Routine Correction of Inventorship in the Face of Pending Litigation

H Lundbeck A/S v Canada (Commissioner of Patents) 2021 FC 1394 Pentney J

2,705,163

This is a routine correction of inventorship under s 52, with a twist in that the application for correction was brought in the face of what was arguably pending litigation.

Pentney J ordered the records of the Patent Office varied to remove three of the original four named inventors from Lundbeck’s 163 patent, and also removing one of the original two named co-owners. The error arose because the claims had been substantially narrowed during prosecution, such that the new claims were addressed exclusively to the contribution of only one of the four original named inventors [7]–[8]. The ownership point arose because the four original named inventors were employees of two different companies, which thereby became co-owners. With inventorship changed to one of the inventors, their employer was accordingly the sole owner. By inadvertence, inventorship and ownership were not amended accordingly.

Pentney J noted that “[i]n previous cases involving the addition or deletion of an inventor’s (or co-inventor’s) name, the Court has considered the test set out in subsections 31(3) and (4) of the Act, which relate to the addition or removal of applicants to a pending patent application” [15]. The use of the word “considered,” is significant, as Pentney J is not suggesting that the test in s 31(3), (4) is the same as the test under s 52. On its face the powers granted to the Court by s 52 are broader than the Commissioner’s powers of correction under s 31(3), and it is now clear in practice that the Court is not restricted by the criteria set out s 31(3), (4): see eg Inguran 2020 FC 338, (discussed here) removing an inventor without the affidavits from the remaining applicants required by s 31(3); SALT v Baker 2020 FCA 127 (here) adding an owner in a contested case in which the omission was not by inadvertence. The effect is that the criteria in s 31(3), (4) are sufficient but not necessary for removal or addition in a granted patent; the Court will consider those criteria, and if they are satisfied, the addition or removal will be ordered routinely, but the power of correction under s 52 is not limited to those routine cases.

There was one “wrinkle,” namely that “subsequent to filing its Motion Record in this matter, Lundbeck received a Notice of Allegation (NOA) in relation to the 163 Patent” [20], and “[t]he question is whether this constitutes “pending litigation” and as a consequence any other party should have been given notice of this proceeding” [20] While accepting that this arguably constituted pending litigation, Pentney J ordered the correction nonetheless, noting that there was no indication that the parties to the NOA would be prejudiced [22], given that the NOA did not allege improper inventorship or ownership [20]. The key principle is that “It is immaterial to the public whether there is one inventor or two joint inventors as this does not go to the term or to the substance of the invention nor even to entitlement” Micromass v Comm’r of Patents 2006 FC 117 [16], quoted at [22]. As Pentney J noted, this principle has been regularly affirmed and applied [21]. This is perhaps not to say that a change in inventorship can never be material, but rather that it must be shown to be material before an amendment will be refused on this basis. As Martineau J commented in Everlight 2017 FC 1108 (here) [5], quoted by Pentney J at [21], “[t]he proposed variation will cause no prejudice to third parties, as no outsider is claiming an interest in the Patent, there is no ongoing infringement case, and the rest of the Assignment is immaterial to the public.”