Tafas v. Dudas et al

Filing 145

MOTION for Leave to File A Brief in Support of Plaintiffs' Anticipated Motions for Summary Judgment by Valspar Corporation. General Mills, Inc., Donaldson Company, Inc., Ecolab Inc., and Anchor Wall Sustems, Inc.. (Attachments: # 1 Proposed Order)Associated Cases: 1:07-cv-00846-JCC-TRJ, 1:07-cv-01008-JCC-TRJ(Toof, Jackson) Modified on 12/26/2007 to include all relevant parties(klau, ).

Tafas v. Dudas et al

Doc. 145

Case 1:07-cv-00846-JCC-TRJ

Document 145

Filed 12/21/2007

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IN THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT FOR THE EASTERN DISTRICT OF VIRGINIA Alexandria Division __________________________________________ TRIANTAFYLLOS TAFAS, ) ) Plaintiffs, ) ) v. ) ) JON W. DUDAS, et al. ) ) Defendants. ) __________________________________________)

1:07cv846 (JCC/TRJ)

CONSOLIDATED WITH __________________________________________ SMITHKLINE BEECHAM CORPORATION, et al.) ) Plaintiffs, ) ) v. ) 1:07cv1008 (JCC/TRJ) ) JON W. DUDAS, et al. ) ) Defendants. ) __________________________________________) MOTION OF MINNESOTA AMICI FOR LEAVE TO FILE A BRIEF IN SUPPORT OF PLAINTIFFS' ANTICIPATED MOTIONS FOR SUMMARY JUDGMENT The Valspar Corporation, General Mills, Inc., Donaldson Company, Inc., Ecolab Inc., and Anchor Wall Systems, Inc. ("Minnesota Amici"), by undersigned counsel, move for leave to file a brief as amici curiae in support of Plaintiffs in the above-captioned litigation. The five companies collectively submitting the proposed brief represent a cross-section of prominent innovative American companies that all rely heavily on the United States patent system to protect their investments in new technology and develop their businesses. As such, the Minnesota Amici possess a strong interest in the significant changes proposed by the PTO to the

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rules governing the number of patent claims and continuations allowed, and the new procedures that will be put in place, if the PTO's proposed new rules are enforced. All five companies believe that the new rules will cause substantial harm to them both in terms of several forms of new costs of doing business, and ultimately in restricting their access to the patent system. The proposed brief from the Minnesota Amici would contribute to the discussion before the Court an additional perspective on the practical impact of the PTO's proposed new rules on them and presumably hundreds of other leading companies in myriad fields that rely on patent protection as part of their business plans. As laid out more fully in the accompanying memorandum, by exceeding its authority and adding substantive restrictions to the existing legislative scheme for obtaining patents, the PTO would force each company to develop new docketing systems, hire additional in-house counsel, pay for additional time from outside counsel, and ultimately could require them to consolidate prosecution in a single law firm, to avoid the consequences of the new presumptions put in place by new 37 C.F.R. §§ 1.75 & 1.78. Counsel for the GSK Plaintiffs and Mr. Tafas consented to this filing. As with the other motions for leave to file amicus briefs, the Minnesota Amici believe oral argument is not needed. WHEREFORE, for the reasons stated herein and in the accompanying memorandum, the Minnesota Amici respectfully ask the Court to grant leave to file an amicus brief on December 27, 2007, when the Court has ordered than any such brief in this matter should be filed.

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Date: December 21, 2007

Respectfully submitted, _______/s/____________________ Jackson D. Toof VA Bar # 48842 Arent Fox LLP Counsel for Minnesota Amici 1050 Connecticut Avenue, N.W. Washington, DC 20036 Phone: [phone] Fax: [phone] [e-mail] Of Counsel for Minnesota Amici: David P. Swenson Robins, Kaplan, Miller & Ciresi L.L.P. 2800 LaSalle Plaza 800 LaSalle Avenue Minneapolis, MN 55402-2015 Phone: [phone] Fax: [phone] [e-mail]

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CERTIFICATE OF SERVICE I hereby certify that on this 21st day of December 2007, I caused a copy of the foregoing Minnesota Amici Motion of Minnesota AMICI For Leave To File A Brief In Support of Plaintiffs' Anticipated Motions for Summary Judgment and Proposed Order to be filed electronically with the Clerk of the Court using the CM/ECF system, which will send a notification of such filing to the following: Elizabeth M. Locke Kirkland & Ellis LLP 655 15th Street, NW ­ Suite 1200 Washington, DC 20005 E-Mail: [e-mail] and Craig C. Reilly Richard McGettigan Reilly & West PC 1725 Duke Street ­ Suite 600 Alexandria, VA 22314 E-Mail: craig.reilly @rmrwlaw.com Counsel for GSK Plaintiffs Joseph Dale Wilson, III Kelley Drye & Warren LLP Washington Harbour 3050 K Street NW ­ Suite 400 Washington, DC 20007 E-Mail: [e-mail] Counsel for Plaintiff Tafas Lauren A. Wetzler United States Attorney's Office 2100 Jamison Ave. Alexandria, VA 22314 E-Mail: [e-mail] Counsel for Defendants

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Thomas J. O'Brien Morgan, Lewis & Bockius 1111 Pennsylvania Ave., N.W. Washington, D.C. 20004 E-Mail: to'[e-mail] Counsel for Amicus American Intellectual Property Lawyers Association Dawn-Marie Bey Kilpatrick Stockton, LLP 700 13th Street, N.W. Suite 800 Washington, D.C. 20005 E-Mail: [e-mail] Counsel for Amicus Hexas, LLC, The Roskamp Institute, Tikvah Therapeutics, Inc. James Murphy Dowd Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale & Dorr LLP 1455 Pennsylvania Ave., N.W. Washington, D.C. 20004 E-Mail: [e-mail] Counsel for Amicus Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America Randall Karl Miller Arnold & Porter LLP 1600 Tysons Blvd., Suite 900 McLean, VA 22102 E-Mail: [e-mail] Counsel for Amici BIO and Monsanto Company Charles Gorenstein Michael K. Mutter Birch, Stewart, Kolasch & Birch, LLP 8110 Gatehouse Rd. Suite 100 East Falls Church, VA 22042 E-Mail: [e-mail] Counsel for Amicus Intellectual Property Institute of the William Mitchell College of Law

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Rebecca M. Carr Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman, LLP 2300 N Street, N.W. Washington, D.C. 20037 E-Mail: [e-mail] Counsel for Amicus Elan Pharmaceuticals, Inc.

By:___________/s/_______________________ Jackson D. Toof VA Bar # 48842 Arent Fox L.L.P. Counsel for Minnesota Amici 1050 Connecticut Avenue, NW Washington, DC 20036 Phone: [phone] Fax: [phone] [e-mail] Of Counsel for Minnesota Amici: David P. Swenson Robins, Kaplan, Miller & Ciresi L.L.P. 2800 LaSalle Plaza 800 LaSalle Avenue Minneapolis, MN 55402-2015 Phone: [phone] Fax: [phone] [e-mail]

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