Neapco: American Axle & Manufacturing, Inc. v. Neapco Holdings LLC (D. Del. 2018)

Claims Directed to Attenuating Driveline Vibrations Fall Victim to Law of Nature Challenge By James Korenchan -- In a striking recent decision from the U.S. District Court for the District of Delaware, claims of a vibration attenuation patent were deemed patent ineligible as being directed to laws of nature under 35 U.S.C. § 101 -- namely, both Hooke's law and friction damping. The Plaintiff, American Axle & Manufacturing, Inc. (AAM), charged Neapco with infringement of three of its patents. The parties filed cross-motions for summary judgment on the issue of patent eligibility under § 101 with regard to one of...