Morrow v. Microsoft Corp.

• Decision Date: 19 September 2007
• Docket Number: No. 2006-1518.,No. 2006-1512.,No. 2006-1537.,2006-1512.,2006-1518.,2006-1537.
• Citation: 499 F.3d 1332
• Parties: Frank MORROW (on behalf of and as Trustee for the General Unsecured Creditors' Liquidating Trust of At Home Corporation, and on behalf of and in the name of the At Home Liquidating Trust of At Home Corporation), Plaintiff, and Hank M. Spacone (on behalf of and as Trustee for the General Unsecured Creditors' Liquidating Trust of At Home Corporation, and on behalf of and in the name of the At Home Liquidating Trust of At Home Corporation), Plaintiff/Counterclaim Defendant-Appellant, and Jacquelyn Crawford (as Trustee for the At Home Liquidating Trust of At Home Corporation), Counterclaim Defendant-Appellant, v. MICROSOFT CORPORATION, Defendant/Counterclaimant-Cross Appellant.
• Court: U.S. Court of Appeals — Federal Circuit

499 F.3d 1332

Frank MORROW (on behalf of and as Trustee for the General Unsecured Creditors' Liquidating Trust of At Home Corporation, and on behalf of and in the name of the At Home Liquidating Trust of At Home Corporation), Plaintiff, and Hank M. Spacone (on behalf of and as Trustee for the General Unsecured Creditors' Liquidating Trust of At Home Corporation, and on behalf of and in the name of the At Home Liquidating Trust of At Home Corporation), Plaintiff/Counterclaim Defendant-Appellant, and Jacquelyn Crawford (as Trustee for the At Home Liquidating Trust of At Home Corporation), Counterclaim Defendant-Appellant, v. MICROSOFT CORPORATION, Defendant/Counterclaimant-Cross Appellant.

No. 2006-1512.

No. 2006-1518.

No. 2006-1537.

United States Court of Appeals, Federal Circuit.

September 19, 2007.

Jason C. Kravitz, Nixon Peabody LLP, of Boston, MA, argued for plaintiff/counterclaim defendant-appellant. With him on the brief was Richard D. Rochford, Jr.

Brett J. Williamson, O'Melveny & Myers LLP, of Newport Beach, CA, for counterclaim defendant-appellant. Of counsel were Nathaniel L. Dilger and Mark S. Davies, of Washington, DC.

Frank E. Scherkenbach, Fish & Richardson P.C., of Boston, MA, argued for defendant/counterclaimant-cross appellant. With him on the brief were Kurt L. Glitzenstein, Craig R. Smith, and Charles H. Sanders. Of counsel on the brief was Isabella E. Fu, Microsoft Corporation, of Redmond, WA. Of counsel was Jennifer K. Bush, Fish & Richardson, PC, of San Diego, CA.

Before PROST, Circuit Judge, PLAGER, Senior Circuit Judge, and MOORE, Circuit Judge.

Opinon for the court filed by Circuit Judge MOORE. Dissenting opinion filed by Circuit Judge PROST.

MOORE, Circuit Judge.

Spacone appeals the United States District Court for the Northern District of California's grant of Microsoft Corporation's (Microsoft) motion for summary judgment of noninfringement of claims 2, 8, 12, and 13 of U.S. Patent No. 6,122,647 (the '647 patent). Microsoft cross-appeals, asserting Spacone lacked standing to bring suit. We reverse the district court's determination that Spacone had standing to sue Microsoft for infringement of the '647 patent and vacate the judgment of noninfringement.

BACKGROUND

I.

At Home Corp. (AHC) was a provider of internet services over the cable television infrastructure but filed a petition for bankruptcy under Chapter 11 on September 28, 2001. After AHC filed for bankruptcy protection, two committees of creditors were appointed to represent each class of creditors' interests in the bankruptcy proceeding. In April 2002, after several days of mediation, the committees entered into a settlement of their claims against AHC. The committee settlement agreement was incorporated into a joint bankruptcy liquidation plan (liquidation plan). This liquidation plan was prepared for the purpose of liquidating AHC's assets in a manner amenable to the various creditors, and was confirmed by the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Northern District of California. It became effective on September 30, 2002.

Under the liquidation plan, three trusts were created—the General Unsecured Creditors' Liquidating Trust (GUCLT), the At Home Liquidating Trust (AHLT), and the Bondholders Liquidating Trust (BHLT). Morrow and Spacone were appointed as former and current trustees (respectively) for GUCLT.¹ The liquidation plan distributed certain assets and rights among the trusts. BHLT was given rights to causes of actions against AHC's controlling shareholders, including AT & T Corporation, Comcast Corporation, and Cox Communications. GUCLT received the rights to all other causes of action (called "Estate Litigation"), including claims for misappropriation or infringement of AHC's intellectual property rights. AHLT (the "Plan Agent" in charge of conducting the administrative wind-down of the company's business) was given ownership rights in AHC's intellectual property, since all of the assets not distributed to BHLT or GUCLT were assigned to AHLT. Thus, AHLT received legal title to the '647 patent under the liquidation plan though it did not have the right to sue third parties for infringement of the patent. The liquidation plan and the associated agreements provided that AHLT's assets were to be managed for the benefit of the bondholders and the general creditors of BHLT and GUCLT.

II.

Spacone, as the trustee of GUCLT, filed suit against Microsoft on October 22, 2003 alleging infringement of the '647 patent. The '647 patent, entitled "Dynamic Generation of Contextual Links in Hypertext Documents," relates to dynamic generation of hyperlinks in a source document to other documents that are topically relevant to the content of the source document or user-selected portion of that document. Spacone accused Microsoft's software applications that contain "Smart Tag Functionality," including those found in Microsoft Office XP® and Microsoft Office 2003®, of infringing several claims of the '647 patent. On November 12, 2003, Microsoft answered and asserted counterclaims against Spacone and Crawford (trustee for AHLT), seeking a declaration of noninfringement, invalidity, and unenforceability of the '647 patent.

Microsoft filed a motion for summary judgment contending that GUCLT lacked standing. In response, Spacone filed a cross-motion for summary judgment that standing existed, asserting he had standing to pursue this action as trustee of GUCLT or alternatively on behalf of and in the name of AHLT. The district court denied Microsoft's standing motion and granted Spacone's cross-motion, concluding that GUCLT had standing to sue under bankruptcy law principles and based on its trust beneficiary status. Spacone v. Microsoft Corp., No. C 03-04739 CW, slip. op. (N.D.Cal. Aug. 10, 2004). Microsoft moved the district court to certify the standing order for interlocutory appeal, but the district court denied this motion.

On April 2, 2004, GUCLT filed a motion in the bankruptcy court requesting clarification of its rights under the liquidation plan approved by that court. GUCLT argued that it had the right to prosecute and settle patent infringement claims, the right to grant nonexclusive licenses to settle these claims, and the right to receive revenues generated from these settlement licenses. The bankruptcy court ruled in GUCLT's favor and BHLT appealed this ruling to the district court. The district court reversed the bankruptcy court, holding GUCLT did not have the right to grant licenses to settle Estate Litigation or receive licensing revenues.² The district court determined that GUCLT was not given ownership or licensing rights in the '647 patent under the liquidation plan, rather, AHLT was assigned the patent and had the exclusive right to license the patent and collect royalties from it.

The parties completed discovery, then cross-moved for summary judgment on the invalidity and infringement issues. On March 10, 2006, the district court denied Spacone's motion and granted Microsoft's motion for summary judgment of non-infringement and invalidity. Spacone v. Microsoft Corp., 2006 WL 648740, No. C 03-04739 CW (N.D.Cal. Mar. 10, 2006). Spacone and Crawford then timely appealed to this court. Microsoft timely appealed the district court's determination of standing. We have jurisdiction over this appeal pursuant to 28 U.S.C. §§ 1295(a)(1), 2107(a), and Fed. R.App. 4(a).

ANALYSIS

I.

As a threshold matter, we must consider the district court's determination that bankruptcy principles govern the standing inquiry in this case. Standing is a legal question and jurisdictional issue that this court reviews without deference. See Evident Corp. v. Church & Dwight Co., 399 F.3d 1310, 1313 (Fed.Cir.2005). The district court ruled that Spacone had standing to bring this infringement suit based on the special circumstances surrounding the trust relationship between GUCLT and AHC created through the bankruptcy proceedings. SJ Opinion I, slip op. at 9-11. Specifically, it noted that GUCLT's rights "arise out of bankruptcy law and trust relationships, rather than a traditional patent licensing relationship." Id. at 10. The court determined that GUCLT had a "proprietary interest" in the patent (1) as AHC's successor for all purposes related to the Estate Litigation and had the power to pursue this litigation in AHC's name as if it had never gone bankrupt; and (2) as a trust beneficiary of the patent that AHLT holds in trust for GUCLT and BHLT and an equitable title holder for purposes of the Estate Litigation. Id. It did not analyze GUCLT's standing to bring this suit under patent law standing principles.

The question as to how bankruptcy or trust law relationships affect the standing analysis in a patent infringement case is a question of first impression in this court. GUCLT and AHLT certainly gained rights to the '647 patent through the bankruptcy proceeding, but this suit against Microsoft was filed pursuant to and is governed by the patent laws. The patent statutes govern the creation and protection of patent rights, how rights can be transferred, and the parties entitled to assert those rights. See 35 U.S.C §§ 100(d), 261, 281; Crown Die & Tool Co. v. Nye Tool & Mach. Works, 261 U.S. 24, 40, 43 S.Ct. 254, 67 L.Ed. 516 (1923). In Crown Die, the plaintiff asserted that it held sufficient interest in the patent for standing purposes as the beneficial owner of claims for past infringement in equity, though it did not hold legal title to the patent. 261 U.S. at 44, 43 S.Ct. 254. Quoting Gayler v. Wilder, 51 U.S. 477, 10 How. 477, 13 L.Ed. 504 (1850), the Court noted that a patent monopoly does not exist at common law but rather under congressional acts, and patent rights are not acquired unless authorized by and acquired in the manner prescribed by statute. Crown Die, 261 U.S. at 44, 43 S.Ct. 254. The Court stated that equitable rules "[were] not intended to set aside a policy and rule having its source in the patent st...