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United Kingdom Intellectual Property Office Decisions


You are here: BAILII >> Databases >> United Kingdom Intellectual Property Office Decisions >> Lockheed Martin Corporation, Hybrid Air Vehicles Ltd (Patent) [2008] UKIntelP o23508 (11 August 2008)
URL: http://www.bailii.org/uk/cases/UKIntelP/2008/o23508.html
Cite as: [2008] UKIntelP o23508

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Lockheed Martin Corporation, Hybrid Air Vehicles Ltd [2008] UKIntelP o23508 (11 August 2008)

For the whole decision click here: o23508

Patent decision

BL number
O/235/08
Concerning rights in
EP (UK) 1451063
Hearing Officer
Mr A C Howard
Decision date
11 August 2008
Person(s) or Company(s) involved
Lockheed Martin Corporation, Hybrid Air Vehicles Ltd
Provisions discussed
Patents Act 1977 Section 37
Keywords
Decline to deal, Disclosure, Pleadings
Related Decisions
None

Summary

This was a preliminary hearing held before the evidence rounds has commenced to consider a request for amendment of the statement of claim; a request for disclosure of material disclosed in related US proceedings; and a contingent request that the comptroller decline to deal with the reference. Regarding the disclosure request, it was decided that even though the relevant documents had already been identified in the US proceedings, the quantity of material involved, the breadth of material covered, and the costs to the UK legal team, meant that the interests of justice would not be advanced by ordering the disclosure. Once this had been decided, the fact that the Court might be more ready to grant the disclosure sought than the comptroller could not be justification for declining to deal with the reference. It was also decided to allow amendment of the statement of claim by addition of a reference to a second patent, but not the inclusion of allegations of bad faith on the part of the defendant. The partial amendment as allowed was not considered to increase the complexity of the case so much as to warrant declining to deal with the reference.



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URL: http://www.bailii.org/uk/cases/UKIntelP/2008/o23508.html