The PTAB granted leave on June 9 for the patent owner, Celgene Corporation, to file a motion for sanctions seeking dismissal in several IPRs¹ filed by the Coalition for Affordable Drugs. The Coalition for Affordable Drugs, an organization created by the hedge fund Hayman Credes Master Fund L.P., has filed multiple IPRs against pharmaceutical companies with the publicly announced intention to lower drug prices for everyone by invalidating patent protections that it contends have little value.
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PTAB Relaxing its Application of Law Governing IPR Claim Amendments
As discussed yesterday, on June 5, 2015, for just the second time in IPR history, the Board granted a patent owner’s contested motion to amend claims. Reg Synthetic Fuels, LLC v. Neste Oil Oyj, IPR2014-00192 (PTAB June 5, 2015).¹ Are the facts of Neste really so different from the dozens of motions to amend the Board has previously denied, or has something changed?
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Real Party-In-Interest Not Necessarily Established by Co-Defendants in Litigation
Whether a non-identified party is a real party-in-interest to a proceeding is a highly fact-dependent question. Office Patent Trial Practice Guide, 77 Fed. Reg. 48,756, 48,759 (Aug. 14, 2012) (“Trial Practice Guide”) (citing Taylor v. Sturgell, 553 U.S. 880 (2008)). “A common consideration is whether the non-party exercised or could have exercised control over a party’s participation in a proceeding.” Trial Practice Guide, 77 Fed. Reg. at 48,759 (citing Taylor, 553 U.S. at 895).
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PTAB Review Reform in Bill Approved by Senate Committee
Late June 2, the Senate Judiciary Committee released a new version of its Protecting American Talent and Entrepreneurship (PATENT) Act, S. 1137. In response to prodding by industry groups, the bill now includes reforms directed at preventing abuse of the Patent Office’s post-grant proceedings, IPRs and PGRs, against patent owners The bill is here.
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PTAB Upholds Claims Directed to Chemical Process Based on Expert Testimony and Experimental Evidence
On May 27, 2015, the Board issued a final written decision in Organik Kimya AS v. Rohm & Hass Co., IPR2014-00185, confirming the patentability of all challenged claims of U.S. Patent No. 6,020,435.
The ‘435 patent is directed to a chemical process for preparing low-density “hollow” or “voided” multi-stage emulsion polymers used in coating compositions such as paints. These emulsion polymers are generally prepared by swelling a core/shell emulsion polymer in such a way that one or more voids form in the interior of the emulsion polymer particle.
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PTAB Grants Joinder of Proceedings Raising Identical Challenges
On May 22, 2015, the Board granted Petitioners Motion for Joinder in Mercedes-Benz USA, LLC and Mercedes-Benz U.S. International, Inc. v. Innovative Display Technologies, LLC, IPR2015-00360. Mercedes-Benz sought to join its proceeding with LG Display Co., Ltd. v. Innovative Display Technologies, LLC, IPR2015-00360, which was instituted on January 13, 2015. Mercedes-Benz filed its petition approximately one month before the LG IPR was instituted. Both proceedings seek to invalidate claims of U.S. Patent No. 7,300,194 (“the ‘194 patent”) on identical grounds.
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