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Intellectual property rights (IPR) litigation is concerned with intellectual property rights relating to things that were generated in part as a result of intellectual endeavours. These items are typically generated as a result of intellectual efforts in the fields of fine arts or applied arts, or as a combination of the two disciplines. IPR rights basically convey to designs, trade secrets as well as trademarks, service marks, patents, and other intellectual property rights. Such parts of a product may not be transferred off to another person or company under the terms of these rights.
As a result of the great monetary value placed on intellectual property throughout the world, and the fact that it is considered sacrosanct in many cultures, trademarks, copyrights, and other kinds of intellectual property are sometimes regarded as tangible in comparison to its legitimacy. There used to be a plethora of traditional intellectual property rules, but new laws have recently taken their place; this is true not only in India, but also in a number of other countries throughout the world.
Review among the Parties:
IPR is also an abbreviation used for inter parties review. It is a procedure that can be followed in the United States to cancel claims of patent enforcement that have been made.
It is not possible to file an inter parties review (IPR) until nine months have passed from the conclusion of the post-grant review process when a patent is awarded under the first-inventor-to-file provision, which is a relatively new statute.
An IPR cannot be filed until a post-grant review has been completed. If a post-grant review has recently been initiated, this proceeding must be completed before an IPR can be filed.
It is critical to recognise that there are numerous extensive deadlines established into IPR processes, all of which must be met. These deadlines must be completed in order for the filer to get an official petition for an IPR in his or her name from the court system. These dates must be followed in order for the appeals process to continue, which is even more important.
This ability to use an IPR as a base to challenge patent claims is mainly valuable when an entity has been sued for some type of patent infringement. The value of an IPR can be estimated by the fact that it can be used to challenge patent claims. The IPR petition, on the other hand, must be filed within 12 months following the filing of the complaint. This timeframe begins to run when the entity gets the complaint, not when the complaint was actually submitted.
How to Increase the Favourability of an Intellectual Property Right
There are things you can take to increase the favourability of intellectual property rights. You must primarily decide whether or not you want to wait until the actual IPR has been imposed before taking any action. You may be tempted to request a stay of the associated lawsuit as soon as the complaint is filed, but doing so can have a negative influence on your case.
When a stay motion is filed after an IPR has been launched, which can take up to six months, it has been demonstrated time and time again that many courts will consider it favourably. You should file your IPR petition as soon as possible after the complaint is filed, but you should not request a stay until the USPTO has taken action on your IPR petition and the case has been dismissed. You will be able to make a compelling case for why you should be allowed to stay.
The District Court has the authority to determine the validity of the action. And even if the USPTO institutes an IPR and cancels the challenged claims, the legitimacy of this action is still in the hands of the district court, which has jurisdiction over the matter. If the district court determines that a trial is necessary, even uncontested claims may still be subjected to a trial.
When an inter parties review challenges only a portion of a patent owner's patents, the claims presented are unlikely to result in a stay of the lawsuit. And even if the USPTO institutes an IPR and cancels the challenged claims, the legitimacy of this action is still in the hands of the district court, which has jurisdiction over the matter. If the district court determines that a trial is necessary, even uncontested claims may still be subjected to a trial.
Taking Prejudice into Account:
It's also fairly uncommon for courts to consider whether or not giving a stay will result in any form of disadvantage to the patent owner before granting one. An injunction will be unlikely to be granted if the claim is brought forward with prejudice, such as when brought forward by a direct competitor of the patent owner. Because of this, it is usually a good idea for the moving party to demonstrate to the court that they and the patent owner are not in competition with one another.
Types of Defences that the Accused Can Raise in Court:
If you are being victimised of intellectual property infringement, it is in your best interests to raise any and all possible defences in your case.
Among the many possible defences that you can employ are the following:
There are a variety of validity defences.
Estoppel
Non-infringement
Lack of novelty.
Waiver\ laches
Written description that is insufficient