Steigleder v. Eberhard Faber Pencil Co.
Steigleder v. Eberhard Faber Pencil Co.
Opinion of the Court
Frank N. Steigleder brought suit for infringement of Letters Patent No. 1,875,184 issued to him on August 30, 1932, based upon the making and/or selling and distributing by the defendants of ball point pens alleged to embody the invention described, and claimed in said patent. Plaintiff filed a bill of particulars in response to a motion by defendants, allowed by the court. Defendants’ answer denied the infringement, and averred that the patent was invalid. There was -a request by defendants for admissions, .to which plaintiff responded. A deposition by Steigleder, taken pursuant to agreement, was filed in the case.
Thereafter, defendants moved for summary judgment, claiming that lack of infringement was established from the plaintiff’s own statements. After hearing, the-district court granted the motion and entered judgment for the defendants. The memorandum of the district court is reported in (1948) 81 F.Supp. 143.
Summary judgment under Rule 56(c), Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, 28 U.S.C.A., is' sometimes appropriate in a patent case, at least on the issue of infringement. Where it is apparent that there is no genuine issue of fact bearing on infringement, and the structure and mode of operation of the accused device are such that they may be readily comprehended by the court, and compared with the invention
The judgment of the District Court is affirmed.
Reference
- Full Case Name
- STEIGLEDER v. EBERHARD FABER PENCIL CO.
- Status
- Published