DDR Holdings, Llc v. Priceline.Com LLC, decided 9 Dec 24

This is a CAFC decision in the case of DDR Holdings, LLC v. Priceline.com LLC. The core issue is the proper claim construction of the terms "merchants" and "commerce object" within a patent related to e-commerce website design. The appeals court affirmed the district court's interpretation, holding that "merchants" refers only to purveyors of goods, not services, based on a significant omission in the final patent specification compared to an earlier application. This interpretation, also applied to "commerce object", resulted in a finding of non-infringement. The court rejected the appellant's arguments, including a collateral estoppel claim, due to forfeiture and differing claim construction standards between the lower court and the Patent Trial and Appeal Board.