KSR Int'l Co. v. Teleflex Inc.

In KSR Int'l Co. v. Teleflex Inc., Teleflex took legal action against KSR Int'l alleging that the company infringed upon Teleflex's patent: a patent that gave Teleflex exclusive rights on a control pedal for an electronic automobile throttle control that was adjustable. The pedal created by the Teleflex Corporation was patented under United States Patent Number 6,237, 565 B1. The explicit allegation put forth by Teleflex is that the KSR International Company violated the detailed patent claim that expressed the design of the component and the region in which the control was to be mounted. KSR International asserted that they had not violated any patent and that the assembly of the item was clearly obvious and therefore in no way a violation.

The first case and was dismissed by the district court: a summary judgment was issued agreeing with the assertions made by KSR International. KSR International effectively argued that the product assembly of the electronic control device was apparent. Teleflex appealed and the United States Court of Appeals overturned the initial decision set forth by the district court: the Court of Appeals did not agree with the "apparent and palpable construction of the device" argument. The Supreme Court then ruled on the case on April 30, 2007. The Supreme Court's ruling overturned the decision made by the Court of Appeals, and the decision held that the construction of the device was palpable, that no patent infringement had occurred, and that the summary judgment made in district court was correct and appropriate.

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