LKQ Corporation v. GM Global Tech: Design Patent En Banc

by Dennis Crouch
On Monday, February 5, 2024, the Federal Circuit will sit together for the first time in years to hear an en banc patent case.  In LKQ Corporation v. GM Global Technology Operations LLC , the court will consider whether to apply a more stringent obviousness test to design patents.  In a 2010 article, I concluded that “the current design patent examination system operates as a de facto registration system” with very little obviousness analysis except in cases of clear copying.  Although design patent examination has become more rigorous, obviousness rejections remain relatively rare in comparison to their utility patent brethren.
Oral arguments will include the 11 Federal Circuit judges (absent Judge Newman) along with  Mark Lemley (arguing for the accused infringer and seeking a more rigorous obviousness test); Joe Herriges (arguing for the patentee GM largely seeking to preserve the status quo); and USPTO Acting Solicitor Farheena Rasheed (for amicus USPTO).  The case particularly focuses on whether the Supreme Court’s flexible test for obviousness from KSR v. Teleflex also applies to design patents.  In particular, the Federal Circuit’s Rosen-Durling test for design patent obviousness requires a primary reference as a starting point that is “basically the same” as the design being patented.  Lemley would throughout this approach entirely.  In its brief, the USPTO agrees that KSR requires more flexibility and that Rosen-Durling is “overly restrictive in several respects.” However, the USPTO suggests retaining the basic framework as a standard approach to obviousness, while permitting other approaches as necessitated by particular cases — allowing for both flexibility and the application of common sense.
On Feb 6  I am gathering online for a Suffolk Law School event to debate the case and its potential outcome and impact.  I will be joining Suffolk professor Sarah Burstein  along with  Meredith Lowry  (Wright Lindsey);  Darrell Mottley  (Banner + Howard University); and  Laura Sheridan (Google). See you there (REGISTRATION) .