!022294 Court of Appeals reconsidering jury trials for patents The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit may be prepared to put some limits on the role of juries in patent cases. It accepted three cases for review this spring, in which it has asked the parties to address the issue. The court is essentially the last word on patent law in the U.S., so its eventual rulings could have a far-reaching impact on what has been a lucrative and fast-growing specialty. Among the issues the court plans to consider is the respective role of judges and juries in interpreting the "claims" that inventors make in their patents. Such claims are frequently crucial to patent disputes because they define the scope of the invention and thus the right of the inventor to sue others for violations. The court also indicated it will decide whether juries should have a role in applying a rule of law that allows for a finding of patent infringement when the defendant's product falls outside the literal language of the plaintiff's patent. The cases are expected to be argued before the full 12-seat appeals court this spring. [rest of the article is on the pros and cons of jury trials] [Wall Street Journal 2/18/94, B6] Greg Aharonian Internet Patent News Service kk