Federal Circuit Dings Albright Indefiniteness Ruling As "Inapt"

The Federal Circuit has overturned the invalidation of a Maxell patent asserted against battery manufacturer Amperex Technology. On March 6, the appellate court issued a precedential opinion in which it held that Western District of Texas Judge Alan D. Albright erred by concluding that certain claim limitations were both optional and required, a "contradiction" that rendered the patent indefinite. This conclusion was "inapt", the Federal Circuit countered—ruling instead that there was no contradiction under a proper reading of the claims. Despite that decision, all four patents-in-suit remain invalid as a result of inter partes reviews (IPRs) for which appeals are currently active before the Federal Circuit.