Chapter 15 Outline

• Jurisdiction: United States

Chapter 15

Patent Claim Interpretation

§15.01 The Central Role of Patent Claims

§15.02 Judge Versus Jury as Interpreter

[A] Pre- Markman

[B] Markman v. Westview (U.S. 1996)

[C] Markman Hearings

[D] Must a District Court Always Expressly Interpret Claim Terms?

§15.03 Evidentiary Hierarchy for Claim Interpretation

[A] Intrinsic Evidence

[B] Extrinsic Evidence

[C] "Contextualist" Versus "Literalist" Approaches

[D] The En Banc Phillips Decision (Fed. Cir. 2005)

§15.04 Canons of Patent Claim Interpretation

[A] Perspective: Person Having Ordinary Skill in the Art

[B] General Rule: Ordinary and Customary Meaning

[1] Decisions Permitting Only "Stringent" Exceptions to Ordinary Meaning

[2] Decisions Rejecting "Stringent" Exceptions Rule

[C] Self-Defined Terms ("Own Lexicographer" Rule)

[1] Express Redefinition

[2] Implicit Redefinition

[D] Interpret Claims in View of the Written Description but Do Not Import a

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