U.S. Federal Circuit hands Chevron a loss on crude oil testing patent

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A divided appeals court on Wednesday upheld a win for the University of Wyoming Research Corp. in a patent dispute with Chevron U.S.A. over a process for analyzing a tar-like substance found in fossil fuels.

The 2-1 decision of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit affirmed the Patent Trial and Appeal Board’s conclusion that dueling patent applications by Chevron and the university described the same process for analyzing the stability of asphaltenes, which can affect crude-oil yields and refinery operations.