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Simple English definitions for legal terms

Festo doctrine

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A quick definition of Festo doctrine:

The Festo doctrine is a rule that says if someone changes their patent claim on purpose, they might not be able to use it in court later. This rule came from a court case called Festo Corp. v. Shoketsu Kinzoku Kogyo Kabushiki Co. in 2003.

A more thorough explanation:

Definition: The Festo Doctrine is a rule in patent law that states that voluntarily narrowing a patent claim may result in prosecution-history estoppel. This means that if a patent holder narrows their claim during the patent application process, they may be limited in their ability to enforce the patent against infringers who use similar but not identical technology.

Example: Festo Corp. v. Shoketsu Kinzoku Kogyo Kabushiki Co. is a case that illustrates the Festo Doctrine. In this case, Festo had a patent for a device used in manufacturing. During the patent application process, Festo narrowed the scope of their patent claim. Later, when Festo sued a competitor for patent infringement, the court found that the narrowed claim created prosecution-history estoppel, which limited Festo's ability to enforce their patent.

Another example: Imagine a company has a patent for a new type of smartphone. During the patent application process, the company narrows their claim to only cover smartphones with a specific type of camera. If a competitor creates a smartphone with a different type of camera, the company may not be able to enforce their patent against the competitor because of the Festo Doctrine.

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HopefullyInLawSchool
13:48
Some schools rject
13:49
Thanks! I couldn't find any reddit thread about it lol
13:49
but just means now I have to wait for the rejection from Davis
glovediedthisishismom
13:53
i just wanna rock
glovediedthisishismom
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bodyadaya
13:53
let it rock
14:17
How are the vibes heading into thanksgiving yall?
HopefullyInLawSchool
14:17
@Law-Guy Im feeling kinda happy I applied YM to UCI hoping it helps (:
Wanna give some head
soap
14:18
Cornell
14:19
@HopefullyinLawSchool What's YM?
14:19
oh no
HopefullyInLawSchool
14:19
you mom
WorthlessAttractiveZombie
14:19
Ouch
HopefullyInLawSchool
14:19
your*
14:19
I fear I realized too late
babycat
14:20
another victim claimed
concorde
14:22
pwned
14:22
Might have to send in addendums for that
Dkk
14:26
No wave, so sad.
WorthlessAttractiveZombie
14:28
What are the odds that berk releases later today?
babycat
14:28
@Dkk: And here I thought you were a prophet. Smh.
14:33
@WorthlessAttractiveZombie: 4
WorthlessAttractiveZombie
14:35
@EvolBunny: I will take the odds of 4, very promising
14:38
I'm too drunk to taste this chicken
Dkk
14:38
Lol, I suck I guess. @babycat
14:40
suck what? (:
Dkk
14:42
suck at predicting
14:43
boooooo
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