- Google LLC v. Secure Communication Technologies, LLCInstitution deniedPTAB · May 15, 2026 · IPR2026-00099 · APJ John A Squires · IPR · Director review
The Director denied Google’s petition and instituted no trial, exercising discretion based on the complete record and holistic assessment, including settled expectations.
RulingsDirector review decision- Settled expectationsInstitution denied settled expectationsDenied
“Petitioner’s arguments are not persuasive. Petitioner was aware of the challenged patent no later than February 2012, and Patent Owner specifically identified the patent as being of interest to mobile commerce providers. See Ex. 2004. Petitioner cited the challenged patent to the Office during prosecution of Petitioner’s own Application No. 13/716,675 in December 2012. See Ex. 2007. Application No. 13/716,675 is titled “Methods and Systems for Efficient Discovery of Devices in a Peer-to-Peer Network.” See Ex. 2006. Efficient discovery of devices in a peer-to-peer network appears to be relevant to both retail operations and the finding and tracking of personal electronic devices. Accordingly, Petitioner’s own actions indicate it was aware that the challenged patent was relevant to its technology space.” slip op. at 3
- PTAB / AIA Trials › Discretionary denial › §325(d) same art / argumentsDecided for patent owner
“Finally, I do not agree with Petitioner’s assertion that the Office committed a material error during prosecution. While demonstrating error is usually one of the strongest considerations weighing against discretionary denial, here Petitioner’s material error argument is weak. Petitioner points to the notice of allowance, and focuses on a single phrase that appears in a rather long listing of limitations the examiner indicated were missing from the prior art. DD Opp. 2–3. According to Petitioner, the phrase “first, direct, short range separate local wireless link” never existed in the claims. Id. at 4. However, Petitioner acknowledges that the phrase “via a separate local wireless link” was part of the claims, as was the phrase “first, direct, short range” local wireless link. Id. Although the ultimate listing in the notice of allowance may constitute a clerical error, Petitioner has not demonstrated sufficiently that this error was material to the patentability of the challenged claims, especially considering the number of other limitations listed in the notice of allowance that the examiner determined to be missing from the reviewed prior art. Petitioner does not address those limitations in its error arguments. Id. at 3–6.” slip op. at 3
Discretionary denialPatents in suitUS 8,116,749 - Intel Corp. / Dell Inc. et al. v. General Video, LLCInstitution deniedPTAB · Oct 17, 2025 · IPR2025-01038 · APJ Coke Morgan Stewart · IPR · Director review
The Director granted Patent Owner’s discretionary-denial request and denied the petitions under § 314(a), declining to institute IPR based on the holistic record and strong settled expectations.
RulingsDirector review decision- Settled expectationsGranted
“Other considerations, however, favor discretionary denial. In particular, the challenged patents have been in force for approximately seven, ten, and seventeen years, creating strong settled expectations for Patent Owner, and Petitioner does not provide any persuasive reasoning why an inter partes review is an appropriate use of Board resources. Dabico Airport Sols. Inc. v. AXA Power ApS, IPR2025-00408, Paper 21 at 2–3 (Director June 18, 2025); Intel Corp. v. Proxense LLC, IPR2025-00327, Paper 12, 2–3 (Director June 26, 2025). Additionally, Dell appears to have been notified of the challenged patents in 2016, 2017, and 2021. See, e.g., DD Req. 46–47; DD Reply 1–3. Accordingly, in the absence of sufficient explanation by Petitioner, Patent Owner’s strong settled expectations tip the balance in favor of discretionary denial.” slip op. at 3
- Other 314aInstitution denied settled expectationsInstitution denied discretionary otherInstitution denied
“particular, the challenged patents have been in force for approximately seven, ten, and seventeen years, creating strong settled expectations for Patent Owner, and Petitioner does not provide any persuasive reasoning why an inter partes review is an appropriate use of Board resources. Dabico Airport Sols. Inc. v. AXA Power ApS, IPR2025-00408, Paper 21 at 2–3 (Director June 18, 2025); Intel Corp. v. Proxense LLC, IPR2025-00327, Paper 12, 2–3 (Director June 26, 2025). Additionally, Dell appears to have been notified of the challenged patents in 2016, 2017, and 2021. See, e.g., DD Req. 46–47; DD Reply 1–3. Accordingly, in the absence of sufficient explanation by Petitioner, Patent Owner’s strong settled expectations tip the balance in favor of discretionary denial. Although certain arguments are highlighted above, the determination to exercise discretion to deny institution is based on a holistic assessment of all of the evidence and arguments presented. Accordingly, the Petitions are denied under 35 U.S.C. § 314(a).” slip op. at 3
Discretionary denialPatents in suitUS 7,359,437 - Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. v. Telcom Ventures LLCInstitution deniedPTAB · Oct 10, 2025 · IPR2025-00973 · APJ Kalyan K Deshpande · IPR · Director review
The Director granted Patent Owner’s discretionary-denial request and denied the petitions under § 314(a), instituting no trial because the district court case was likely to reach trial first.
RulingsDirector review decision- PTAB / AIA Trials › Discretionary denial › Fintiv (parallel litigation)Institution denied fintivDenied
“In particular, the projected final written decision due date in the Board proceeding is December 10, 2026.3 DD Req. 13. The district court’s scheduled trial date is June 1, 2026, and the time-to-trial statistics suggest trial will begin by October 2026. Id.; DD. Opp. 17. As such, it is unlikely that a final written decision in this proceeding will issue before district court trial occurs resulting in significant duplication of effort, additional expense for the parties, and a risk of inconsistent decisions. Additionally, there is insufficient evidence that the district court is likely to stay its proceeding even if the Board were to institute trial. Further, Petitioner’s argument that the patent examiner committed “multiple errors” during prosecution are not persuasive. See DD Opp. 7–12.” slip op. at 2
- Director reviewOther
“After considering the parties’ arguments and the record, and in view of all relevant considerations, discretionary denial of institution is appropriate in these proceedings. This determination is based on the totality of the evidence and arguments the parties have presented.” slip op. at 2
Discretionary denialPatents in suitUS 9,462,411 - Hisense USA Corporation / Hisense Electronica Mexico S.A. De C.V. v. Videolabs, Inc.Institution deniedPTAB · Oct 10, 2025 · IPR2025-00882 · APJ Coke Morgan Stewart · IPR · Director review
The Director granted Patent Owner’s discretionary-denial request and denied the petitions under § 314(a), declining to institute IPR based on a holistic assessment that included settled expectations.
RulingsDirector review decision- Settled expectationsInstitution denied settled expectationsGranted
“Other considerations, however, favor discretionary denial. In particular, the challenged patents have been in force for twelve and eleven years, creating settled expectations for Patent Owner. DD Req. 1, 7–8. Patent Owner also provides evidence that the challenged patents have been licensed to over twenty companies. Id. at 4; Ex. 2002. In addition, Patent Owner provides evidence that it has been in contact with Petitioner since December 2022, when Patent Owner sent Petitioner a notice letter regarding Patent Owner’s patent portfolio. DD Req. 4–5, 9; Ex. 2004. Patent Owner 1 Citations are to papers in IPR2025-00880. The parties filed similar papers in IPR2025-00881, IPR2025-00882, and IPR2025-00883. specifically notified Petitioner about the challenged patents in June 2023, when Patent Owner provided Petitioner with a claim chart during licensing negotiations. DD Req. 9. Petitioner’s arguments regarding Patent Owner’s settled expectations are not persuasive, and Petitioner does not otherwise provide persuasive reasoning why an inter partes review is an appropriate use of Board resources. Dabico Airport Sols. Inc. v. AXA Power ApS, IPR2025-00408, Paper 21 at 2–3 (Director June 18, 2025).” slip op. at 2
- Other 314aInstitution denied discretionary otherInstitution denied
“Although certain arguments are highlighted above, the determination to exercise discretion to deny institution is based on a holistic assessment of all of the evidence and arguments presented. Accordingly, the Petitions are denied under 35 U.S.C. § 314(a). In consideration of the foregoing, it is: ORDERED that Patent Owner’s request for discretionary denial is granted; and FURTHER ORDERED that the Petitions are denied, and no trial is instituted.” slip op. at 3
Discretionary denialPatents in suitUS 8,291,236 - Hisense USA Corporation / Hisense Electronica Mexico S.A. De C.V. v. Videolabs, Inc.Institution deniedPTAB · Oct 10, 2025 · IPR2025-00881 · APJ Coke Morgan Stewart · IPR · Director review
The Director granted Patent Owner’s discretionary-denial request and denied the petitions under § 314(a), declining to institute IPR.
RulingsDirector review decision- Settled expectationsDecided for patent owner
“Other considerations, however, favor discretionary denial. In particular, the challenged patents have been in force for twelve and eleven years, creating settled expectations for Patent Owner. DD Req. 1, 7–8. Patent Owner also provides evidence that the challenged patents have been licensed to over twenty companies. Id. at 4; Ex. 2002. In addition, Patent Owner provides evidence that it has been in contact with Petitioner since December 2022, when Patent Owner sent Petitioner a notice letter regarding Patent Owner’s patent portfolio. DD Req. 4–5, 9; Ex. 2004. Patent Owner 1 Citations are to papers in IPR2025-00880. The parties filed similar papers in IPR2025-00881, IPR2025-00882, and IPR2025-00883. specifically notified Petitioner about the challenged patents in June 2023, when Patent Owner provided Petitioner with a claim chart during licensing negotiations. DD Req. 9. Petitioner’s arguments regarding Patent Owner’s settled expectations are not persuasive, and Petitioner does not otherwise provide persuasive reasoning why an inter partes review is an appropriate use of Board resources. Dabico Airport Sols. Inc. v. AXA Power ApS, IPR2025-00408, Paper 21 at 2–3 (Director June 18, 2025).” slip op. at 2
- Other 314aInstitution denied discretionary otherInstitution denied
“Although certain arguments are highlighted above, the determination to exercise discretion to deny institution is based on a holistic assessment of all of the evidence and arguments presented. Accordingly, the Petitions are denied under 35 U.S.C. § 314(a). In consideration of the foregoing, it is: ORDERED that Patent Owner’s request for discretionary denial is granted; and FURTHER ORDERED that the Petitions are denied, and no trial is instituted.” slip op. at 3
Discretionary denialPatents in suitUS 8,291,236 - Google LLC v. Advanced Coding Technologies LLCInstitution deniedPTAB · Oct 10, 2025 · IPR2025-01000 · APJ Kalyan K Deshpande · IPR · Director review
The Director denied institution under § 314(a), citing likely district court trial before the projected final written decision, settled expectations, and the holistic record.
RulingsDirector review decision- PTAB / AIA Trials › Discretionary denial › Fintiv (parallel litigation)Institution denied fintivDenied
“In particular, the projected final written decision due date in the Board proceeding is December 11, 2026. DD Req. 6 n.1. The district court’s scheduled trial date is March 2, 2026, and the time-to-trial statistics suggest trial will begin between July 2026 and October 2026. Id. at 6–7; DD Opp. 45–48. As such, it is unlikely that a final written decision in this proceeding will issue before district court trial occurs, resulting in significant duplication of effort, additional expense for the parties, and a risk of inconsistent decisions.” slip op. at 2
- Settled expectationsInstitution denied settled expectationsDenied
“In addition, the challenged patents have been in force for thirteen, seven, and six years, creating settled expectations for Patent Owner, and Petitioner does not provide persuasive reasoning why an inter partes review is an appropriate use of Board resources. Dabico Airport Sols. Inc. v. AXA Power ApS, IPR2025-00408, Paper 21 at 2–3 (Director June 18, 2025). Additionally, Petitioner’s arguments that the Office made a material error during prosecution are not persuasive. See DD Opp. 29–38.” slip op. at 2
- PTAB / AIA Trials › Discretionary denial › §325(d) same art / argumentsDecided for patent owner
“seven, and six years, creating settled expectations for Patent Owner, and Petitioner does not provide persuasive reasoning why an inter partes review is an appropriate use of Board resources. Dabico Airport Sols. Inc. v. AXA Power ApS, IPR2025-00408, Paper 21 at 2–3 (Director June 18, 2025). Additionally, Petitioner’s arguments that the Office made a material error during prosecution are not persuasive. See DD Opp. 29–38.” slip op. at 2
- Other 314aInstitution denied discretionary otherDenied
“Although certain arguments are highlighted above, the determination to exercise discretion to deny institution is based on a holistic assessment of all of the evidence and arguments presented. Accordingly, the Petitions are denied under 35 U.S.C. § 314(a).” slip op. at 3
Discretionary denialPatents in suitUS 10,218,995 - Oneplus Technology (Shenzhen) Co., Ltd. v. Pantech CorporationInstitution deniedPTAB · Oct 3, 2025 · IPR2025-00888 · APJ Coke Morgan Stewart · IPR · Director review
The Director granted Patent Owner’s discretionary-denial requests and denied institution in IPR2025-00888 based on settled expectations and the totality of the evidence and arguments.
RulingsDirector review decision- Settled expectationsInstitution denied settled expectationsGranted
“The patents challenged in IPR2025-00720, IPR2025-00887, and IPR2025-00888 present different circumstances and are unrelated to the patent challenged in IPR2025-00756. In particular, the challenged patents have been in force for eight, ten, and nine years, respectively, creating strong settled expectations for Patent Owner, and Petitioner does not provide 1 Citations are to papers in IPR2025-00720. The parties filed similar papers in IPR2025-00756, IPR2025-00887, and IPR2025-00888. persuasive reasoning why an inter partes review is an appropriate use of Board resources. Dabico Airport Sols. Inc. v. AXA Power ApS, IPR2025- 00408, Paper 21 at 2–3 (Director June 18, 2025). In the absence of any such information, the Office is disinclined to disturb the strong settled expectations of Patent Owner.” slip op. at 2
- Other 314aInstitution denied discretionary otherInstitution denied
“Although certain arguments are highlighted above, the determinations in this Decision are based on a holistic assessment of all of the evidence and arguments presented. Accordingly, the Petitions in IPR2025-00720, IPR2025-00887, and IPR2025-00888 are denied under 35 U.S.C. § 314(a), and the Petition in IPR2025-00756 is referred to the Board to handle the case in the normal course, including by issuing a decision on institution addressing the merits and other non-discretionary considerations, as appropriate.” slip op. at 3
Discretionary denialPatents in suitUS 9,369,251 - Oneplus Technology (Shenzhen) Co., Ltd. v. Pantech CorporationInstitution deniedPTAB · Oct 3, 2025 · IPR2025-00720 · IPR · Director review
The Director granted Patent Owner’s discretionary denial request and denied institution of IPR2025-00720 based on the totality of the evidence, including settled expectations.
RulingsDirector review decision- Settled expectationsInstitution denied settled expectationsGranted
“The patents challenged in IPR2025-00720, IPR2025-00887, and IPR2025-00888 present different circumstances and are unrelated to the patent challenged in IPR2025-00756. In particular, the challenged patents have been in force for eight, ten, and nine years, respectively, creating strong settled expectations for Patent Owner, and Petitioner does not provide 1 Citations are to papers in IPR2025-00720. The parties filed similar papers in IPR2025-00756, IPR2025-00887, and IPR2025-00888. persuasive reasoning why an inter partes review is an appropriate use of Board resources. Dabico Airport Sols. Inc. v. AXA Power ApS, IPR2025- 00408, Paper 21 at 2–3 (Director June 18, 2025). In the absence of any such information, the Office is disinclined to disturb the strong settled expectations of Patent Owner.” slip op. at 2
Discretionary denialPatents in suitUS 9,769,776 - L’Oreal USA, Inc. v. Brightex Bio-Photonics, LLCInstitution deniedPTAB · Sep 26, 2025 · IPR2025-00971 · APJ Coke Morgan Stewart · IPR · Director review
The Director granted Patent Owner’s discretionary-denial request and denied institution under § 314(a), citing settled expectations and the parties’ long technology partnership.
RulingsDirector review decision- Settled expectationsGranted
“Other considerations, however, favor discretionary denial. In particular, the challenged patent has been in force for eight years, creating settled expectations for Patent Owner. DD Req. 19. Additionally, it is uncontested that the parties were technology partners for many years and developed products together. Id. at 1–3, 20. Patent Owner provides evidence demonstrating that it informed Petitioner of the filing of the provisional application that led to the challenged patent in 2013, the publication of the non-provisional application in 2014, and the issuance of the challenged patent in 2017. Id. at 1–2, 5; Ex. 2015 ¶¶ 6–7. Patent Owner also sent a letter to Petitioner in 2022 identifying the challenged patent as relevant to Petitioner’s products. Ex. 1022. Accordingly, Petitioner appears to have had notice of the challenged patent for a significant period of time. Under these circumstances, the considerations that favor discretionary denial outweigh those that counsel against it.” slip op. at 2
- Other 314aInstitution denied discretionary otherInstitution denied
“Although certain arguments are highlighted above, the determination to exercise discretion to deny institution is based on a holistic assessment of all of the evidence and arguments presented. Accordingly, the Petition is denied under 35 U.S.C. § 314(a).” slip op. at 3
Discretionary denialPatents in suitUS 9,542,595 - Belden Inc. / PPC Broadband, Inc. v. Commscope, Inc. Of North CarolinaInstitution deniedPTAB · Sep 12, 2025 · IPR2025-00833 · APJ Coke Morgan Stewart · IPR · Director review
The Director denied institution under § 314(a), finding discretionary denial appropriate based on a holistic assessment that included settled expectations and the prosecution search.
RulingsDirector review decision- Settled expectationsDecided for patent owner
“Other considerations favor discretionary denial. In particular, the challenged patent has been in force for nine years creating strong settled expectations for Patent Owner. DD Req. 2. Patent Owner provides evidence that the invention was commercialized at least seven years ago and is still on the market. Id. at 3; Ex. 2001; Ex. 2006. Patent Owner also provides evidence of patent marking of the commercialized product. DD Req. 3–4; Ex. 2001, 2. Finally, Patent Owner provides evidence that Petitioner has been aware of the challenged patent since at least 2022, showing where Petitioner cited the challenged patent in an unrelated inter partes review and an information disclosure statement. DD Req. 4.” slip op. at 2
- Other 314aInstitution denied discretionary otherInstitution denied
“Petitioner argues that the Examiner erred during prosecution by performing an incomplete search after being reversed on appeal. DD Opp. 22–23. In particular, Petitioner argues that the search was based on the Examiner’s prior claim construction and not the Board’s claim construction decided on appeal. Id. Thus, according to Petitioner, the Examiner should have performed “a targeted prior art search for bags made of a ‘flexible material’ consistent with the Board’s interpretation.” Id. (citing Ex. 1003, 19–20). This argument is unconvincing as the evidence of record indicates that the Examiner did perform a search for flexible bags and Petitioner does not sufficiently address why this search was inadequate. Ex. 1003, 20. Although certain arguments are highlighted above, the determination to exercise discretion to deny institution is based on a holistic assessment of all of the evidence and arguments presented. Accordingly, the Petition is denied under 35 U.S.C. § 314(a).” slip op. at 3
Discretionary denialPatents in suitUS 9,266,697
Holdings, summaries, rulings, issues, outcomes, winners and claim constructions shown for a decision were generated by a large language model reading the opinion. They are a guide to the decision, not the decision. Confirm every one against the court's own text before relying on it. Outcomes read from the patent owner’s side. Party names are extracted from the decision and are missing on about 900 short Director denials and scans, which carry the trial number instead.