That smooth flow of commerce would sputter if companies<br />that make the thousands of parts that go into a vehicle could keep their patent rights after the first sale.”<br />The appeals court had ruled in favor of Lexmark on foreign sales, saying<br />that patent holders could control what was done with their products after they were sold abroad and re-imported by buyers<br />Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr., writing for a unanimous Supreme Court on this point, said Lexmark could<br />not use the patent laws to enforce the contractual conditions it placed on the sale of its cartridges.<br />Supreme Court Limits Patent Rights After Product Sales -<br />By ADAM LIPTAKMAY 30, 2017<br />WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court on Tuesday placed sharp limits on how much control<br />patent holders have over how their products are used after they are sold.<br />Lexmark sued for patent infringement, and the United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, a specialized court in<br />Washington, accepted both of its main arguments, one concerning domestic sales and the other concerning international ones.<br />But it said the conditions Lexmark placed on the sale of its cartridges could be enforced as a matter of patent law for sales in the United States.
