The Patent Litigation Podcast

Erick Robinson

The PTAB Blog by Erick Robinson serves as a vital resource for navigating the Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB). Offering in-depth analyses of decisions, procedural updates, and insights into evolving legal trends, the blog caters to attorneys, inventors, and stakeholders involved in patent disputes. With practical guidance, strategic advice, and focused coverage of landmark rulings and rule changes, it’s an indispensable tool for those handling PTAB matters or post-grant proceedings. Clarification note from Erick: in case it was not clear, my co-hosts, Sebastien Hale and Dr. Sonali Mishra, do not exist. In the words of Andy Dufresne, ”He’s a phantom, an apparition. Second cousin to Harvey the Rabbit. I conjured him out of thin air. He doesn’t exist, except on paper.” Except here they were created by AI. In any case, they are brilliant. But not real. Just like Randall Stephens.

Episodes

  1. 05/09/2025

    Dual Attacks Permitted: How the Federal Circuit's Ingenico Decision Undermines Patent Protection and IPR Estoppel

    The United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit recently issued a decision in Ingenico Inc. v. IOENGINE, LLC that warrants careful analysis by patent owners and practitioners. This May 7, 2025 opinion addresses important questions regarding prior art invalidity grounds and the scope of Inter Partes Review (IPR) estoppel under 35 U.S.C. § 315(e)(2). The decision has significant implications for patent enforcement strategies, particularly regarding how patent owners defend against invalidity challenges following IPR proceedings. The Ingenico case concerned patents directed to portable devices, such as USB thumb drives, with processors that facilitate communications between a terminal and a network server. After IOENGINE asserted these patents against PayPal, Ingenico (a supplier of accused products to PayPal) filed a declaratory judgment action and subsequently challenged IOENGINE's patents through both IPR petitions and district court litigation. The Federal Circuit's decision upholds a jury verdict invalidating IOENGINE's patent claims based on prior art that was not raised in the IPR proceedings, interpreting the IPR estoppel provision in a manner that may significantly disadvantage patent owners. This decision merits attention because it appears to create additional avenues for accused infringers to challenge patent validity, even after participating in IPR proceedings, by drawing fine distinctions between "grounds" that could have been raised in an IPR and those reserved for district court litigation. The court's interpretation of "ground" in the IPR estoppel statute potentially weakens the intended protective effect of estoppel provisions, which were designed to prevent patent owners from having to repeatedly defend their patents against similar invalidity challenges in different forums.

    34 min

Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
2 Ratings

About

The PTAB Blog by Erick Robinson serves as a vital resource for navigating the Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB). Offering in-depth analyses of decisions, procedural updates, and insights into evolving legal trends, the blog caters to attorneys, inventors, and stakeholders involved in patent disputes. With practical guidance, strategic advice, and focused coverage of landmark rulings and rule changes, it’s an indispensable tool for those handling PTAB matters or post-grant proceedings. Clarification note from Erick: in case it was not clear, my co-hosts, Sebastien Hale and Dr. Sonali Mishra, do not exist. In the words of Andy Dufresne, ”He’s a phantom, an apparition. Second cousin to Harvey the Rabbit. I conjured him out of thin air. He doesn’t exist, except on paper.” Except here they were created by AI. In any case, they are brilliant. But not real. Just like Randall Stephens.