Amgen, Inc. v. F. Hoffman-La Roche Ltd.

• Decision Date: 03 July 2007
• Docket Number: No. CIV.A. 05-12237-WGY.,CIV.A. 05-12237-WGY.
• Parties: AMGEN, INC., Plaintiff, v. F.HOFFMANN-LA ROCHE LTD., a Swiss Company, Roche Diagnostics GmbH, a German Company and Hoffmann-La Roche Inc., a New Jersey Corporation Defendants.
• Court: U.S. District Court — District of Massachusetts

494 F.Supp.2d 54

AMGEN, INC., Plaintiff, v. F.HOFFMANN-LA ROCHE LTD., a Swiss Company, Roche Diagnostics GmbH, a German Company and Hoffmann-La Roche Inc., a New Jersey Corporation Defendants.

No. CIV.A. 05-12237-WGY.

United States District Court, D. Massachusetts.

July 3, 2007.

COPYRIGHT MATERIAL OMITTED

Aton Arbisser, Kaye Scholer LLP, Los Angeles, CA, Robert M. Asher, Bromberg & Sunstein, Boston, MA, Leora Ben-Ami, Kaye Scholer LLP, New York, NY, Julian Brew, Kaye Scholer LLP, Los Angeles, CA, Lee C. Bromberg, Bromberg & Sunstein LLP, Boston, Patricia A. Carson, Kaye Scholer LLP (N.Y.), New York, NY, Monica Contreras Kaye Scholer LLP, New York, NY, David L. Cousineau, Kaye Scholer LLP, Washington, DC, Richard A. De Sevo, Kaye Scholer LLP, New York, NY, Nancy DiLella, Hoffmann-La Roche Inc. Law Department, Nutley, NJ, Vladimir Drozdoff, Kaye Scholer LLP (N.Y.), New York, NY, Thomas F. Fleming, Kaye Scholer LLP (N.Y.), New York, NY, Peter Fratangelo, Kaye Scholer LLP (N.Y.), New York, NY, Christopher T. Jagoe, Kaye Scholer LLP, New York, NY, George W. Johnston, Hoffmann-La Roche Inc. Law Department, Nutley, NJ, Robert L. Kann, Bromberg & Sunstein LLP, Boston, Joel R. Leeman, Bromberg & Sunstein, Boston, MA, Mark S. Popofsky, Kaye Scholer LLP, Washington, DC, Nicole A. Rizzo, Bromberg & Sunstein LLP, Boston, MA, Patricia Rocha-Tramaloni, Hoffmann-La Roche Inc. Law Department, Nutley, NJ, Krista M. Rycroft, Kaye Scholer LLP (N.Y.), New York, NY, Kimberly J. Seluga, Bromberg & Sunstein LLP, Boston, MA, Aaron Stiefel, Kaye Scholer LLP, New York, NY, Howard Suh, Kaye Scholer LLP, New York, NY, Keith E. Toms, Bromberg & Sunstein LLP, Boston, MA, Jeanna Wacker, Kaye Scholer LLP New York, NY, Manvin Mayell, Kaye Scholer LLP, New York, NY, Kathleen McDermott, Sonnenschein Nath & Rosenthal LLP, Washington, DC, Matthew McFarlane, Kaye Scholer LLP, New York, NY, Timothy M. Murphy, Bromberg & Sunstein LLP, Boston, MA, for F. Hoffmann-LaRoche Ltd, Hoffmann LaRoche Inc., Roche Diagnostics GmbH, Defendants. Alfred H. Heckel, Kaye Scholer LLP, New York, NY, Julia Huston, Bromberg & Sunstein LLP, Boston, MA, for F. Hoffmann-LaRoche Ltd, Hoffmann La-Roche Inc., Roche Diagnostics GmbH, Defendants.

William G. Gaede, III, McDermott, Will & Emery LLP, Palo Alto, CA, Robert M. Galvin, Day Casebeer Madrid & Batchelder LLP, Cupertino, CA, Geoffrey M Godfrey, Berrie R. Goldman, Aaron R. Hand, Susan M. Krumplitsch, Day Casebeer Madrid & Batchelder LLP, Cupertino, CA, Michael R. Gottfried, Duane Morris LLP, Boston, MA, Mary Susan Howard, Amgen Inc, Thousand Oaks, CA, Mark Izraelewicz, Marshall Gerstein & Borun LLP, Chicago, IL, Raymond A. Jacobsen, McDermott Will & Emery LLP, Washington, DC, Michael Kendall, McDermott, Will & Emery, Boston, MA, Christopher S. Kroon, Duane Morris LLP, Boston, MA, Andrew Kumamoto, McDermott Will & Emery, Palo Alto, CA, Jonathan D. Loeb, David M. Madrid, Christian E. Mammen, Mario Moore, Day Casebeer Madrid & Batchelder LLP, Cupertino, CA, Dana M. McSherry, McDermott, Will & Emery LLP, Boston, MA, Michelle E. Moreland, McDermott Will & Emery, Palo Alto, CA, Kimberlin L. Morely, Amgen Inc., Thousand Oaks, CA, Joshua A. Munn, McDermott, Will & Emery LLP, Boston, MA, Matthew C. Nielsen, Marshall, Gerstein & Borun, Chicago, IL, Erica S. Olson, Amgen Inc., Thousand Oaks, CA, Lauren M. Papenhausen, McDermott, Will & Emery LLP, Boston, MA, Sandip H. Patel, Marshall, Gerstein & Bourn, Chicago, IL, Darcy A. Paul, Day Casebeer Madrid & Batchelder, LLP, Cupertino, CA, Cullen N. Pendleton, Marshall Gerstein & Borun LLP, Chicago, IL, Jeremy D. Protas, Marshall Gerstein & Borun LLP, Chicago, IL, Patricia R. Rich, Duane Morris LLP, Boston, MA, Thomas I. Ross, Marshall, Gerstein & Borun LLP, Chicago, IL, Linda Sasaki-Baxley, Katie J.L. Scott, Rebecca J. Wais, Day Casebeer Madrid & Batchelder, LLP, Cupertino, CA, Richard W. Smith, McDermott, Will & Emery LLP, Washington, DC, Stuart L. Watt, Wendy A. Whiteford, Amgen Inc, Thousand Oaks, CA, Adam Arthur Bier, Day Casebeer Madrid & Batchelder, LLP, Cupertino, CA, Michael F. Borun, Marshall, O'Toole, Gerstein, Murray & Borun, Chicago, IL, Michael F. Borun, Marshall, Gerstein & Borun LLP, Chicago, IL, Mary Boyle, McDermott Will & Emery, Palo Alto, CA, Peter M. Acton, McDermott, Will & Emery LLP, Boston, MA, Firasat Ali, McDermott Will & Emery, Palo Alto, CA, D. Dennis Allegretti, Duane Morris LLP, Boston, MA, Renee DuBord Brown, Krista M. Carter, Craig H. Casebeer, Andy H. Chan, Day Casebeer Madrid & Batchelder, LLP, Cupertino, CA, Nicole A. Colby, McDermott, Will & Emery LLP, Boston, MA, Monique L. Corday, Amgen Inc., Thousand Oaks, CA, Bobby R. Burchfield, McDermott Will & Emery, LLP, Washington, DC, Daniel A. Curto, McDermott, Will & Emery LLP, Boston, MA, Lloyd R. Day, Jr., Day Casebeer Madrid Winters & Batchelder LLP, Cupertino, CA, William Diaz, McDermott Will & Emery LLP, Irvine, CA, Darrell G. Dotson, Amgen Inc, Thousand Oaks, CA, Jon B. Dubrow, McDermott Will & Emery LLP, Washington, DC, Deborah E. Fishman, Day Casebeer Madrid & Batchelder LLP, `Cupertino, CA, Jennifer E. Flory, Marshall Gerstein & Borun LLP, Chicago, IL, Kevin M Flowers, Marshall Gerstein & Borun, Chicago, IL, James M. Fraser, McDermott, Will & Emery LLP, Boston, MA, for Amgen Inc., Counter Defendant.

Mark J. Hebert, Fish & Richardson, P.C., Boston, for Fresenius Medical Care Holdings, Inc. (FMC), Movant.

Eugene M. Gelernter, Patterson, Belknap, Webb & Tyler, New York, NY, Erik Haas, Patterson, Belknap, Webb & Tyler LLP, New York, NY, Michelle Chassereau Jackson, Nutter, McClennen & Fish, Boston, MA, Richard O. Jackson, Patternson, Belknap, Webb & Tyler, LLP, New York, NY, David L. Ferrera, Nutter, McClennen & Fish, LLP, Boston, MA, Heather B. Repicky, Nutter, McClennen & Fish, LLP Boston, MA, Steven A. Zalesin, Patterson, Belknap, Webb & Tyler LLP, New York, NY, for Ortho Biotech Products, L.P., Intervenor Plaintiff.

MEMORANDUM AND ORDER

YOUNG, District Judge.

I. INTRODUCTION

Amgen, Inc. ("Amgen") originally brought this action against F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd., Roche Diagnostics GMBH, & Hoffmann-La Roche, Inc. (collectively "Roche/Hoffmann") seeking a declaratory judgment that Roche/Hoffmann currently infringes or will infringe Amgen's patents for erythropoietin ("EPO"). Am. Compl. ¶ 26 [Doc. No. 52]. The patents presently at issue are U.S. Patent Nos. 5,441,868 (the "'868 patent"), 5,547,933 (the "'933 patent"), 5,618,698 (the "'698 patent"), 5,756,349 (the "'349 patent"), and 5,955,422 (the "'422 patent"). Id. ¶¶ 14, 26.

After this Court decided various preliminary motions, the parties sought claim construction for certain disputed terms. See October 20, 2006 Order (denying Ortho Biotech Products, L.P.'s motion to intervene and Roche/Hoffmann's motion to dismiss); March 30, 2007 Order (dismissing some claims and denying other motions). This Court held a Markman hearing on April 17, 2007 to construe ... the disputed terms. See Markman Hearing Transcript ("Tr."). See generally Markman v. Westview Instruments, Inc., 52 F.3d 967 (Fed. Cir.1995) (en banc), aff'd, 517 U.S. 370, 116 S.Ct. 1384, 134 L.Ed.2d 577 (1996). At the Markman Hearing, this Court construed most of the disputed terms, taking under advisement a single claim construction. This Memorandum and Order summarizes these rulings and sets forth the analysis this Court followed at the Markman hearing.

II. DISCUSSION

A. Precedential Effect of Prior Claim Construction

In this Court's previous Order of March 30, 2007, the Court submitted to the parties some of the problematic issues the parties and the Court must resolve when dealing with an infringement action involving patents previously construed in other litigation. In fact, both this Court and the Federal Circuit have undertaken detailed analyses to construe the terms of the patents here at issue. Thus, two well-settled legal principles come into play: issue preclusion (collateral estoppel) and stare decisis.

In 1996, in Markman v. Westview Instruments, Inc., 517 U.S. 370, 116 S.Ct. 1384, 134 L.Ed.2d 577 (1996), the Supreme Court addressed the roles played by the judge and jury in patent infringement cases, id. at 371, 116 S.Ct. 1384. That seminal decision foresaw (though it did not expressly decide) the issue before the court today. After thoroughly examining the question whether the construction of a patent's claims ought be reserved entirely for the judge, or whether the Seventh Amendment guarantees that a jury will bear a hand in such determinations, a unanimous Court held that claim construction is a matter for judges. The Supreme Court concluded its opinion as follows:

[W]e see the importance of uniformity in the treatment of a given patent as an independent reason to allocate all issues of construction to the court....

Uniformity would, however, be ill served by submitting issues of document construction to juries. Making them jury issues would not, to be sure, necessarily leave evidentiary questions of meaning wide open in every new court in which a patent might be litigated, for principles of issue preclusion would ordinarily foster uniformity. Cf. Blonder-Tongue Laboratories, Inc. v. University of Ill. Foundation, 402 U.S. 313, 91 S.Ct. 1434, 28 L.Ed.2d 788 (1971). But whereas issue preclusion could not be asserted against new and independent infringement defendants even within a given jurisdiction, treating interpretive issues as purely legal will promote (though it will not guarantee) intrajurisdictional certainty through the application of stare decisis on those questions not yet subject to interjurisdictional uniformity under the authority of the single appeals court.

Id. at 390-91, 116 S.Ct. 1384.

By mentioning the importance of uniformity in the treatment of patent claim construction, the Supreme Court recognized the implications that construing patent claims as matter of law would have on future litigants. In fact, by specifically noting the...