Federal Circuit

Federal Circuit
Name	United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit
Established	1982
Country	United States
Location	Washington, D.C.
Appeals	Supreme Court of the United States

Federal Circuit is a federal court with appellate jurisdiction over certain cases, including those involving patent law, trademark law, and copyright law. The court was established by the Federal Courts Improvement Act of 1982, signed into law by President Ronald Reagan, and began operating on October 1, 1982, with Judge Howard Markey as its first chief judge, who had previously served on the United States Court of Customs and Patent Appeals. The court's jurisdiction is unique in that it has exclusive jurisdiction over appeals from the United States District Court for the District of Columbia, the United States Court of International Trade, and the United States Court of Federal Claims, as well as appeals from the United States Patent and Trademark Office and the United States International Trade Commission. The court's decisions are binding on the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit, and other federal courts, unless overturned by the Supreme Court of the United States.

Introduction

The Federal Circuit is composed of twelve active judges, who are appointed by the President of the United States and confirmed by the United States Senate, with the advice of the American Bar Association and the Federal Judicial Conference. The court is headquartered in the Howard T. Markey National Courts Building in Washington, D.C., and its judges often sit in panels of three to hear cases, including appeals from the United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit Bar Association. The court's decisions are guided by the principles of stare decisis, which requires the court to follow its own prior decisions, as well as those of the Supreme Court of the United States, including landmark cases such as Marbury v. Madison and Brown v. Board of Education. The court's jurisdiction is defined by Title 28 of the United States Code, which also establishes the court's procedures and rules, including the Federal Rules of Appellate Procedure and the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure.

History

The Federal Circuit was created by the Federal Courts Improvement Act of 1982, which was signed into law by President Ronald Reagan on April 2, 1982, with the support of Senator Orrin Hatch and Representative Peter Rodino. The court began operating on October 1, 1982, with Judge Howard Markey as its first chief judge, who had previously served on the United States Court of Customs and Patent Appeals and the United States Court of Claims. The court's early years were marked by significant growth and development, as it established its procedures and rules, including the Federal Circuit Rules of Practice, and began to hear cases involving patent law, trademark law, and copyright law, including appeals from the United States Patent and Trademark Office and the United States International Trade Commission. The court's decisions have been influential in shaping the development of intellectual property law in the United States, including landmark cases such as Diamond v. Diehr and State Street Bank & Trust Co. v. Signature Financial Group, Inc., which have been cited by the Supreme Court of the United States and other federal courts, including the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit and the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit.

Jurisdiction

The Federal Circuit has exclusive jurisdiction over appeals from the United States District Court for the District of Columbia, the United States Court of International Trade, and the United States Court of Federal Claims, as well as appeals from the United States Patent and Trademark Office and the United States International Trade Commission. The court also has jurisdiction over appeals from the United States Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces, the United States Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims, and the United States Tax Court, including cases involving tax law and administrative law. The court's jurisdiction is defined by Title 28 of the United States Code, which also establishes the court's procedures and rules, including the Federal Rules of Appellate Procedure and the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure. The court's decisions are binding on the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit, and other federal courts, unless overturned by the Supreme Court of the United States, including landmark cases such as Marbury v. Madison and Brown v. Board of Education.

Procedure

The Federal Circuit follows the Federal Rules of Appellate Procedure, which govern the procedures for appeals to the court, including the filing of briefs and the oral argument of cases, as well as the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, which govern the procedures for civil cases in the court. The court also has its own rules, known as the Federal Circuit Rules of Practice, which provide additional guidance on procedures and practices, including the use of electronic filing and video conferencing. The court's judges often sit in panels of three to hear cases, and the court's decisions are typically issued in written opinions, which are published in the Federal Reporter and other legal databases, including Westlaw and LexisNexis. The court's decisions are guided by the principles of stare decisis, which requires the court to follow its own prior decisions, as well as those of the Supreme Court of the United States, including landmark cases such as Diamond v. Diehr and State Street Bank & Trust Co. v. Signature Financial Group, Inc..

Notable Cases

The Federal Circuit has heard many notable cases over the years, including Diamond v. Diehr, which established the standard for patentability of computer-implemented inventions, and State Street Bank & Trust Co. v. Signature Financial Group, Inc., which established the standard for patentability of business methods, as well as KSR International Co. v. Teleflex Inc., which established the standard for obviousness in patent law, and Bilski v. Kappos, which established the standard for patentability of abstract ideas, including software patents and business method patents. The court has also heard cases involving trademark law and copyright law, including Tiffany & Co. v. Costco Wholesale Corp. and Star Athletica, LLC v. Varsity Brands, LLC., which have been cited by the Supreme Court of the United States and other federal courts, including the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit and the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit. The court's decisions have been influential in shaping the development of intellectual property law in the United States, including the America Invents Act and the Defend Trade Secrets Act.

Judges

The Federal Circuit is composed of twelve active judges, who are appointed by the President of the United States and confirmed by the United States Senate, with the advice of the American Bar Association and the Federal Judicial Conference. The court's judges include Chief Judge Sharon Prost, who has served on the court since 2004, and Judge Timothy Dyk, who has served on the court since 2000, as well as Judge Kathleen O'Malley, who has served on the court since 2010, and Judge Jimmie V. Reyna, who has served on the court since 2011. The court's judges have a wide range of experience and expertise, including patent law, trademark law, and copyright law, as well as administrative law and tax law, and have served on other federal courts, including the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit and the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit. The court's judges are committed to upholding the principles of justice and fairness in their decisions, and to providing clear and concise guidance to the legal community, including the American Intellectual Property Law Association and the Intellectual Property Owners Association.

Category:United States courts