Judge Settle (Tacoma) Stays Patent Case Pending Reexamination

U.S. District Court Judge, Benjamin Settle (nominated by George W. Bush on January 9, 2007, to a seat vacated by Franklin D. Burgess; Confirmed by the Senate on June 28, 2007, and received commission on July 2, 2007) recently stayed a dispute involving U.S. Patent Nos. 5,993,303 and 6,250,998, patents for hand-held cutting tools.

The dispute is between Pactool International, Ltd and DeWalt Industrial Tool Co., as well as Kett Tool Company (Case No. 06-5367). Judge Settle granted Kett Tool Company's motion to stay in view of a request for reexamination that was filed on December 20, 2007. While the PTO has not yet granted Kett's request for reexamination, Judge Settle stayed the case anyway, calling for a stay until May 1, 2008, and permitting the parties to file a motion to lift the stay in the event the PTO denies Kett's request for reexamination.
PactoolOrderStay.pdf