--- title: "Update on Our March Madness Bracketology" canonicalUrl: "https://wyche.com/insights/blog/posts/update-on-our-march-madness-bracketology/" excerpt: "Wyche Inside IP By Wallace K. Lightsey In the last Wyche Inside IP, in the spirit of the “March Madness” then happening in NCAA basketball, I hazarded predictions of the results of two patent cases that were to be heard by the U.S. Supreme Court on March 31. How did I do?  About the same as my basketball bracket. In Commil USA, LLC v. Cisco Systems, Inc., the issue was whether a defendant’s good-faith belief that a patent is invalid is a defense to a claim of induced infringement.  I predicted that the Court would side with the defendant and hold…
Read More" datePublished: "2015-07-14T15:40:18-04:00" dateModified: "2024-05-24T16:06:02-04:00" --- - Update on Our March Madness Bracketology [Home](https://wyche.com/) » Update on Our March Madness Bracketology [** Wallace Lightsey](https://wyche.com/author/wlightsey/) ** ** ** # Update on Our March Madness Bracketology [*Wyche Inside IP*](https://wyche.wpengine.com/insights/newsletters/intellectual-property-newsletter/) By [Wallace K. Lightsey](https://wyche.wpengine.com/what/attorneys/lawyer/wallace-k-lightsey/) In the last [*Wyche Inside IP*](https://wyche.wpengine.com/insights/wyche-articles/march-madness-in-the-supreme-court-and-our-bracketology/), in the spirit of the “March Madness” then happening in NCAA basketball, I hazarded predictions of the results of two patent cases that were to be heard by the U.S. Supreme Court on March 31. How did I do?  About the same as my basketball bracket. In *Commil USA, LLC v. Cisco Systems, Inc*., the issue was whether a defendant’s good-faith belief that a patent is invalid is a defense to a claim of induced infringement.  I predicted that the Court would side with the defendant and hold that a good faith belief of invalidity is a defense in an induced infringement case.  I got that wrong – the Court held that since determinations of infringement are separate and different from determinations of invalidity, liability for induced infringement cannot be avoided simply by believing the patent in question is invalid. In *Kimble v. Marvel Enterprises, Inc*., the Court examined whether it should overturn a previous decision by it (*Brulotte v. Thys Co*.) that a patent licensee’s obligations are absolved after the patent expires, and that a patent holder’s attempt to collect royalties after expiration constitutes patent misuse.  I got that one right – I predicted that the Court would reaffirm *Brulotte*, and it did. So, I was 50/50 – actually better than my usual NCAA bracket predictions. [*](https://wyche.com/author/wlightsey/) [## Wallace Lightsey](https://wyche.com/author/wlightsey/) Wallace is an experienced trial and appellate attorney, with over 60 jury trials in state and federal courts throughout the Southeast, and approximately 100 bench trials, jury trials, and arbitration trials, as well as numerous appeals in the South Carolina appellate courts and the United States Courts of Appeals for the First, Fourth, Sixth, and Eleventh Circuits.  RELATED ARTICLES [](https://wyche.com/insights/blog/posts/former-federal-prosecutor-brandon-stone-joins-wyche/) ### [Former Federal Prosecutor Brandon Stone Joins Wyche](https://wyche.com/insights/blog/posts/former-federal-prosecutor-brandon-stone-joins-wyche/) COLUMBIA, SC (November 19, 2025) – Wyche, a leading full-service law firm with offices across South Carolina, announces that Brandon Stone, a former federal prosecutor [](https://wyche.com/insights/blog/posts/recent-court-decision-highlights-danger-of-clients-use-of-ai-in-connection-with-pending-litigation/) ### [Recent Court Decision Highlights Danger of Client’s Use of AI in Connection with Pending Litigation](https://wyche.com/insights/blog/posts/recent-court-decision-highlights-danger-of-clients-use-of-ai-in-connection-with-pending-litigation/) Article by: Wallace Lightsey, Josh Lonon, Matthew Richardson, and Austin Coward A highly respected federal judge in New York just issued a decision that a [* View All](https://wyche.com/insights/news-stories/) ## Stay in Touch Join one our mailing lists and receive regular updates! [Subscribe to Updates](/subscription) ## Contact Us * * Send Message - [Our Philosophy](https://wyche.com/our-philosophy/) - [Unique Culture](https://wyche.com/our-unique-culture/) - [Client Service](https://wyche.com/wyche-difference/) - [Global Reach](https://wyche.com/global-reach/) - [Careers](https://wyche.com/careers/) - [Locations](https://wyche.com/locations) - [Centennial](https://wyche.com/wyche-100/) [Linkedin **](https://www.linkedin.com/company/wychepa/) [Facebook **](https://www.facebook.com/wychepa?ref=hl) [Instagram **](https://www.instagram.com/wychepa/)