SCA Hygiene Prods. AB v. First Quality Baby Prods.,
LLC
This case relates to adult incontinence products. The district
court, based on a delay of more than six-years in filing the
lawsuit, held that the patent owner's suit was barred by both
laches and equitable estoppel. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the
Federal Circuit agreed that dismissal for laches was appropriate
but, given the limited interactions between the parties reversed
the district court's summary judgment as to equitable
estoppel. SCA Hygiene Prods. AB v. First Quality Baby
Prods., LLC, Case No. 13-1564 (Fed. Cir., Sept. 12, 2014)
(Hughes, J.).
In October 2003, SCA sent a letter to First Quality putting
First Quality on notice as to its possible infringement of
SCA's patent. First Quality responded that the patent was
invalid and not infringed. In July 2004, SCA sought
reexamination of the patent, and in March 2007 the U.S. Patent and
Trademark Office (PTO) confirmed the patentability of
