Case Explained: 26-1582: CARTESSA AESTHETICS, LLC v. ITC [ORDER], Nonprecedential

Court: United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit Filed: 2026-07-23 The federal-circuit granted Cartessa Aesthetics, LLC’s motion to consolidate appeals, dismiss the case as moot, and vacate the International Trade Commission’s final determination. The court held that the appeal was moot because the asserted patents had expired, eliminating any possibility of prospective relief by the Commission under 19 U.S.C. § 1337. Applying the principle that cases become moot when issues are no longer “live” or parties lack a legally cognizable interest, the court rejected the intervenor’s argument regarding potential collateral consequences from ongoing proceedings before the United States Patent and Trademark Office. The court reasoned that indirect benefits to the patent owner in independent administrative reviews do not defeat Article III mootness when the expiration of the patent is due to happenstance rather than the parties’ actions. Consequently, the appeals are dismissed as moot, the Commission’s final determination is vacated, and the case is remanded with instructions for the Commission to dismiss the investigation as moot, with each side bearing its own costs. Do It For The Case Law is a news reporting service. Nothing in this episode constitutes legal advice.