This page collects selected analysis and commentary on intellectual property, technology, and commercial law published by Charles Gideon Korrell, an attorney licensed in California and registered to practice before the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). The full archive of Gideon’s writing on Federal Circuit and regional circuit appellate decisions, patent law, trade secrets, software, artificial intelligence, and technology licensing is published at the Technology & Information Law Blog (techinfolaw.com). Additional analysis appears on Medium and LinkedIn.
Articles
August 6, 2026 – TechInfoLaw.com
Socket Solutions v. Import Global: Federal Circuit Demands Doctrinal Discipline Before Granting Preliminary Patent Injunctions
The Federal Circuit vacated a preliminary patent injunction after finding that the infringement analysis rested on improper constructions of two claim terms. The decision also confirms that patentees seeking early injunctive relief must prove irreparable harm with evidence rather than rely on a presumption arising from likely infringement and validity. Read more…
June 6, 2026 – TechInfoLaw.com
Hafeman v. Google: Federal Circuit Bars Review of Sotera-Based Institution Challenges and Reinforces Nexus Requirements for Secondary Considerations
The Federal Circuit reinforced the limits on appellate review of PTAB institution decisions, holding that a post-institution challenge involving an allegedly violated Sotera stipulation remained barred by § 314(d). The decision also underscores the importance of precise claim language and a well-developed evidentiary record when relying on secondary considerations to overcome an obviousness challenge. Read more…
June 2, 2026 – Medium.com
VLSI v. Intel: Federal Circuit Revives Patent Claims by Enforcing Litigation Stipulations and Narrowing Prosecution Disclaimer
The Federal Circuit revived VLSI’s infringement case against Intel, holding that the parties’ agreed treatment of domestic activity could not be disregarded and that the district court had construed the apparatus claims too narrowly. The decision also underscores two important litigation lessons: prosecution history must be unequivocal before it narrows claim scope, while damages theories can be excluded when required disclosures fail to provide adequate notice. Read more…
May 11, 2026 – TechInfoLaw.com
Bissell v. ITC: Firmware Redesign Defeats ITC Exclusion Order
The Federal Circuit affirmed an ITC decision allowing Tineco’s redesigned floor-cleaning products to avoid an exclusion order after targeted firmware changes eliminated a key infringement finding. The decision also underscores the difficulty of recasting factual infringement disputes as claim-construction issues on appeal and confirms that experts may rely on source code that was not itself admitted into evidence. Read more…
April 2, 2026 – Medium.com
Apple v. ITC: When Prototypes Can Be Used to Establish a Domestic Industry
The Federal Circuit upheld the ITC’s exclusion order against Apple while clarifying that a Section 337 domestic industry may rest on patent-practicing prototypes rather than a finished commercial product. The decision also confirms that investments in earlier prototype development can support the economic prong when sufficiently connected to the patented technology, while rejecting Apple’s infringement, validity, and prosecution-laches challenges. Read more…