Hologic, Inc. v. Minerva Surgical, Inc.

  1. August 11, 2022

    Fed. Circ. Still Won't Let Minerva Invalidate Hologic Patent

    The Federal Circuit on Thursday held that Minerva Surgical Inc. can't invalidate a Hologic Inc. patent for which its own founder was an inventor, following a trip to the U.S. Supreme Court where the justices narrowed when inventors can challenge their own patents.

  2. January 27, 2022

    Fed. Circ. Judge Knocks Justices' Assignor Estoppel Ruling

    A Federal Circuit judge said Thursday the U.S. Supreme Court justices created "a trap for the unwary" by keeping alive a doctrine barring inventors from challenging the validity of their own patents and narrowing when it can be applied, while weighing a remand order from the high court in a patent validity dispute between Minerva and Hologic.

  3. January 20, 2022

    IP Forecast: Minerva, Hologic To Face Off At Fed. Circ. Again

    Federal Circuit judges will consider next week whether a medical device startup's founder can attack a patent he helped develop after a U.S. Supreme Court decision in the dispute last year narrowed rules for blocking inventors from challenging their own patents.

  4. October 12, 2021

    Fed. Circ. Told Minerva Still Can't Challenge Hologic Patent

    Surgical device company Minerva shouldn't be able to strike down Hologic's patent covering an endometrial treatment despite a recent U.S. Supreme Court decision limiting when inventors are barred from challenging their own patents, Hologic told the Federal Circuit on Monday.

  5. September 14, 2021

    Fed. Circ. Told Inventor Limits Don't Bar Validity Challenge

    Surgical device company Minerva has told the Federal Circuit that in light of the U.S. Supreme Court narrowing when a doctrine preventing inventors from challenging their own patents can be invoked, a Hologic Inc. patent covering an endometrial treatment must be invalidated.

  6. July 22, 2020

    Fed. Circ. Rejects Minerva Plea To Abolish Assignor Estoppel

    The full Federal Circuit on Wednesday refused to take another look at whether it should abolish a doctrine barring inventors who sell their patent rights from challenging the patent's validity in district court, despite arguments from multiple sides to reconsider the rule.

  7. July 09, 2020

    Patent Cases To Watch In The Second Half Of 2020

    A wave of U.S. Supreme Court petition denials has made 2020 a bit of a letdown for patent attorneys, but there are several high-profile cases on the horizon that could decide the fate of Patent Trial and Appeal Board judges and biosimilars law, and offer more clarity on licensing standard essential patents.

  8. June 08, 2020

    Law Profs Urge Fed. Circ. To Narrow Assignor Estoppel Rule

    Dozens of intellectual property law professors urged the full Federal Circuit on Friday to narrow a panel's finding that the sale of a patent holder's rights bars the former holder from challenging the validity of the same patent in district court under the assignor estoppel doctrine.

  9. May 26, 2020

    Full Fed. Circ. Asked To Abolish Assignor Estoppel Rule

    A California medical device company urged the full Federal Circuit to review a decision that it infringed a rival's patent covering a menstrual cramps treatment procedure, arguing that the court should abolish a doctrine barring inventors who sell their patent rights from challenging the patent's validity in district court.

  10. April 22, 2020

    Hologic Can't Ban Rival's Surgical Devices After Fed. Circ. Win

    The Federal Circuit on Wednesday refused to grant Hologic Inc.'s request to block a rival from infringing a patent for its endometrial ablation treatment NovaSure, even as it affirmed a $5 million verdict against the rival, prompting a judge to question the "odd situation" surrounding the case.