David Wilk obtains favorable MN Court of Appeals ruling on breach of contract and trade secret violation claims

David Wilk recently obtained a ruling from the Minnesota Court of Appeals affirming the dismissal of breach of contract and trade secret violation claims on the ground that the claims were preempted by federal patent law.  The unpublished opinion by Judge Cleary holds that both claims, as presented in the Complaint, allege reproduction of a patented product and seek remedies that would be available under patent law.    The court reasoned that allowing state law remedies for claims equivalent to a patent-infringement claim would give appellants additional rights and remedies not contemplated by federal patent law; the state-law claims were therefore preempted.  The Court’s opinion can be found at 2012 WL 1070116 (Minn. Ct. App. Apr. 2, 2012).