Axonics’ Patent Challenges Get New Life from Appeals Court (1)

The Federal Circuit revived challenges to a pair of Medtronic Inc. patents covering ways to recharge batteries in medical-device implants through a patient’s skin.

The court held that Axonics Inc.—which Medtronic sued in 2019 for patent infringement—had improperly been restricted from making certain arguments while it challenged the validity of US Patent Nos. 8,457,758 and 8,738,148 at the Patent Trial and Appeal Board.

After the board decided to institute proceedings, Medtronic succeeded in convincing the PTAB to adopt its preferred construction of a key patent claim term.

In a reply brief at the administrative tribunal, Axonics tried to pivot and ...