This week there was a slightly below average 22 new patent filings—all inter partes reviews (IPRs)—at the Patent Trials and Appeal Board (PTAB). Meanwhile, district courts saw an above-average 88 new patent filings.
At the PTAB, Roku filed six IPRs challenging as many Anonymous Media Research Holdings LLC [associated with Anonymous Media Research, LLC] patents. Nike also filed eight IPRs challenging eight Sherrywear LLC patents related to sports bras with pockets. Five Procter & Gamble patents were challenged in five IPRs filed by National Beef Packing Company LLC.
The PTAB issued 18 institution decisions this week and 15 final written decisions. With respect to institution decisions, the PTAB granted institution in 15 cases (14 IPRs and one post-grant review) and denied institution in three—including one denial on the merits. Notable institutions include granting institution in three IPRs and one PGR, filed by Microchip Technology Inc., challenging four Aptiv Technologies [associated with Aptiv PLC] patents. Similarly, Apple received favorable institution decisions in two IPRs challenging two Carbyne Biometrics LLC [associated with Bjorn Markus Jakobsson] patents. With respect to denials of institution, the PTAB denied institution of an IPR filed by Comcast Cable Communications LLC challenging a Touchstream Technologies Inc. patent under a Fintiv and compelling merits analysis. However, the Board instituted another IPR filed by Comcast challenging the same patent.
As for final written decisions, the Board issued decisions in six IPRs filed by Zoho Corporation, challenging four Meetrix IP LLC [associated with Anixa Biosciences, Inc. (f/k/a ITUS Corporation)] patents (discussed further below). The Board also issued decisions in four IPRs filed by Volkswagen Group of America and joined Porsche Cars North America, challenging one patent owned by Yechezkal Evan Spero (and exclusively licensed to the apparently-funded Torchlight Technologies, LLC).
In district court, we saw continued filings from familiar plaintiffs including four new cases filed by Aml IP LLC [associated with Dynamic IP Deals, LLC (d/b/a DynaIP)], five new cases filed by GeoSymm Ventures LLC [associated with Jeffrey M. Gross], two new cases filed by Nostromo Ltd. [associated with Nostromo Energy Ltd.], five new cases filed by Rfcyber Corp. [associated with RFCyber Corporation]. American Regent Inc. [associated with Daiichi Sankyo Company Limited] filed 17 new cases.
After several years without any new filings, Torus Ventures LLC [associated with Jeffrey M. Gross] revived its campaign asserting a single patent related to “a recursive security protocol for digital copyright control,” filing seven new cases this week, bringing total cases filed this month up to 38. Additionally, Kaifi LLC [associated with Intellectual Discovery Co., Ltd.] launched a new campaign this week against Amazon (discussed further below).
Kaifi LLC Launches New Campaign
Kaifi LLC [associated with Intellectual Discovery Co., Ltd.] launched a new campaign this week, filing one new case. Kaifi previously filed suit against major wireless carriers, Verizon, T-Mobile, and AT&T, between 2019-2022, asserting one patent relating to network connecting and roaming.
In its latest filing, Kaifi asserts four patents against Amazon. The patents, each from a different family, are related to speech recognition, data generation in sensor networks, relation server operation, and recognizing location using a built-in camera. Two of the patents are former ETRI patents, while a third patent is a former KoreapowerVoice Co., Ltd. patent. The lawsuit targets Amazon’s “Alexa, Alexa App, Alexa Voice Services (AVS), Amazon Web Services (AWS), Echo, and Amazon and third-party branded smart and/or Internet of things (IoT) systems, services, networks, servers; and devices, and autonomous mobile robots (AMRs) and robotic systems.”
Mixed Results in IPRs Challenging Meetrix IP LLC
This week the Board issued final written decisions in six IPRs challenging four Meetrix IP LLC [associated with Anixa Biosciences, Inc. (f/k/a ITUS Corporation)] patents. Meetrix filed suit against Zoho in 2022, asserting four patents generally related to media based collaboration using PTSN and Internet networks. In addition to Zoho, Meetrix has asserted these patents (as well as a fifth, related patent) against seven other defendants (which have all settled).
Zoho filed six IPRs, challenging the asserted patents in 2022 and the district court case was stayed pending resolution of these IPRs. This week, the Board issued final written decisions in all six cases this week, finding all challenged claims unpatentable in five of these IPRs. However, in the sixth IPR, the Board had mixed results with three claims surviving the challenge.
Links to the cases discussed above and more are available in the Weekly UP, which can be found here.
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