Antitrust and Patents

Abstract

FIRST PARAGRAPH(S)|During 1979 the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals heard several cases in the antitrust and patent area. Surprisingly, the court did not hear a single case dealing with trademarks or copyrights last year. |For the purpose of this portion of the survey, three noteworthy cases dealing with antitrust and patent law have been combined. The antitrust aspects of an oil company's price directives to one of its dealers, as well as an interpretation of the recently enacted South Dakota Franchise Act are of interest in one case dealt with by the court. In another antitrust case, the court investigated the antitrust implications of interseller price information and fee splitting arrangements in the sale of real estate in Minnesota. In one of two patents cases decided last year, the court reiterated its interpretation of 35 U.S.C. section 103, striking down a combination patent covering an invention which exhibited no synergistic effect...