Litigation

Merck Sharp & Dohme Corp. v. Annora Pharma Private Ltd.

settled

1:21-cv-01006

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Court: U.S. District Court for the District of Delaware

Patents at issue (1)

Plaintiffs (1)

π Merck Sharp & Dohme Corp.

Defendants (1)

Δ Annora Pharma Private Ltd.

Summary

Settled by consent judgment; unless specifically authorized under the settlement agreement, Annora is enjoined from infringing the patent-in-suit.

Case overview & background

Plain-language overview of the case: parties, accused product, patents at issue, and why the suit matters.

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Key legal developments & outcome

Major rulings, motions, claim construction, settlements, and the present posture or final disposition.

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Plaintiff representatives

Counsel of record for the plaintiff(s): attorneys, firms, and roles (lead counsel, of counsel, local counsel).

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Defendant representatives

Counsel of record for the defendant(s): attorneys, firms, and roles (lead counsel, of counsel, local counsel).

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Record id: 7326708-1-21-cv-01006 · edit in Admin

Further reading

Alice Corp. v. CLS Bank International (2014)
Bolting 'on a computer' onto an abstract business process doesn't make it patentable. Most software and business-method patents that look like 'doing X on a computer' don't survive when seriously challenged under Alice.
The America Invents Act (2011)
The AIA was the structural reform that gave defendants modern tools — IPR, broader prior art, joinder limits. The unfinished work is cost: AIA didn't make defense free, it made defense possible.
What it costs to get a patent (AIPLA Economic Survey)
A US utility patent costs a median of $8,000-$12,000 in attorney fees to draft and file, depending on the technology — before USPTO fees, before drawings, and before the first office action. Here's the full bill, and why it's a rounding error next to enforcing the thing.
Cost of Inter Partes Review (IPR): a 2026 breakdown
An IPR ends most cases when the prior art is real. The all-in cost is roughly a tenth of full litigation — but only if you stage it right.
How patent trolls operate (and why the business model works)
A junk patent generates settlement income exactly the same way as a strong one, because nobody pays $1M to test a $200k demand. The mechanics matter because the failure modes — what makes assertion campaigns expensive or risky for the troll — are exactly where defendants find leverage.

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