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Patent Exhaustion
Intellectual Property

On June 9, 2008, the Supreme Court issued its decision in Quanta Computer, Inc. v. LG Electronics, Inc., and held that the "authorized sale of an article that substantially embodies a patent exhausts the patent holder's rights and prevents the patent holder from invoking patent law to control postsale use of the article." Relying in large measure on United States v. Univis Lens, 316 U.S. 241 (1942), the Court sought to clarify the law of patent exhaustion. The Quanta decision will have significant implications across many industries, particularly on technology transactions and licenses.

Supreme Court Opinion 
Supreme Court Oral Argument Transcript
Federal Circuit Opinion

WilmerHale Commentary

Parties' Briefs

Amicus Briefs Supporting Petitioner

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Neutral Amicus Briefs