Becton Dickinson Licensing Win Against Inventor Upheld

The Sixth Circuit upheld medical device giant Becton, Dickinson & Co.'s win against an inventor who claimed he was owed two years’ worth of royalty payments for a valve disinfectant patent.

The decision came down to how broadly the phrase “issues from” in the parties’ patent-licensing agreement should be interpreted. The appellate court found that it didn’t include the patent inventor Lawrence Lynn sought royalties for in his suit because it only indirectly issued from the application at issue.

The Federal Circuit has held that the patent law phrase is ambiguous, but the unpublished opinion issued Tuesday by the US ...