Grain Processing Corp. v. American Maize-Products Co.
United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit
840 F.2d 902, 5 U.S.P.Q.2d 1788 (1988)
- Written by Eric Miller, JD
Facts
Grain Processing Corp. (GPC) (plaintiff) brought a patent-infringement action against American Maize-Products Co. (Maize) (defendant) in federal district court. The patent covered starch-conversion products known as hydrolysates. Maize counterclaimed that the patent was invalidated by public use because Corn Products Co., GPC’s corporate predecessor, had shipped hydrolysate samples to food manufacturers more than a year before the date of the patent application. The court found that this activity, which was consistent with industry custom, fell within the patent statute’s experimental-use exception and that the patent was valid. The court also held that there had been no infringement. GPC appealed to the United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit.
Rule of Law
Issue
Holding and Reasoning (Mayer, J.)
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