Hoop v. Hoop
United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit
279 F.3d 1004 (2002)
- Written by Jack Newell, JD
Facts
Jeffrey and Stephen Hoop (JS) (defendants) conceived a design for fairing guards shaped like eagles. Fairing guards go over the handlebars of motorcycles to reduce drag. JS enlisted the help of Mark and Lisa Hoop (ML) (plaintiffs) to make drawings and metal castings of the design. The parties tried to negotiate a manufacturing agreement, but they ultimately failed. Both parties then submitted identical design patents. JS petitioned the Patent and Trademark Office to have ML’s patent reexamined. ML sued JS in federal district court for patent infringement. JS made a counterclaim for patent infringement. The district court ruled in favor of JS, finding that they were the true inventors of the patent. ML appealed to the United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit.
Rule of Law
Issue
Holding and Reasoning (Mayer, C.J.)
Dissent (Lourie, J.)
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