Brief of Thirty-Four Law Professors as Amici Curiae in Support of Appellants in Altera Corp. v. Papst Licensing GMBH

28 Pages Posted: 22 Dec 2015 Last revised: 6 Jan 2021

See all articles by Debra Lyn Bassett

Debra Lyn Bassett

Southwestern Law School

Anya Bernstein

University of Connecticut School of Law

Jeremy Bock

Tulane University - Law School

Patrick Joseph Borchers

Creighton University School of Law

Michael J. Burstein

Yeshiva University - Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law

Michael A. Carrier

Rutgers Law School

Bernard Chao

University of Denver Sturm College of Law

Colleen V. Chien

UC Berkeley School of Law

Jorge L. Contreras

University of Utah - S.J. Quinney College of Law

Scott Dodson

UC Law, San Francisco

Joshua A. Douglas

University of Kentucky - College of Law

Catherine Ross Dunham

Elon University School of Law

Katherine Florey

University of California, Davis

Roger Allan Ford

University of New Hampshire Franklin Pierce School of Law; Information Society Project, Yale Law School

Leah Chan Grinvald

William S. Boyd School of Law at UNLV

Paul R. Gugliuzza

Temple University - James E. Beasley School of Law

Timothy R. Holbrook

University of Denver Sturm College of Law

William Hubbard

University of Baltimore - School of Law

Sapna Kumar

University of Minnesota Law School

Megan M. La Belle

Catholic University of America (CUA) - Columbus School of Law

Mark A. Lemley

Stanford Law School

David I. Levine

UC Hastings Law

Joseph Scott Miller

University of Georgia School of Law

Patricia W. Moore

St. Mary's University Law School

Ira Steven Nathenson

St. Thomas University School of Law

Xuan-Thao Nguyen

Indiana University Robert H. McKinney School of Law, Center for Intellectual Property & Innovation

Philip A. Pucillo

Michigan State University College of Law

Charles W. (Rocky) Rhodes

South Texas College of Law

Cassandra Burke Robertson

Case Western Reserve University School of Law

Christopher B. Seaman

Washington and Lee University School of Law

Gregory C. Sisk

University of St. Thomas School of Law (Minnesota)

Howard Wasserman

Florida International University (FIU) - College of Law

Buzz

Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP

Matthew K. Telford

University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School - Student/Alumni/Adjunct

Date Written: December 21, 2015

Abstract

Beginning with its 1998 decision in Red Wing Shoe Co. v. Hockerson-Halberstadt, Inc., 148 F.3d 1355, 1360 (Fed. Cir. 1998), the Federal Circuit has embraced a rigid, bright-line rule for the exercise of personal jurisdiction in patent declaratory judgment actions. Specifically, the Federal Circuit has held, based on “policy considerations unique to the patent context,” Avocent Huntsville Corp. v. Aten Int’l Co., 552 F.3d 1324, 1333 (Fed. Cir. 2008), that contacts created through unsuccessful attempts to license a patent can never be sufficient to create specific personal jurisdiction over a patent holder. In contrast to that rigid, patent-specific rule, the Supreme Court has repeatedly emphasized that the analysis of personal jurisdiction “is not susceptible of mechanical application,” Kulko v. Superior Court, 436 U.S. 84, 92 (1978), and has instead required a case-by-case inquiry into the defendant’s contacts with the forum state and considerations of “fair play and substantial justice,” Burger King Corp. v. Rudzewicz, 471 U.S. 462, 485-86 (1985) (internal quotations omitted). Applying the analysis mandated by Supreme Court precedent, it is clear that personal jurisdiction exists in declaratory judgment actions, such as this one, where the patent holder purposefully targeted the forum state by sending demand letters into the state and engaging in in-person meetings in the state with the specific purpose of licensing the patent-in-suit.

In addition, important public policy interests support allowing courts to exercise personal jurisdiction over patentees who engage in patent licensing activities targeted at the forum state. The Supreme Court and Congress have consistently emphasized a strong public policy in clearing invalid patents from the marketplace. The Declaratory Judgment Act furthers this policy by allowing accused infringers to obtain a decision on patent validity at a reasonable time and in a reasonable place. The rigid rule established by Red Wing Shoe, however, frustrates the goal of encouraging patent challenges by granting patent holders unilateral control over where a declaratory judgment suit may be filed.

For these reasons, the Federal Circuit should sua sponte consider this case en banc to overturn the restrictive jurisdictional rule established by Red Wing Shoe.

Keywords: patent, declaratory judgment, jurisdiction, personal jurisdiction, patent assertion entity, minimum contacts

Suggested Citation

Bassett, Debra Lyn and Bernstein, Anya and Bock, Jeremy and Borchers, Patrick Joseph and Burstein, Michael J. and Carrier, Michael A. and Chao, Bernard H. and Chien, Colleen V. and Contreras, Jorge L. and Dodson, Scott and Douglas, Joshua and Dunham, Catherine Ross and Florey, Katherine and Ford, Roger Allan and Grinvald, Leah Chan and Gugliuzza, Paul R. and Holbrook, Timothy Richard and Hubbard, William and Kumar, Sapna and La Belle, Megan Maureen and Lemley, Mark A. and Levine, David I. and Miller, Joseph Scott and Moore, Patricia W. and Nathenson, Ira Steven and Nguyen, Xuan-Thao and Pucillo, Philip A. and Rhodes, Charles W. (Rocky) and Robertson, Cassandra Burke and Seaman, Christopher B. and Sisk, Gregory C. and Wasserman, Howard and Frahn, Harrison and Telford, Matthew K., Brief of Thirty-Four Law Professors as Amici Curiae in Support of Appellants in Altera Corp. v. Papst Licensing GMBH (December 21, 2015). Southwestern Law School Research Paper No. 2015-25, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=2707288 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.2707288

Debra Lyn Bassett

Southwestern Law School ( email )

3050 Wilshire Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90010
United States

Anya Bernstein

University of Connecticut School of Law ( email )

Jeremy Bock

Tulane University - Law School ( email )

6329 Freret Street
New Orleans, LA 70118
United States

Patrick Joseph Borchers

Creighton University School of Law ( email )

2500 California Plaza
Omaha, NE 68178
United States
402-280-3009 (Phone)
402-280-3161 (Fax)

HOME PAGE: http://culaw2.creighton.edu

Michael J. Burstein

Yeshiva University - Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law ( email )

55 Fifth Ave.
New York, NY 10003
United States

Michael A. Carrier

Rutgers Law School ( email )

217 North Fifth Street
Camden, NJ 08102-1203
United States
856-225-6380 (Phone)
856-225-6516 (Fax)

Bernard H. Chao

University of Denver Sturm College of Law ( email )

2255 E. Evans Avenue
Denver, CO 80208
United States

Colleen V. Chien

UC Berkeley School of Law ( email )

302 JSP
2240 Piedmont Ave
Berkeley, CA 94720
United States
510-664-5254 (Phone)

Jorge L. Contreras (Contact Author)

University of Utah - S.J. Quinney College of Law ( email )

383 S. University Street
Salt Lake City, UT 84112-0730
United States

Scott Dodson

UC Law, San Francisco ( email )

200 McAllister Street
San Francisco, CA 94102
United States
415-581-8959 (Phone)

HOME PAGE: http://www.uchastings.edu/faculty/dodson/index.php

Joshua Douglas

University of Kentucky - College of Law ( email )

620 S. Limestone Street
Lexington, KY 40506-0048
United States

Catherine Ross Dunham

Elon University School of Law ( email )

201 N. Greene Street
Greensboro, NC 27401
United States

Katherine Florey

University of California, Davis ( email )

One Shields Avenue
Apt 153
Davis, CA 95616
United States

Roger Allan Ford

University of New Hampshire Franklin Pierce School of Law ( email )

Two White Street
Concord, NH 03301
United States

Information Society Project, Yale Law School

127 Wall Street
New Haven, CT 06511
United States

Leah Chan Grinvald

William S. Boyd School of Law at UNLV ( email )

4505 South Maryland Parkway
Box 451003
Las Vegas, NV 89154
United States

Paul R. Gugliuzza

Temple University - James E. Beasley School of Law ( email )

1719 N. Broad Street
Philadelphia, PA 19122
United States

Timothy Richard Holbrook

University of Denver Sturm College of Law ( email )

2255 E. Evans Avenue
Denver, CO 80210
United States

HOME PAGE: http://www.law.du.edu/about/people/tim-holbrook

William Hubbard

University of Baltimore - School of Law ( email )

1420 N. Charles Street
Baltimore, MD 21218
United States

Sapna Kumar

University of Minnesota Law School ( email )

MN TX
United States

Megan Maureen La Belle

Catholic University of America (CUA) - Columbus School of Law ( email )

3600 John McCormack Rd., NE
Washington, DC 20064
United States

Mark A. Lemley

Stanford Law School ( email )

559 Nathan Abbott Way
Stanford, CA 94305-8610
United States

David I. Levine

UC Hastings Law ( email )

200 McAllister Street
San Francisco, CA 94102
United States
415-565-4677 (Phone)

Joseph Scott Miller

University of Georgia School of Law ( email )

225 Herty Drive
Athens, GA 30602
United States
706-542-5191 (Phone)
706-542-5556 (Fax)

Patricia W. Moore

St. Mary's University Law School ( email )

One Camino Santa Maria St
San Antonio, TX 78228
United States

Ira Steven Nathenson

St. Thomas University School of Law ( email )

16401 N.W. 37th Ave.
Miami, FL 33054
United States
(305) 474-2454 (Phone)
(305) 623-2390 (Fax)

HOME PAGE: http://nathenson.org

Xuan-Thao Nguyen

Indiana University Robert H. McKinney School of Law, Center for Intellectual Property & Innovation ( email )

530 West New York Street
Indianapolis, IN 46202
United States
317-274-8146 (Phone)

HOME PAGE: http://mckinneylaw.iu.edu/faculty-staff/profile.cfm?Id=582

Philip A. Pucillo

Michigan State University College of Law ( email )

648 N. Shaw Lane
East Lansing, MI 48824
United States
517.432.6956 (Phone)

HOME PAGE: http://www.law.msu.edu/faculty_staff/profile.php?prof=713

Charles W. (Rocky) Rhodes

South Texas College of Law ( email )

1303 San Jacinto Street
Houston, TX 77002
United States
713-646-2918 (Phone)

Cassandra Burke Robertson

Case Western Reserve University School of Law ( email )

11075 East Boulevard
Cleveland, OH 44106-7148
United States
216-368-3302 (Phone)

Christopher B. Seaman

Washington and Lee University School of Law ( email )

Lexington, VA 24450
United States
540-458-8520 (Phone)

Gregory C. Sisk

University of St. Thomas School of Law (Minnesota) ( email )

MSL 400, 1000 La Salle Avenue
Minneapolis, MN Minnesota 55403-2005
United States
651-962-4892 (Phone)

Howard Wasserman

Florida International University (FIU) - College of Law ( email )

University Park, DB 2065
Miami, FL 33199
United States
305-348-7482 (Phone)

Harrison Frahn

Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP ( email )

2550 Hanover Street
Palo Alto, CA 94304
United States

Matthew K. Telford

University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School - Student/Alumni/Adjunct ( email )

2135 Walnut St
Apt 801
Philadelphia, PA 19103
United States
336-403-6421 (Phone)

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