BREAKING: High Court Relaxes Standard For Enhanced Patent Damages

By Ryan Davis

Law360, New York (June 13, 2016, 10:24 AM ET) -- The U.S. Supreme Court decided Monday to discard the Federal Circuit’s strict test for awarding enhanced damages in patent cases, ruling that the circuit set a high bar for patent owners that was not justified under the Patent Act.

The high court voted unanimously that judges have broad discretion to award triple damages. The justices sent cases in which Stryker Corp. and Halo Electronics Inc. lost their bid for enhanced damages back to the Federal Circuit for reconsideration under the new test.

The Patent Act states...