Network Signatures, Inc. v. State Farm Mutual Auto, No. 12-1492 (Fed. Cir. Sept. 24, 2013)

From the Opinion

The passage below is extracted verbatim from the opening of the document. It has not been editorially summarized — consult the full opinion for the court's complete reasoning.

U.S. Patent No. 5,511,122 ( the ’122 patent ), entitled “Intermediate Network Authentication,” pertains to internet security, and is assigned to the United States of America represented by the Secretary of the Navy. The technology was developed by a scientist at the Naval Research Laboratory ( NRL). The NRL permitted the patent to lapse for nonpayment of the 7.5 -year mainte- nance fee . Two weeks after the lapse became effective, the NRL received an inquiry from the predecessor to Network Signatures, Inc. about licensing the patent.