Appeal Decision Addresses the Promise Doctrine (Intellectual Property Weekly Abstracts Bulletin - Week Of November 3rd, 2014)

NOC Cases

Appeal Decision Addresses the Promise Doctrine

Apotex Inc. v. Pfizer Canada Inc., 2014 FCA 250

This decision relates to two appeals that were heard together and the reasons apply to both. The decision set out the parties' positions and then noted the standard of review for the issues. In particular, patent construction is a question of law, which is assessed on a standard of correctness. Whether utility has been established, either demonstrated or predicted, is a question of fact to be reviewed for a palpable and overriding error, and sufficiency of disclosure is a mixed question of fact and law and therefore is reviewed for a palpable and overriding error unless there is an error of law.

The Court of Appeal noted "[t]he promise doctrine will hold an inventor to an elevated standard only where a clear and unambiguous promise has been made. Where the validity of a patent is challenged on the basis of an alleged unfulfilled promise, the patent will be construed in favour of the patentee where it can reasonably be read by the skilled person as excluding this promise." The Court of Appeal then determined that the Application Judge correctly construed the promise of the patent, noting that while a promise can appear in the specification provided that the language is clear and explicit, there was no error in the Judge acknowledging that statements that are not in the claim should not be presumed to be promises.

The Court of Appeal addressed a number of alleged promises. Apotex argued that any given promise must be construed as an overarching promise, but the Court of Appeal indicated that there was no support in the jurisprudence for this argument.

The Court of Appeal also addressed abuse of process, stare decisis and comity in light of an apparent concession made with respect to the promise in previous proceedings under the Patented Medicines (Notice of Compliance) Regulations. The Court of Appeal dismissed these arguments. Both appeals were dismissed with costs.

Patent Cases

New trial ordered and injunction set aside due to a refusal to allow an amendment to the Defence and Counterclaim

Janssen Inc. v. AbbVie Corporation, 2014 FCA 242

The Federal Court of Appeal has heard three related appeals from this proceeding in the Federal Court, and in the result, has sent the matter back down for re-hearing.

One appeal related to the finding that the patent was valid and infringed (2014 FC 55). A second appeal related to the Federal Court's dismissal of Janssen's pre-trial motion to amend Schedule A to its Defence and Counterclaim...