Patent Law

Simonian v. Blistex, Ciba, Pfizer, 3M, Edgecraft, Darex, Cisco, Bunn-O-Matic, Oreck, Novartis, Merck, etc. (N.D. Ill. 2010)

Thomas Simonian is a self-described "individual living in Geneva, Illinois." In a series of at least 27 complaints filed in the past few days, Simonian has raised the stakes of the Federal Circuit's false marking jurisprudence. Most of the complaints assert false marking claims based on the continued marking of products with now-expired patents. However, a few cases focus on marked products that are allegedly not covered by the patent rights. For instance, in Simonian v. 3M, the plaintiff asserts that the 3M patent requires a "hook portion" but that the marked 3M "Command Strips" do not include that feature.

The cases were filed by the Chicago-based law firm of Vanek, Vickers & Masini.

• Simonian Cases: Simonian v. Blistex, Inc.(Blistex); Simonian v. Ciba Vision Corporation (Clear Care); Simonian v. Hunter Fan Company (thermostat); Simonian v. Mead Westvaco Corporation (envelopes); Simonian v. Fiskars Brands, Inc. (Fiskars scissors); Simonian v. Pfizer, Inc. (Pfizer); Simonian v. Pella Corporation (Pella windows); Simonian v. 3M Company; Simonian v. The Quigley Corporation; Simonian v. Edgecraft, Corp.; Simonian v. Tru Fire Corporation; Simonian v. Darex, LLC; Simonian v. Cisco Systems, Inc.; Simonian v. Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corp.; Simonian v. Bunn-O-Matic Corporation; Simonian v. Kimberly-Clark Corporation et al; Simonian v. Merial L.L.C. et al; Simonian v. Weber-Stephen Products Co.; Simonian v. Oreck Corporation et al; Simonian v. BP Lubricants USA, Inc.; Simonian v. Irwin Industrial Tool Company; Simonian v. Novartis Animal Health US, Inc.; Simonian v. Novartis Consumer Health, Inc.; Simonian v. Monster Cable Products, Inc.; Simonian v. Global Instruments, Ltd. et al (Riddex); Simonian v. Merck & Co., Inc. et al; Simonian v. Advanced Vision Research, Inc.
• Other Recent False Marking Cases: O'Neill v. Roche Diagnostics Corporation; Akbar v. Proctor & Gamble Co.; Josephs v. Federal-Mogul Corporation; Josephs v. Sigma-Aldrich Corporation; Seirus Innovative Accessories, Inc. v. Cabela's, Inc.; Yarbough v. S.C. Johnson & Son, Inc. et al.