In a decision clarifying the applicable test for staying a
district court case during an inter partes review (IPR),
the US Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit confirmed that
district courts have broad discretion in determining what factors
to consider. In addition, the Court warned that when ruling on
preliminary injunction motions, district courts must explain the
reasoning behind their decisions. Murata Machinery USA v.
Daifuku Co., Ltd., Case No. 15-2094 (Fed. Cir., Aug. 1, 2016)
(Stoll, J).
The case concerns two sets of patents related to
“automated material handling systems,” which are
robotic machinery installed in semiconductor manufacturing
cleanrooms to manipulate the components. Murata and Daifuku both
manufacture such automated systems. In September 2013, Murata
initially sued Daifuku on three patents. Almost a year later,
Murata sought leave to add two more patents to the case. Daifuku
then filed IPRs on the three original patents and moved to stay
