Law Commons^™

Deserved Deference: Reconsidering The De Novo Standard Of Review For Claim Construction, M. Reed Staheli

Marquette Intellectual Property Law Review

Markman v. Westview Instruments, Inc. (Markman II) concluded that patent claim construction is "exclusively within the province of the court," not the jury. However, it did not mention the appropriate standard for appellate review of claim construction, and the Federal Circuit has disagreed on the proper standard of review. As such, Mr. Staheli examines the evidentiary principles of claim construction adopted by the Federal Circuit and explores the inherent reliance a court places upon technical evidence when interpreting a complex claim, focusing on the factual disputes and determinations of credibility that result from a dependence on technical evidence. After a …