Every once in a while cases come along that combine profession and passion. I've been following the SRAM v. Fox Factory X-Sync bicycle chainring litigation for a while now, as it definitely falls into that category. It's interesting to see the Federal Circuit uphold the PTAB's finding that one set of claims in this patent family is valid while finding a separate set of claims in the patent family is obvious and invalid despite the fact that SRAM used similar arguments with respect to both. It goes to show that a robust patent portfolio covering numerous aspects of key commercial products cannot be underestimated when it comes to protecting your marketshare.
