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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Al Rickard, 703-402-9713 or arickard@associationvision.com Licensing Executives Society (USA & Canada) Pleased That Supreme Court Provided Clarity On the Rights of Patent Holders WASHINGTON, DC, JUNE 11, 2008 – In the wake of several major rulings by the U.S. Supreme Court regarding the rights of patent holders, the Licensing Executives Society (USA and Canada) is pleased that the latest Supreme Court ruling in Quanta Computer, Inc. v. LG Electronics, Inc. clarifies the issue of how far patent rights extend under the terms of intellectual property licensing agreements. In overturning a previous ruling by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, the Supreme Court cited the "patent exhaustion" doctrine to determine that LG had no right to control the "downstream" use of technology it had licensed to Intel that was subsequently used in computers manufactured by Quanta and other companies. LES (USA and Canada) had filed an amicus brief in the case to gain clarification on whether patent rights are exhausted once sales of products containing patented technology begin, since previous case law was conflicted on this issue. "Patent holders have a right to know how far their patent rights extend," said LES (USA and Canada) President Thomas A. Picone, Ph.D. "Likewise, companies that license technology from patent holders deserve to know when and how they can use the technology without legal repercussions. The Supreme Court’s decision finally clarifies this issue." # # # The Licensing Executives Society (USA and Canada) is a professional society comprised of more than 6,000 members engaged in the transfer, use, development, manufacture, and marketing of intellectual property. LES (USA and Canada) members includes a wide range of professionals, including business executives, lawyers, licensing consultants, engineers, academicians, scientists and government officials. Learn more at www.usa-canada.les.org.
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