Skycoaster, Inc v Fairmile Pty Limited

Skycoaster, Inc and Fairmile Pty Limited were parties to litigation before the Supreme Court of New South Wales. The dispute concerned the alleged infringement of a patent for a "skycoaster" amusement ride. Skycoaster, Inc, the patent holder, claimed that Fairmile Pty Limited had infringed its patent by manufacturing and selling a similar amusement ride.

The primary legal issue before the Court was whether Fairmile Pty Limited's amusement ride constituted an infringement of Skycoaster, Inc's patent. This required the Court to construe the claims of the patent and compare them with the features of Fairmile Pty Limited's device. The Court also had to consider whether Fairmile Pty Limited had a valid defence to the alleged infringement.

In its reasoning, the Court undertook a detailed analysis of the patent claims, applying the principles of claim construction established in Australian patent law. The Court considered the scope of the monopoly granted by the patent and whether the alleged infringing device fell within that scope, either literally or by equivalence. The Court found that Fairmile Pty Limited's device did not infringe the patent claims.

The Court therefore ordered that Skycoaster, Inc's claim for patent infringement be dismissed.