Lead Opinion
Davis-Edwards Pharmacal Corporation, now in an arrangement proceeding under Chapter XI of the Bankruptcy Act in the Eastern District of New York, appeals from an order of that court granting a preliminary injunction against its conceded infringement of the United
Although Carter-Wallace was notified by the Bureau of Customs on June 11, 1968 that Davis-Edwards was purchasing meprobamate from foreign sources, plaintiff did not bring this action until October 9, 1969, and did not move for a preliminary injunction until December 22, 1970, some six weeks after this court had sustained the validity of the patent, against limited attack, in Carter-Wallace, Inc. v. Riverton Laboratories, Inc.,
I.
Davis-Edwards attacked the patent on three general grounds, the first two of which have some tendency to merge: invalidity over prior art, most of which was not previously cited; inequitable conduct of the applicants before the Patent Office; and patent misuse predicated on violations of the antitrust laws. Examination of the Riverton opinion,
Davis-Edwards’ case for reversal rests fundamentally on the rule succinctly stated by Judge Learned Hand in Simson Bros. v. Blancard & Co.,
Perhaps because the rule, imposing on a patentee seeking a preliminary injunction against infringement a burden substantially heavier than the usual ones of showing irreparable injury and probability of success, was regarded as “well-settled” as long back as 1888, most of the later decisions shed little light on the reasons for it. In Rosenberg v. Groov-Pin Corp.,
The doctrine that in the absence of long acquiescence or adjudication an injunction [i. e., a preliminary injunction in a suit for patent infringement] will not go, is at first blush anomalous in the light of the presumption of validity which courts generally grant to a patent once issued. * * * The theory is * * * practical. Examiners have neither the time nor the assistance to exhaust the prior art; nothing is more common in a suit for infringement than to find that all the important references are turned up for the first time by the industry of a defendant whose interest animates his search. It is a reasonable caution not to tie the hands of a whole art until there is at least the added assurance which comes from such an incentive.4
Indeed, a unanimous Supreme Court in Graham v. John Deere Co.,
Amplifying the explanation of what on its face seems a curious doctrine that acquiescence by others can affect one who does not, Judge Hand stated, Rosenberg v. Groov-Pin Corp, supra,
Its only rational justification is that those whose interest would lead them to contest validity, have upon examination concluded that contest would be fruitless, and that that examination is some assurance of the truth.
Carter-Wallace’s reliance on our adjudication of validity in Riverton is even more misplaced. Obviously an adjudication of validity in an action against another infringer is not res adjudicata against a different one. The theory of the prior adjudication exception is rather that a determination of validity after a full trial adds enough to what is now the statutory presumption, 35 U. S.C. § 282, to justify dispensation from the rule that a preliminary injunction will not be granted “except when the patent is beyond question valid.” But this theory rests primarily on the basis that the objections urged in the second suit have been raised and overruled in the first. Our cases have so held. George Cutter Co. v. Metropolitan Electric Mfg. Co., supra,
While at first blush Carter-Wallaee’s argument that defendant’s insolvency constitutes ground for another exception in its favor is appealing, this also does not withstand analysis. In the first place, we cannot wholly accept the statement that because Davis-Edwards is in a Chapter XI proceeding, plaintiff will be unable to recover damages from continued infringement, 35 U.S.C. § 284, if the validity of the patent is sustained. Section 64, sub. a of the Bankruptcy Act gives first priority to “the costs and expenses of administration, including the actual and necessary costs and expenses of preserving the estate subsequent to filing the petition * * There can be no doubt that this section applies to Chapter XI proceedings or that “the words ‘preserving the estate’ include the larger objective, common to arrangements, of operating the debtor’s business with a view to rehabilitating it,” Reading Co. v. Brown,
In light of these factors, we do not feel compelled to reach a firm conclusion concerning Davis-Edwards’ contention that because Car ter-Wallace delayed sixteen months after learning of Davis-Edwards’ infringement before filing suit and another fourteen months before it sought relief pendente lite, it cannot fairly complain that another three or four months delay until a trial on the merits would cause it irreparable injury. While plaintiff might respond that it assumed it could collect damages
II.
Davis-Edwards contends that, once this point is reached, reversal is called for without more since, on its view, the judge, giving an undue effect to the Riverton decision, did not address himself to the question “whether the patent is beyond question valid” but rather applied the less rigorous standard of probability of success and, by taking into account the statutory presumption of validity, 35 U.S.C. § 282, in effect placed upon Davis-Edwards the burden it will have to carry at a trial, when, however, it will have had the benefits of discovery, cross-examination, and the presentation of live testimony. We do not read plaintiff’s brief as seriously disputing this, although at argument counsel pointed out that some of the judge’s remarks on which Davis-Edwards particularly relied were made after he had considered the substantive issues, and was weighing the more general considerations germane to the propriety of granting a preliminary injunction. In any event we cannot ignore the judge’s unequivocal statement that were this not a case in which “the Court of Appeals had held the patent valid, on whatever bases, I would not think there was any basis on which an injunction could be granted.” This is but one of many statements in the opinion which convince us that on this issue the defendant is right.
Nevertheless we are not disposed to reverse on this ground alone. While, for the reasons stated, we do not regard it as certain that plaintiff will not be able to recover damages if it establishes the validity of the patent, we should not subject Carter-Wallace to that risk if the record shows that a temporary injunction would have been justified under the appropriate standard. We are here reviewing not the decision of an administrative agency, but an order of a district court, and in view of the absence of oral testimony, are in as good a position as it was to determine whether a preliminary injunction would be justified under the proper standard. See Concord Fabrics, Inc. v. Marcus Bros. Textile Corp.
III.
The opinions in Riverton,
The basic molecule, from which the invention is derived, is propane :
When the end H atoms are replaced by OH, the result is 1,3 propanediol:
The same compound can be written as
or as
The key to meprobamate’s outstanding performance is the substitution of particular atoms or groups for X and X1 and for Ri and R2 in the 1,3-propanediol structure. In meprobamate, both X and X1 are carbamate groups
0
(NH2 — C—0). Ri is a methyl group
(CH3) and R2 is a propyl group
(CaH7) :
The only references cited in the patent are a British patent issued to Baird in 1948 and three articles, the only relevant one of which is a 1949 article by one of the inventors, Dr. Berger, to which the parties refer as Berger I.
Davis-Edwards points to five other prior art references which, when considered along with the two just mentioned, allegedly make the invention of meprobamate obvious within 35 U.S.C. § 103. When the patent examiner rejected the initial application he did so on the basis of Baird and Berger I. Baird taught a process by which diols, that is those compounds with two hydroxyl groups (such as X and- X1) could be dicarbamated. While the particular compounds Baird was dealing with were not anticonvulsants, but rather were “useful as intermediates for the manufacture of compounds which are useful for the treatment of textile materials,” Baird’s substitution of carbamate groups for the hydroxyl groups over a broad range of diol compounds (to produce the dicarbamate ester of the parent diol) by implication embraced the particular 1,3 propanediol at issue here.
Berger I was a study of the pharmacological properties of a group of 1,3 disubstituted propanediols. A previously known drug, myanesin, a 1,2 propanediol, distinguishable from the 1,3 propanediol in that there is only one terminal hydroxyl group, the other being bonded to the middle carbon atom, was known to possess two important pharmacological properties: It caused transient paralysis of the skeletal muscles and had an anticonvulsant action. Berger I compared the pharmacological properties of a group of 12 disubstituted 1,3 propanediols with those of myanesin and found that the former “differ from myanesin in having a weaker paralyzing action and a more powerful anticonvulsant action.” More specifically, Berger injected mice with metrazol — a substance “which caused convulsions and deaths in 99% of the animals” — along with graded doses of the compound under test. The animals were observed for 90 minutes following the injection and the incidence of convulsions and deaths noted. Using myanesin as a
The significance of Berger I was that it identified six or seven 1,3 propanediols having effective anticonvulsant properties. After Berger I, a scientist attempting to develop an anticonvulsant would probably not continue to investigate various Ri and R2 disubstitutions but would start with the particular Ri and R2 disubstitutions in the propanediols which Berger I had found possessed effective anticonvulsant properties and work from there. It was on this basis that the initial application was rejected. The examiner reasoned that since the process of dicarbamation was known as shown by Baird and since Berger had already revealed a few compounds (the homologues of which were disclosed by Baird) with anticonvulsant properties, a chemist familiar with this would try out the Baird process of diearbamate esterification on the Berger compounds and come up with the invention in question, since the diearbamate ester of Berger’s compounds “would be expected to have similar [i. e., anticonvulsent] properties.”
Berger then set out to show that dicarbamation of the 1,3 propanediol in question was not so obvious as all that — indeed that the result was unexpected in terms of its unique anticonvulsant properties and perhaps even counterindicated —which he ultimately did to the satisfaction of the patent examiner. Whether he was fair in his efforts to demonstrate this will be considered below. The question here is whether the other alleged prior art references cited by Davis-Edwards, when considered in conjunction with Baird and Berger I, raise a substantial issue whether the invention was obvious.
Three of the five important references are concededly prior art: Berger II, a 1949 article in a technical journal; Kraft, a 1945 article; and a 1901 patent to Bonhoeffer. Berger II dealt with myanesin, whose anticonvulsant properties were compared with those of the 1,3 propanediols discussed in Berger I. Previous studies had shown that the oxidation of the terminal hydroxyl group rendered a major part of the myanesin molecule ineffective. Berger sought to prevent this by protecting the terminal hydroxyl through esterification and in particular by the substitution of the acid succinate for the terminal hydroxyl to produce myanesin acid succinate (MAS). Two conclusions in the summary in Berger II are of particular interest: that the succinate esterification of the terminal hydroxyl gave MAS a much longer duration than the parent propanediol (myanesin) although the intensity of the pharmacological effects (paralyzing action) was lower than in the parent; and that “the study of other organic esters of Myanesin therefore appears warranted.”
The importance of Berger II must be considered in light of what the patent application claimed. The principal claim was that meprobamate (i. e., the dicarbamate ester of 2-methyl-2-n-propyl-l,3-propanediol) had qualities of both inten
Kraft and Bonhoeffer can be considered together. Both indicate that the carbamate esters of a number of compounds, which are chemically distinct from the propanediols, will have a soporific, sedative or hypnotic effect, in terms of the resultant activity of the compound in question. The principal argument for the relevance of these references is that they show that carbamates generally produce the kind of effect that meprobamate successfully embodied, and that in light of the teaching of Berger I, the carbamate esters of the anticonvulsants revealed therein would be an obvious choice for one seeking to enhance the anticonvulsant effect of a parent compound through esterification, as suggested by Berger II. The principal argument to the contrary is that both in chemical structure and in terms of the precise “anticonvulsant” effect sought, these compounds were a far cry from anything closely related to the 1,3 propanediol in question. This seems sound if but only if there is a significant distinction between soporifics, hynotics, anticonvulsants, and muscle relaxants — an issue which cannot be properly determined on the present record. While there are distinctions among the various effects described, many of these compounds produced a number of them, and inquiry into one would not preclude simultaneous inquiry into another.
The two other references cited by Davis-Edwards are characterized as Yale I and Yale II. Yale was a member of a group at E. R. Squibb & Sons, which was doing research on muscle relaxants. Dr. Berger, then a professor at the University of Rochester, had acted at one time as a consultant to this group although he claims to have terminated this role in
The initial question with respect to these references is whether the art is prior at all. While the publication of Yale I and II concededly was after the initial patent application, both were delivered as presentations before a meeting of the American Chemical Society in September 1949, before the patent application was filed. It now appears from further discovery, as it did not at the argument before Judge Dooling, that during the late fall of 1948, Lott, one of the coauthors of the Yale articles, who was providing Berger with some of the basic anticonvulsants he was investigating, as Berger acknowledged in Berger I, had in fact provided him with the monocarbamate of the 2,2 diethyl propanediol, discussed below, and that Berger’s co-inventor, Ludwig, did in fact attend the conventions where the papers were read, although he claims to have no recollection of their presentation. While this is an area for further fact-finding, there is legitimate ground for scepticism that Ludwig, who was working in the very same areas as Yale et al. and whose co-inventor was receiving compounds from one of the Yale I and II authors, did not at least hear about the substance of these papers from his fellow scientists. In any event, whatever question the district court had about Yale, and these were serious ones, the post-hearing revelations give added support to Davis-Edwards’ position,
The significance of the Yale articles, particularly Yale II, is that they show that someone (with ordinary skill in the art) was systematically investigating essentially the same compounds whose pharmacological properties Berger I had explored, compare Berger I at 271 (table) with Yale II at 3717 (table), and indeed that the most effective anticonvulsant taught by Berger I (the diethyl 1,3 propanediol) had been monocarbamated. Yale I, which reported on the synthesis of a number of compounds similar to myanesin, discussed above, discloses myanesin monocarbamate. In light of Berger II’s disclosures, with respect to myanesin succinate and its suggestion that the study of other organic esters of myanesin was warranted, the fact that the carbamate ester, which the prior art might have suggested would produce activity of the sort Berger was investigating, was one of those synthesized cannot be regarded as by any means irrelevant. It is true that the activity of the carbamates are not reported, but that was not the specific goal of either Yale I or Yale II. Rather they were concerned with the synthesizing of a number of propanediols (Yale II, in particular, describing most of those studied in Berger I), and, as mentioned, with the monocarbamation of myanesin and the diethyl-1,3-propanediol.
Again, it is true that Yale II did not teach a dicarbamate; that many of the paths it might have suggested would be dead ends; and that it is a jump from the particular monocarbamated propanediol there described to the dicarbamated propanediol, meprobamate. Nevertheless, Yale II did teach the carbamation of a propanediol listed in the same table with the parent propanediol in question and having similar properties. And it was the very carbamate disclosed by Yale II which Berger had requested of Lott and received from him. That in itself goes a long way towards refuting the contention that Yale II was irrelevant to Berger’s investigations. This added information enhances the force of Judge Dooling’s statement that given Yale II “it certainly would be difficult to say * * * that there wouldn’t be an enormously important block to granting [a] product patent suddenly standing athwart the prosecution, if, as we are satisfied, the patent is critically a product patent and not a patent on undiscovered utilities within a disclosed product.”
We agree that a pharmacological patent should not be invalidated as obvious simply because, years after its issuance, an infringer has discovered recondite references in seemingly unrelated fields of chemistry, which hindsight shows might have come sufficiently close to the solution that this would have been obvious “to a person having ordinary skill to the art” to which the invention pertains, 35 U.S.C. § 103. But, except for Bonhoeffer, the prior art here discussed dated back at most five years from the patent application and was in the very field of pharmacology wherein Berger and Ludwig were working. The subject was surely one where even, perhaps particularly, a judge so thorough and so expert in patent matters could derive enlightenment from hearing the testimony of scientists, listening to their cross-examination, and even questioning them himself, rather than only the argument of lawyers based on their affidavits.
We reach the same conclusion with respect to the defense of misconduct before the Patent Office. By way of preliminary it is useful to note that, as the Court of Customs and Patent Appeals has recently written, the concept of misconduct now goes considerably beyond the classical definition of “fraud,” see Prosser, Torts, §§ 100-05 (3d ed. 1964), and includes “a wider range of ‘inequitable’ conduct found to justify holding a patent unenforceable,” Norton v. Curtiss,
we do subscribe to the recognition of a relationship of trust between the Patent Office and those wishing to avail themselves of the governmental grants which that agency has been given authority to issue. The ex parte prosecution and examination of a patent application must not be considered as an adversary proceeding and should not be limited to the standards required in inter partes procedings. With the seemingly ever-increasing number of applications before it, the Patent Office has a tremendous burden. While being a fact-finding as well as an adjudicatory agency, it is necesarily limited in the time permitted to ascertain the facts necessary to adjudge the patentable merits of each application. In addition, it has no testing facilities of its own. Clearly, it must rely on applicants for many of the facts upon which its decisions are based. The highest standards of honesty and candor on the part of applicants in presenting such facts to the office are thus necessary elements in a working patent system. We would go so far as to say they are essential. It follows, therefore, that we do approve- of the indicated expansion of the types of misconduct for which applicants will be penalized.
See also Precision Instrument Mfg. Co. v. Automotive Maintenance Machinery Co.,
Davis-Edwards’ claim of impropriety in failing to bring Berger II, Yale I and Yale II to the attention of the patent examiner hinges on the question of their importance as prior art which we have just discussed including, of course, the issue — with respect to which recent disclosures have strengthened Davis-Edwards’ position — whether Yale I and Yale II are prior art at all. It is true that none of these references specifically deals with the subject of the patent, at least with respect to its qualities of added intensity and duration as compared to its parent propanediol. On the other hand, each reveals the esterification (and in two instances carbamate esterification) of either the related compound of myanesin (myanesin monosuccinate in Berger II, myanesin monocarbamate in Yale I) or of one of the very 1,3 propanediols shown by Berger I to have good anticonvulsant properties (the 2,2-diethyl-1,3-propanediol monocarbamate in Yale II). Berger was obviously glad to learn that Lott had synthesized the carbamic acid ester of the diethyl propanediol (a 1,3 propanediol), although only in its monocarbamate form. There is no reason to think the patent examiner would not also have liked to know this, and also of Berger II and Yale I which tended to reinforce the notion that carbamate esterification was not a shot in the dark. We agree with the statement in Xerox
The major claim with respect to misrepresentation concerns an affidavit of July 1952 in which Berger asserted that the dicarbamates possess greater protective action than their parent propanediols (which was true) and that other esters, in particular the diacetate ester of one of the propanediols (the 2,2-diethyl-1,3-propanediol), disclosed in Berger I as having very effective anticonvulsant properties, was “less effective than the parent.” This was directed at the patent examiner’s rejection of the initial application on the ground that the carbamate esters would be expected to have the same properties as their parents and hence did not constitute invention. Berger was trying to show that not only did the dicarbamates have an unexpectedly better anticonvulsant properties but also that esters other than carbamates actually produced compounds that were less effective than their parents, thereby enhancing his claim to the inventive quality of his use of carbamates. Although the patent application was again rejected, the affidavit was nonetheless material since he had thereby demonstrated the superiority and unexpectedness of the dicarbamate esters in comparison to other esters noted in his affidavit and all he then had to do was to narrow his claim to those esters including unexpected properties and to verify the fact that the dicarbamate was unexpected in comparison to Baird, the “textile” compound.
one which at this stage of the case and for present purposes should be resolved in favor of the patentee and the plaintiff, since to make a finding * * * even for today’s purpose would require rejection of the inference that substantial people don’t do treacherous and insubstantial things when advised by counsel of standing, and that what seems at this point an unsatisfactory lack of forthcomingness may readily lend itself to explanations of greater depth.
The many cases in which patents have been held unenforceable because of inequitable conduct by “substantial people” show that the inference is a rebuttable one, as the judge clearly recognized. While the inference, and the explanation, might well suffice to sustain a negative finding as to misrepresentation if the standard here were the ordinary one of probability of success or under the rule that would be applicable after a trial, the long-standing rule in this circuit required that “explanations of greater depth” should be presented before issuing a temporary injunction in a patent infringement case. Our comments with respect to the value of oral testimony in resolving the significance of Berger’s seeming “lack of forthcomingness” concerning Berger II, Yale I and II, and the receipt of the carbamate from Lott apply equally in resolving the issue of his failure to give the patent examiner the entire story concerning the diacetate ester.
In view of the conclusions we have reached on the issues of prior art, concealment and misrepresentation by the
Y.
Our action in vacating the temporary injunction is predicated on defendant’s offer to go to trial on July 15, conditioned only on plaintiff’s giving discovery without delay. We read that condition to mean reasonable discovery; defendant must not be allowed to prolong its freedom from injunction by discovery on matters of merely peripheral significance. Rule 65(a) (2) gives the judge ample power to prevent undue delay if need for this should arise.
We also condition our order on Davis-Edwards’ carrying out its offer to pay into escrow under the supervision of the referee in bankruptcy 5% of the gross proceeds of its sales of meprobamate. This should date from February 25, 1971, when the temporary injunction issued. While normally no security would be required from a defendant against whom a preliminary injunction was issued in error, this condition is not unreasonable when the reversal is grounded on the especially severe rule applicable to the issuance of such injunctions in patent infringement cases. The equity of such a condition is all the more evident when the ability of the defendant to respond in damages in the event of judgment against it is questionable. Plaintiff points out that, although 5% was the royalty on American Home’s sales of Equanil tablets, the percentage was applied to a much higher base than the $5-$7 per pound at which defendant sells tablets under the drug’s generic name; it claims its damages would be the $20 per pound paid by manufacturers who buy from it. Defendant challenges this, arguing that, in the face of competition by other infringers, it could not have afforded to purchase the compound from Carter-Wallace; in light of the doubt whether defendant’s disappearance from the market might not have meant simply its replacement by other infringers, we are by no means convinced of the validity of plaintiff’s claim.
Upon these conditions we vacate the temporary injunction and leave the case in the hands of the capable and diligent district judge. We repeat that we have not in any way decided that the defenses, so ably criticized by our dissenting brother, have such merit as to entitle defendant to prevail; we have decided only that they have sufficient merit to require decision after discovery and the taking of evidence on material issues where there is fair dispute concerning the facts or the inferences to be drawn therefrom. The mandate shall issue forthwith.
Notes
. Defendant filed under Chapter XI two days after the motion was served. After having stayed prosecution of the motion, the bankruptcy court vacated the stay.
. The remarkable knowledge of the relevant chemistry and pharmacology displayed in Judge Dooling’s oral opinion may have been due in part to his having rendered a decision, a few weeks earlier, granting a preliminary injunction against another infringer, Carter-Wallace, Inc. v. Wolins Pharmacal Corp.,
. Carter-Wallace cites against this the statement in Riverton,
But the record in Riverton does not at all reflect the issues raised here, and Judge Dooling was entirely correct in saying “I do not know what Judge Cannella [the district judge in Riverton] and Judge Anderson [who wrote for this court] would have said had they had the advantage of this material before them.”
. The presumption of validity accorded a patent regularly issued, referred to in the quoted passage and long recognized in judicial precedent, see, e.g., Radio Corp. of America v. Radio Engineering Laboratories, Inc.,
. While we do not suggest that all these eases would have been decided differently if they had not relied on the special rule with respect to preliminary injunctions in patent litigation, it cannot seriously be argued that the rule has been employed simply as a makeweight. Indeed, the only case to which we have been referred (and we have found no others) that rejects the general principle is Ryan v. Ideal Toy Corp,
In addition to the special rule discussed in the text, there are objections to the grant of a preliminary injunction on the basis merely of affidavits in any case where there are disputed issues of fact. F.R.Civ.P. 65(b), and 52(a). While this court has not gone so far on this score as Sims v. Greene,
. These were that the industry thought it “better to have an invalid patent on meprobamate than to open up the widespread manufacture of meprobamate in the absence of a patent” and that Carter-Wallace’s high pricing for meprobamate provided “a floor for the price structure of all of the subsequently developed tranquilizers.” Mr. Squibb’s affidavit also asserted that E. R. Squibb & Sons had decided not to pursue research on meprobamate since this “would not be a medically acceptable product” for inclusion in Squibb’s line and its patent counsel believed “that a strong position on the patentability of meprobamate could not be maintained.”
. The equity shown is some $111,000. The $4,500 figure noted in the dissent represents only assets not encumbered at all. While the dissent downgrades this as a “paper balance,” see fn. 1 thereto, there is no suggestion that the schedule overstates Davis-Edwards’ assets. Moreover, Davis-Edwards’ profits on meprobamate would not be the “only source to which Carter could look for satisfaction of its damage claim,” as the dissent suggests, since Davis-Edwards manufactures between 50 and 100 drug products. The crucial importance of meprobamate to the continued operation of Davis-Edwards’ business is that it is a high-volume “lead” product, without which Davis-Edwards’ ability to sell other profit-producing products, even at a low volume, would be seriously impaired.
1,3 refers to the first and third carbon atoms of the propane part of the molecule where a hydrogen atom (H) has been replaced by a hydroxyl (OH) group.
Note that the Ri and R2 substitutions both occur on the second carbon atom. For this reason, the chemical name of meprobamate is 2-methyl-2-propyl-l,3-propanediol dicarbamate.
. Berger II also noted that MAS was inferior to myanesin “because of the high paralyzing dose and smaller margin of safety.” This follows from the fact that MAS has a less intense effect than myanesin, hence larger doses are necessary to produce paralyzant activity, and these doses may prove to be lethal. But, of course, Berger II was attempting to find a means to prolong the effects of myanesin, which MAS did. Hence, as Berger II noted: “The low paralyzant activity of MAS did not discourage our interest in the drug since the therapeutic effects of Myanesin itself are exerted by subparalytic doses. There is the possibility that the paralyzing dose as measured experimentally is not a true index of the potential clinical value of a drug of this type.”
. While we could hardly use this material as a basis for reversal if the district judge had applied the proper standard, we may appropriately take note of it when we are considering whether to affirm despite his failure to do so. The production of such important material on discovery illustrates the wisdom of “the wholesome and well-settled rule” recognized by our predecessors.
. We regard it as not insignificant, however, that both Yale I and Yale II refer to other articles for the pharmacological evaluation of the properties of the compounds under consideration, which suggests that those who were reporting on the synthesizing of these compounds were not unaware of their possible use. Indeed, the reference in Yale I is to a study by Lott, one of the co-authors of the Yale articles, which tends to undermine the suggestion in Carter-Wallace’s brief that the synthesizers can somehow be distinguished from the evaluators.
. Defendant submitted an affidavit of a professor of chemistry at the Stevens Institute of Technology that meprobamate was obvious to one skilled in the art in light of the references now cited. Plaintiff responded with a counter-affidavit by a professor at Columbia.
. Although we do not rest our conclusion on Indiana General Corp. v. Krystinel Corp.,
Thus the only difference between the prior art and Zerbe’s alleged invention is the ascertainment of the proportions of manganese oxide and cobalt oxide that will produce a high quality factor and a sufficient permeability. Just what will be the exact proportions to supply the needs of particular products may require a large amount of experimentation. But this very experimentation is of the essence of the art involved in this lawsuit; it is on the level of ordinary skill in the art. This is all the more true because the practitioners of
*881 this art are, and of necessity must be highly educated, sophisticated persons who generally have at their disposal laboratory facilities and competent assistants.
Id. at 1030-1031. While it would appear —and we say this without intimating that it will so appear after trial — that the
prior art delineated a substantially clearer path to the result sought and ultimately achieved in Indiana General than here, the suggestion that “experimentation is of the essence of the art involved in this lawsuit,” is as applicable to the instant case as it was to Indiana General.
. The Examiner’s letter stated that “the applicants’ affidavit of July 9 fails to establish patentability on the basis of unexpected properties since
1. Broad claim 1 is inclusive of members not showing unexpected properties. For example, when Rx and R2 are ethyl and phenyl it appears the dicarbamate is inferior to the diol.
2. Claim 10 covers a member which has no unexpected properties. The mean protective dose of the ethyl ethyl dicarbamate does not appear to be sig-
nificantly different from the mean protective dose of the ethyl ethyl diol compound. This is particularly true in view of the standard error.
3. No showing has been made with respect to the homologues and isomers disclosed by Baird. Homologues and isomers are unpatentable in the absence of a verified showing of unexpected properties.
As noted in the text, all Berger had to do to meet the first two objections was to eliminate from his claim those diearba-
in May, 1954 of the continuation-in-part application, which acknowledged a “showing of superiority,” stated only that “how much of a dose must be given before a compound is labeled ineffective has not been specified” and “no showing of superiority over the propanediols diurethanes of Baird has been presented.” Berger then submitted affidavits to meet these objections and the patent was granted.
. Cf. Power Specialty Co. v. Connecticut Light & Power Co.,
Dissenting Opinion
(dissenting) :
Although I agree with some of the views expressed by Judge Friendly in his thorough opinion, I differ on certain crucial issues and hence must dissent.
Were it not for the Court’s adherence to an old doctrine, which seems to have been blindly followed by some over the years, to the effect that a preliminary injunction should not issue in a patent infringement suit “except when the patent is beyond question valid and in
No one questions the fact that meprobamate (2-methyl-2-propyl-l,3 propanediol dicarbamate) had not existed before it was created in 1950 by its inventors, Drs. Frank M. Berger and Bernard J. Ludwig. Nor is there any doubt that it represented a major advance in the field of anticonvulsants, possessing markedly greater activity, strength, duration and utility than existing compounds. Judge Dooling found, for instance, that meprobamate yielded surprising results (which he described as “unexpectedness”) in the light of the teaching of the prior art (Opin. pp. 106-07). Since its first public sales in May 1955, the product, because of these unique and superior qualities, has been widely accepted by the medical profession and preferred over existing drugs that might be prescribed for the same purpose, with the result that it has enjoyed great commercial success. Davis seeks to avoid enforcement of Carter’s meprobamate patent (No. 2,724,720) on the grounds that the invention was obvious, that prior art was concealed from the Patent Office, and that the patent has been misused.
As the majority recognizes, upon the filing of Carter-Wallaee’s (“Carter” herein) motion for a preliminary injunction on December 22, 1970, Judge Dooling was inundated by the parties with extensive affidavits, exhibits and memoranda relating to Davis’ defenses. Having granted preliminary relief in response to a similar motion in Carter-Wallace, Inc. v. Wolins Pharmacal Corp.,
I join the majority in rejecting Carter’s contention that preliminary injunctive relief is warranted here on the ground that the validity and enforceability of the patent were adjudicated in Riverton Laboratories, Inc., supra. Riverton considered various objections not presented here and did not adjudicate the defenses of obviousness, inequitable dealing with the Patent Office, and patent misuse which have been raised by Davis. To the extent that Judge Dooling’s decision relied upon Riverton as the basis for granting preliminary relief, it was therefore in error. However, apparently recognizing the weakness of Riverton as a sole ground for relief, he devoted little of his opinion to it, in contrast to his extensive consideration of other grounds upheld by him, including the inadequacy of the new defenses raised by Davis, the existence of industry acquiescence, and
Thus Judge Dooling’s decision impresses me as being fully supported by valid grounds unconnected with River-ton. Since, as the majority points out, we are in as good a position as the district court to determine, in the absence of oral testimony, whether a preliminary injunction should issue on the record before us, Concord Fabrics, Inc. v. Marcus Bros. Textile Corp.,
Since, as I see it, Carter has satisfied the burden imposed by the Simson Bros. rule, it is perhaps unnecessary to reconsider that doctrine. However, in view of the great reliance placed upon it by the majority, and possible differences as to its scope, I believe that the time has come for review and clarification of the rule. Judge Friendly, quoting from Judge L. Hand’s opinion in Rosenberg v. Groov-Pin Corp.,
“The grant of a patent culminates an earnest contest, often long drawn-out, between the applicant, represented by his attorney or agent, and the Patent Office, represented by the Examiner, with the public an interested party.” L. Amdur, supra, § 2.2.
Patent Office Rule 104(a) provides.
“On taking up an application for examination, the examiner shall make a thorough study thereof and shall make a thorough investigation of the available prior art relating to the subject-matter of the invention sought to be patented.”
The Patent Examiner is not limited in his evaluation to the references cited by the patent applicant, L. Amdur, supra, § 104; he actively seeks out and may rely upon other references in the field, as occurred at least once in the evaluation
Having in mind that it will be a rare case where an alleged infringer cannot dredge up some “prior art” references not found in the Patent Office file wrapper, it seems to me that when such an exhaustive procedure results in the issuance of letters patent they should be accorded more weight than a worthless piece of paper. Furthermore, the rationale accepted by the majority for the rule- — lack of Patent Office time and staffing to permit exhaustion of the pri- or art — does not appear to have persuaded Congress, which has expressly provided, 35 U.S.C. § 282, that “A patent shall be presumed valid. The burden of establishing invalidity of a patent shall rest on the party asserting it.” But even if we disregard this mandate which was reenacted in 1946 long after the Simson Bros, “rule” had been established (as Judge Friendly notes, the rule dates back to 1888, see Dickerson v. De la Vergne Refrigerating Machine Co.,
Even accepting the “rule,” one assumption underlying it is the theory that since the patentee will have an adequate remedy in damages, 35 U.S.C. § 284, no reason exists for disturbing the status quo pending a decision on the merits. See A. B. Dick Co. v. Barnett,
The district court’s concern over the inadequacy of damages is amply supported by the record before us. The majority points to the fact that Carter’s dam
In a situation in which an infringer’s assets are admittedly so scant, it seems clear that if the injunction were denied, Davis’ profits from the continuing sale of infringing meprobamate would be the only source to which Carter could look for satisfaction of its damage claim. Yet these profits are what Davis plans to use to finance the trial on the merits. Furthermore, even if the profits were segregated and held as a fund for the satisfaction of later damage claims, they would be insufficient. Davis is buying and selling meprobamate at prices far below those at which Carter is selling under the sanction of its patent monopoly and the Consent Decree entered in 1962 antitrust litigation, see United States v. Carter Products, Inc.,
The majority and both parties recognize that under the “rule” expressed in Simson Bros, a preliminary injunction
The majority would discount this impressive acquiescence on two grounds. The first is the fact that the Government has purchased unlicensed meprobamate since 1960 and Carter did not bring suit against it until 1967.
For these reasons the infringement by the Government should be disregarded in determining whether there has been public acquiescence. Since the record reveals that the first private infringement, that of Riverton, did not occur until the fall of 1964, the legally significant public acquiescence existed for approximately nine years, more than enough to warrant preliminary injunctive relief.
The second reason for reversing Judge Dooling’s finding of acquiescence strikes me as even weaker. It rests upon general statements in the affidavit of George R. Squibb to the effect that anti-competitive tendencies on the part of large drug companies prompted them to acquiesce because of factors other than validity. Dr. Squibb is now the Executive Vice President of Davis, which is financially in extremis and urges that it be permitted to infringe in order to survive. Disregarding the influence of this strong interest upon what weight, if any, should be accorded to this aspect of his affidavit, its fatal defect lies in its failure to furnish supporting facts. It is apparent that during the period when he shared the administration of E. R. Squibb & Sons it “missed the boat” in failing to discover or to market meprobamate, which later brought large profits into Carter’s coffers. Now we are asked to accept his general statement to the effect that the “apparent” acquiescence is based “partly upon the feeling of the industry” that an attack on the patent might undermine the industry’s pricing structure. This kind of proof was hardly worthy of any weight and Judge Dooling wisely did not advert to it in his opinion. The fact remains that the large drug companies, although not subject to favorable licensing agreements and although possessing large resources with which they could have contested the patent vigorously, did not infringe. The smaller companies which are now infringing, like Davis, may well have adopted that course in the hope that their activities would prove too insignificant to warrant litigation, or in the expectation that, with the patent to expire in November 1972, the wheels of justice would turn too slowly to enable Carter effectively to prevent their infringement.
In the absence of any substance to Davis’ attack on the long public acquiescence in Carter’s meprobamate patent, I would uphold the district court’s finding of acquiescence. I also fail to see any legal significance in the fact that Carter failed to institute suit against Davis until October 1969, almost 1 % years after it was notified of Davis’ infringement, and did not move for preliminary relief until December 22, 1970. Carter had other suits pending, including its actions against Wolins and Riverton, which constituted adequate notice of its intention to enforce its patent, and Davis
For the foregoing reasons I am persuaded that special circumstances have been shown which exclude this case from the heavy burden normally imposed by the Simson Bros. rule. Davis’ insolvency demonstrates irreparable injury sufficient to satisfy the requirement of Rule 65, F.R.C.P. For the reasons stated below I am also convinced that Carter has shown a high probability of success upon the merits in proving the validity and enforceability of its meprobamate patent.
At the outset it must be recognized that it is often very difficult to determine whether or not an invention on which a patent was granted was or would have been obvious, 35 U.S.C. § 103. Cf. Graham v. John Deere Co.,
Among the dangers arising from the absence of any guide as to what is or is not obvious, two deserve attention here— the unreliability of expert testimony and the tendency of things to appear obvious with the aid of “the bright illumination of hindsight,” Stamicarbon, N. V. v. Escambia Chemical Corp.,
The second danger is the one to which the majority has, in my view, fallen prey. The records are replete with instances where the single step required to make a startling new discovery appears in retrospect to have been so simple and obvious, once one sees the method used, that it is almost unbelievable that no one took that step before it was taken by the person awarded letters patent covering it.
“The counter-construct that has been erected as a path of invention certainly does not toy with the evidence nor distort it. It’s like those color tests we all pass for color-blindness, and if you slip a lens of one or another color over your eye you see a different pattern, and so here in this very large field when the pattern is imposed it’s like tracing through a labyrinth: There it is. And it’s as plain as the nose on your face.
“You take the pattern away and you’re lost again. And one wonders here if you take the pattern that defense' counsel have so imaginatively constructed out of real materials away, is the path easy to find? No, I don’t see that it is.” (Opin. pp. 89-90.)
Moreover, we have been cautioned against this tendency by the Supreme Court, Goodyear Co. v. Ray-O-Vac Co.,
The dangers inherent in a subjective determination of obviousness point toward the necessity of giving heavy weight to objective factors, such as long-felt but unmet needs, the unsuccessful attempts of others to achieve the results accomplished by the patentee, and the unexpected performance of the patented device or invention. Cf. Graham v. John Deere Co., supra,
Following time-honored Patent Office “action” procedure, the Patent Examiner rejected the initial patent application covering meprobamate as obvious on the basis of the Baird patent, which taught that glycols (or organic compounds) could be dicarbamated, and Berger I, relating to the so-called “parent propanediols.” The Examiner took the view that what the inventors of meprobamate, Berger and Ludwig, had done was to give the Baird treatment to the parent propanediols. This, he stated in his initial office action, did not constitute invention. The granting of the patent, more than five years after the application was filed, was based on the fact that the patent compounds had shown unexpected results and were far more effective and long-lasting than the prior art would have led one to anticipate that they would be. Judge Dooling also found that meprobamate yielded surprising results in light of the teaching of the prior art. (Opin. pp. 106-07.)
Davis now offers several “prior art” references that were not cited in the meprobamate file wrapper
Berger II appears to be the prior art reference most heavily relied upon by Davis and by the majority as indicating that discovery of meprobamate was obvious to one skilled in the art. It did not deal with esterification of the propanediol which was the parent of meprobamate, but with esterification of a different propanediol called myanesin (also called mephenesin), which had one terminal hydroxyl rather than the two possessed by meprobamate’s parent. Both propanediols, as Berger I had disclosed, possessed anti-convulsant properties, myanesin being the leading tranquilizer prior to the creation of meprobamate. Berger II revealed that esterification of myanesin by substitution of acid succinate for the terminal hydroxyl resulted in the creation of a product, myanesin acid succinate (MAS), which had anticonvulsant properties that were weaker than those of the parent but longer in duration. In short, the new substance sacrificed strength for length.
The discovery of MAS hardly represented a major contribution to the arts and sciences. Nevertheless the major
Meprobamate represented a complete departure from what could reasonably have been expected from the experiments with myanesin. Meprobamate was not only of longer duration than myanesin, it was more effective and stronger. The reason for this was that it breaks down in the body differently than esters of other parent propanediols, such as myanesin. Instead of the esters being eaten away by body fluids, the two carbamate radicals of meprobamate bond with the materials in the parent propanediol and work actively in combination with them. A wholly unexpected result follows. Berger II did not point to this wholly unexpected result. On the contrary, even if a scientist had commenced with dicarbamation of myanesin, he would have found that the experiment “ruined’- it, destroying all anti-convulsant activity, and would probably have discontinued further experimentation. Although the majority point out that this effect was unknown at the time of Berger II, it cannot be disputed that if attempted the result would have occurred. If this constitutes hindsight, it is no different than the hindsight underlying the majority’s assumption, based on the remarkable properties found to be possessed by meprobamate after it was created, that Berger II suggested such a possibility.
I agree with the lower court’s finding that the unique reaction and results that occurred upon dicarbamation of the parent of meprobamate, in contrast to myanesin, constituted a synergistic effect. It would be difficult to think of a clearer example of what the Supreme Court had in mind when it said, in Great Atlantic & Pacific Tea Co. v. Supermarket Equipment Corp.,
The Kraft and Bonhoeffer prior art references, rather than leading me to the conclusion that meprobamate was obvious, only enhance my conclusion that Berger and Ludwig did not conduct an obvious experiment. These references
If one accepts my view that the new prior art references fail to raise an issue as to the obviousness of meprobamate, it becomes unnecessary for me to labor the claims of misconduct, which are based mainly upon failure to disclose the aforementioned prior art. I agree with Judge Dooling’s finding that “there is not here anything from which one can infer an intention to deceive the Patent Examiner” (Opin. p. 85), and that Berger “was not fraudulent, not deceptive” (Opin. p. 86). Berger’s comparison in his July, 1952, affidavit between the anti-convulsant properties of meprobamate and those of myanesin does not strike me as unfair or dishonest because of its failure to disclose that the diacetate of myanesin had duration comparable to meprobamate. In my view this criticism once again makes the mistake of divorcing length from strength. It was the combination of these qualities that rendered meprobamate patentable. The diacetate, because of its weakness, was not worthy of consideration as a substitute for myanesin, the leading anticonvulsant with which Berger understandably made his comparison. Meprobamate, on the other hand, was obviously superior to both.
Since I would affirm the district court’s decision, some reference should be made to the antitrust misuse defenses which the majority, because it reverses, did not reach. These defenses strike me as not having any merit. Assuming arguendo that the post-sale restrictions in Carter’s 1956 agreement with Merck and its 1957 and 1959 agreements with Cyanamid, under which it sold meprobamate for use only in particular combination drugs, violated the antitrust laws when executed, which is a doubtful proposition at best, any illegality was eliminated by the 1962 Consent Decree. The latter obligated Carter to sell bulk meprobamate to all qualified pharmaceutical houses, including Cyanamid and Merck, at the maximum non-discriminatory price of $20 per pound (plus increases based on the Consumer Price Index) and the Cyanamid and Merck agreements were amended accordingly to permit rather than require that meprobamate be used in the combination drugs. Thereafter Cyanamid and Merck, like some 100 other pharmaceutical houses which purchased bulk meprobamate from Carter (Sigerson Aff. p. 5), were free to buy bulk meprobamate and resell it without restraint. The earlier agreements, as thus amended, were continued in effect only to permit Carter to continue charging those companies the lower prices theretofore specified in the agreements for meprobamate used in the combination drugs. There is no suggestion that others want the lower prices on the same basis for use in combination drugs, or that others would be refused such terms. Thus any antitrust misuse has long since been purged or dissipated.
For the foregoing reasons I would affirm.
. This is corroborated by the fact that, although the value of Davis’ assets as stated in the balance sheet exceeds the claims of secured creditors ($458,978.93) and tax claims ($59,753.56) by $110,-768.51, Davis and its counsel, who are certainly more familiar with its financial situation than Carter or this court, place no reliance whatsoever on this paper balance. It seems just as likely that litigation expenses in connection with the meprobamate patent would be found to be administrative expenses as would damages for infringement. The claims of unsecured creditors of Davis total $1,692,-391.62.
. Manufacturers in countries not having pharmaceutical patents (such as Italy) are, of course, immune from suit for infringement.
. The Government was probably prompted to embark upon purchases of unlicensed meprobamate as a result of the wide publicity given by Senator Estes Kefauver’s Subcommittee on Antitrust and Monopoly in 1959 to the high profits realized by some pharmaceutical companies from manufacture and sale of certain patented ethical drugs, including tranquilizers. This led many to urge the Government, a buyer of large amounts of such drugs, to realize substantial savings through purchases from manufacturers in Italy, where no patent protection is offered to such pharmaceuticals.
. Garter first learned of the Government infringement in June 1960. In November 1965 it filed administrative claims with the infringing governmental agencies, but these agencies were unable or unauthorized to handle such claims. In September 1967 it commenced an action in the Court of Claims, see
. “Th’ invention all admir’d, and each, how hee
To be th’ inventor miss’d; so easie it seem’d,
Once found, which yet unfound most would have thought impossible.”
Milton, Paradise Lost, Book YI, lines 498-501.
. Of course we do not know whether any of them were in fact consulted independently by the Examiner. One reference which we do know was cited by the Examiner against the application, though not cited in the original application (Adkins and Billica, “The Hydrogenation of Esters to Alcohol 25-150°,” 70 Journal of the American Chemical Society 3121-25 (1948), see Carter’s Supplemental Argument, supra, p. 6, was added to the application by an amendment ordered by the Examiner in an office action on August 3, 1953. It is unlikely that the Examiner would similarly cite references which he had consulted and found irrelevant.