False marking in patent matters

FALSEMARKINGINPATENTMATTERS

D
AMIENCALVET*
LEGERROBICRICHARD,
L.L.P.
L
AWYERS,PATENTANDTRADE-MARKSAGENTS

Usingfalsemarkings,suchas“breveté”or“patented”onacommercializedproduct
isamarketingtacticthatcanleadtoundesirableoutcomes.
Thisarticlepresentstherisksincurred,intheUnitedStatesaswellasinCanada,
whenusingfalsemarkingsonaproductthatwasnot,ornolongeris,patented.

Withregardtomarkingaproductas“patented”or”patentpending”,thefollowing
three(3)situationsmayexist:1)theproductiswellcoveredbyavalidpatentinthecountrywhere
themarkedproductiscommercialized(orisunderapending
application),inwhichcasethemarkingiscompletelylegitimate;

2)theproductwasnevercoveredbyapatent(oranapplication),and
themarking“patented”isconsideredafalserepresentation,in
otherwordsanoffence;or

3)theproductwasprotectedbypatentbutnolongeris,becausethe
givenpatenthassinceexpired;inthisparticularcase,thesituation
isnotasclear.

InCanada

Section75c)ofthePatentAct(C.R.S1985,ch.P-4,s.75)stipulatesthat“every
personwhowithintenttodeceivethepublicoffersforsaleaspatentedinCanada
anyarticlenotpatentedinCanada,isguiltyofanindictableoffenceandliabletoa
finenotexceedingtwohundreddollarsortoimprisonmentforatermnotexceeding
threemonthsortoboth.”Thissectiondoesnotspecificallymentionmarking,but
opensthedoorforaCanadiancourttointerpretitsuchthatitcould,inalitigation,
imposeafineofuptotwohundreddollarsforeachproductsoldasfalselypatented.
Ifthegivenproductissoldinthousandsofcopies,thetotalamountofthefinecould
besignificant.

©CIPS,2009.
*WithLEGERROBICRICHARD,LLP.amultidisciplinaryfirmofLawyers,andPatentandTrade-mark
Agents.PublishedintheSummer2009Newsletterofthefirm(Vol.13,No.2).Publication068.107E

2

IntheUnitedStates

IntheUnitedStates,theActismoreexplicitthaninCanadaandstipulatesthat
anyonewhofalselymarksaproductwiththeword“patent”,oranyequivalent,
despitethefactthatnopatenthasbeengrantedforsuchproduct,runstheriskofa
maximumfineoffivehundreddollarsforeachoffencecommitted(35U.S.C292
“Falsemarking”).Inarecentcase(Pequignotv.SoloCupCo.,540F.Supp.2d649
(E.D.Va.2008)),theFederalDistrictCourtruledthatsection35U.S.C.292applies
evenoncethepatenthasexpired.Inthiscase,coffeecupsweresoldinthousands
ofcopiesandtheplaintiffisclaimingdamagesintherangeof100billiondollars,
basedonthemaximumfineoffivehundreddollarspersolditem.Wearestillwaiting
forarulingonthemeritsoftheclaimbut,inthecitedruling,thecourtrejecteda
preliminarymotionforthedismissaloftheclaimfiledbythedefendantsonthe
groundsthatsection35U.S.C.292didnotapplytotheircase.

Inconclusion,itisimportanttorememberthat,eventhoughthemarking“patented”
canseemalluring,thisdesignationisreservedincertaincountriestogenuine
holdersofthisprivilege.Itisthereforeadvisabletoalwaysensurethataproduct’s
markingsconformtotherealityofthesituation,whichalsomeansperforming
periodicreviewssothat,onceapatenthasexpiredoranapplicationhasbeen
abandoned,themarkingistakenoffthecommercializedproductsinquestion

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