Jump to full article: AP, 2007-06-27
Intro: Star Scientific Inc. early Wednesday vowed to appeal two federal court rulings against the smokeless tobacco developer in its patent dispute with cigarette maker R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Co.
In a statement, Star Scientific said it "is disappointed and frankly outraged" that the court ruled against the company Tuesday in the "inequitable conduct" bench trial, which had delayed the implementation of a prior patent ruling against Star Scientific.
In patent law, "inequitable conduct" suggests that the patent-holder knowingly misrepresented itself or withheld relevant information in applying for its patent, allowing the court to deem its patent unenforceable.
"The opinion ignores significant portions of the record, distorts others, and spins a tale that is unrecognizable to those who attended the trial," the company said.
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