美国飞翰律师事务所近日代理中国无人机制造商大疆创新在美国国际贸易委员会（ITC）展开的337条款调查中取得重要进展。
2018年，美国无人机公司Autel Robotics请求ITC对大疆展开337条款调查。“337调查”指根据美国《1930年关税法》第337节及相关修正案展开的调查，对象是进口产品侵犯美国知识产权行为，以及其他进口贸易中的不公平竞争行为。
根据飞翰的新闻稿，Autel提请调查的三项专利为美国'174专利、'184专利和'013专利，分别涉及无人机的智能操作、叶片及电池。
调查进行过程中，大疆同时于美国专利局专利审判和上诉委员会提出了双边复审，对上述三项专利主张提出异议。
2020年3月，首席行政法官Bullock首先发布了对大疆有利的初步裁决。5月，上诉委员会又先后宣布上述三项专利的权利要求均无效。未来ITC不太可能根据三项已宣布无效的专利来执行任何禁售令，因此337调查将不会影响大疆产品在美国的销售。
飞翰团队参与337调查案件的合伙人为律师印庆余、Smith Brittingham、Cecilia Sanabria；参与’174专利无效案件的合伙人为律师印庆余、Josh Goldberg。
King & Spalding律师事务所合伙人Lori Gordon代理了大疆的’184和’013专利无效案件。
Finnegan, K&S on DJI’s 337 investigation and invalid patent cases in US
Finnegan, Henderson, Farabow, Garrett & Dunner and King & Spalding have advised Shenzhen-based drone producer DJI Technology on a series of cases concerning 337 investigation and invalid patents in the US.
According to Finnegan’s press release, in 2018, US drone producer Autel Robotics has requested U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC) to commence an investigation pursuant to Section 337, which usually involves claims regarding intellectual property rights and other forms of unfair competition, against DJI.
The ITC instituted the investigation based on Autel’s assertion of three patents: the ’174 patent, the ’184 patent, and the ’013 patent. At the same time, DJI filed inter parties review petitions challenging the asserted claims from all three patents involved in the ITC proceeding with the Patent Trial and Appeals Board (PTAB).
In this March, Chief Administrative Law Judge Bullock issued a favorable initial determination for DJI. Then later in May, the PTAB declared all the claims of the three patents unpatentable.
ITC is unlikely to enforce any exclusion order or cease-and-desist order based on the three invalid patents. DJI’s sales in the U.S., therefore, will not be affected by Autel’s claims.
Finnegan’s team in the ITC investigation included partners Yin Qingyu, Smith Brittingham, Cecilia Sanabria; its team in the IPRs on the ’174 patent included partners Yin Qingyu, Josh Goldberg;
Meanwhile King & Spalding’s partner Lori Gordon represented DJI in the IPRs on the ’184 and ’013 patents.
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