The Narda Microwave Corporation, Plaintiff-Appellant-Cross-Appellee v. General Microwave Corporation, Defendant-Appellee-Cross-Appellant

OAKES, Circuit Judge:

This hotly contested — perhaps overly contested — litigation involves patents and devices in the field of microwave radiation detection. This field became of general importance to consumers only after the microwave oven became available in the late 1960s. Even before then, however, the detection of microwave radiation was important to the military and to the safety of its personnel; indeed one of the patents in issue arose out of an Air Force contract.

Three of the four patents in issue are held by The Narda Microwave Corporation (Narda), which commenced this action for…