience in the field. They are in no position to declare the state of knowledge in the art or that scientific hypotheses are correct as a matter of law. Those who provide conflicting testimony and other evidence about scientific or technical matters should be evaluated as are any other expert witnesses and the finder of fact should decide what is the best, most reasonable result in light of the evidence presented. The trial court is the proper forum for such an exercise. This court should review according to traditional standards.