Arlington Indus., Inc. v. Bridgeport Fittings, Inc.

Arlington manufactured and sold electrical connectors that could be snapped into place, including the Snap2It® brand connectors. Bridgeport sold a competing line of quick-connect fittings called Snap-In and Speed-Snap connectors. In 2002, Arlington filed suit, alleging that Bridgeport’s connectors infringed claim 1 of its 488 patent. Bridgeport signed a settlement agreement stating that the 488 patent was not invalid, was not unenforceable, and was infringed by Bridgeport’s 590-DCS and 590-DCSI Speed-Snap products. Bridgeport agreed to be “permanently enjoined from directly or indirectly making, using, selling, offering for sale or importing . . . the Speed-Snap products identified … 590-DCS and 590-DCSI or any colorable imitations.” The district court dismissed without prejudice and maintained jurisdiction to enforce the injunction. In 2005, Bridgeport redesigned its connectors to have a frustoconical leading edge and began selling the 38ASP and 380SP connectors (New Connectors), under the Whipper-Snap® brand. In 2012, Arlington filed a motion for contempt, alleging that Bridgeport’s New Connectors violated the 2004 Injunction. The district court acknowledged that the dispute centered around two limitations of claim 1 of the 488 patent, and construed those limitations, finding that Bridgeport directly and indirectly infringed the patent. The Federal Circuit dismissed an appeal for lack of jurisdiction because the contempt order is not a final judgment or otherwise appealable. View "Arlington Indus., Inc. v. Bridgeport Fittings, Inc." on Justia Law