Redefining the Complexities Underlying Claim Construction - A Pre & Post Markman Analysis

Abstract

An invention, to be patentable, must be novel, must have an inventive step and must be capable of being industrially applicable. A patentable invention must be much more than a mere workshop improvement and must be claimed in a manner that exhibits a departure from the claims made in the prior art. Thus, drafting the patent claims and their appropriate interpretation by the Courts play a crucial role in the grant of patent and litigating a suit for infringement. The outcome of a patent infringement suit depends upon judicial interpretation of the claims of the alleged infringers’ product with that of the patentee to determine whether the former falls within the scope of the limitations of the latter. In case the same is proved, infringement stands proved beyond doubt. Conversely, in cases where the defendant makes use of the defence of invalidity against the said patent, the courts shall again determine the validity of the patent in question by construing the claims made in the said patent with those claimed in the prior art. Hence, the claim construction plays a crucial role in determining the validity of a patent and its continued existence. The Markman hearing is one such patent claim interpretation form that the courts generally employ in almost every patent infringement suit. It is a clear and doubtless understanding of the claim format that helps in understanding and successfully interpreting the claims, which mere ‘training and discipline” of the judges can’t give. In order to be successful, a Markman hearing claim construction must be conducted by the Jury or scientific advisers and experts, versed with the techno-legal terms of claims.