Commil USA, LLC v. Cisco Systems, Inc. (575 U.S. 632)
U.S. Supreme Court · decided May 26, 2015 · Supreme Court Database (Spaeth)
- Citation
- 575 U.S. 632 · 135 S. Ct. 1920
- Decided
- May 26, 2015
- Term
- October Term 2014
- Vote
- 6–2
- Majority author
- Justice Kennedy
- Issue area
- Economic Activity
- Disposition
- Vacated and remanded
- Outcome
- Petitioning party won
- Ideological direction
- Conservative
Opinion excerpt
Justice KENNEDYdelivered the opinion of the Court. A patent holder, and the holder's lawful licensees, can recover for monetary injury when their exclusive rights are violated by others' wrongful conduct. One form of patent injury occurs if unauthorized persons or entities copy, use, or otherwise infringe upon the patented invention. Another form of injury to the patent holder or his licensees can occur when the actor induces others to infringe the patent. In the instant case, both forms of injury-direct infringement and wrongful inducement of others to commit infringement-were alleged. After two trials, the defendant was found liable for both types of injury. The dispute now before the Court concerns the inducement aspect of the case. I The patent holder who commenced this action is the petitioner here, Commil USA, LLC. The technical details of Commil's patent are not at issue. So it suffices to say, with much oversimplification, that the patent is for a method of implementing short-range wireless networks. Suppose an extensive business headquarters or a resort or a college campus wants a single, central wireless system (sometimes called a Wi-Fi network). In order to cover the large space, the system needs multiple base stations so a user can move around the area and still stay connected. Commil's patent relates to a method of providing faster and more reliable…
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