By: Darren Crew

例年にない寒さでございますが、皆様にはますますご発展の事とお喜び申し上げます。

In Integrated Technology Corp. v. Rudolph Technologies, Inc., Appeal No. 2012-1593 (Fed. Cir., November 4, 2013), the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit (CAFC) reversed the district court regarding infringement under the doctrine of equivalents (before Chief Judge Rader, Circuit Judge Clevenger, and Circuit Judge Moore) (precedential).

Background

Integrated Technology Corp. (ITC) sued Rudolph Technologies, Inc. (Rudolph) for patent infringement, relating to a probe card inspection system claimed in ITC’s U.S. Patent No. 6,118,894 (the ‘894 patent). The district court held that Rudolph’s “no touch” products infringed the ‘894 patent under the doctrine of equivalents. Rudolph’s “no touch” products obtain a first image when the probe tips are approximately five microns above the viewing window–click here to read more—