- Amazon.Com, Inc. / Amazon.Com Services LLC et al. v. Soundclear Technologies LLCAll claims unpatentablePTAB · Sep 3, 2026 · IPR2025-00673 · APJ Michael R Zecher · IPR · Final written decision
Claims 1–7 are unpatentable as obvious over the combined teachings of the asserted references, including Shin and Aoyama and Shimomura and Iwase.
RulingsFinal written decision- PTAB / AIA Trials › Motions to amend / substitute claimsOther
“1 SoundClear also filed a Contingent Motion to Amend that proposed to replace originally challenged claim 5 of the ’675 patent with proposed substitute claim 8. Paper 21. We, however, granted SoundClear’s request to withdraw its Contingent Motion to Amend and, as a result, the Contingent Motion to Amend will no longer be considered in this proceeding. Paper 30.” slip op. at 2
- Skill levelOther
“2. Level of Skill in the Art In determining whether an invention would have been obvious, we” slip op. at 21
- Obviousness (§103) › Motivation to combine / reasonable expectation of successMotivation foundMotivation not foundMixed
“combination because (1) configuring Shin’s processor 120 accordingly “would have been trivial, involving straightforward changes to enhance the processor’s approach to simplifying and abbreviating its output”; and (2) this approach was well-known as evidenced by Ha’s disclosure of replacing “team meeting” and “date” with “schedules” based on the user’s environment.6 Id. at 27–28 (first quoting Ex. 1011 ¶ 97, then quoting Ex. 1011 ¶ 98) (citing Ex. 1002 ¶ 102; Ex. 1011, Fig. 7).” slip op. at 33
- Expert testimonyPetitioner expert creditedDecided for petitioner
“4. Dr. Stern’s Testimony is Reliable In its Patent Owner Response, SoundClear contends that “Dr. Stern’s” slip op. at 125
Patent outcomesUS 11,244,675 unpatentable§ 103 obviousnesscites KSR · GrahamPatents in suitUS 11,244,675 - Pgr2026-00033OtherPTAB · Sep 2, 2026 · PGR2026-00033 · PGR · Order
Institution of PGR2026-00033 was granted after the petitioner showed a reasonable likelihood of prevailing on at least one challenged claim, with no other non-discretionary basis for denial.
RulingsOther- PTAB / AIA Trials › Institution threshold (reasonable likelihood / more likely than not)InstitutedInstituted
“Pursuant 35 U.S.C. §§ 314(a) and 324(a), after review of the merits, the petitioner has shown a reasonable likelihood of prevailing with respect to at least one of the claims challenged in the petition, or that it is more likely than not that at least one of the claims challenged in the petition is unpatentable, as appropriate, and no other non-discretionary considerations warrant denial of institution. Accordingly, institution of inter partes review and post-grant review is granted in the following proceedings: IPR2026-00271 IPR2026-00274 PGR2026-00032 IPR2026-00272 IPR2026-00275 PGR2026-00033 IPR2026-00273 IPR2026-00326” slip op. at 2
NonePatents in suitUS 12,417,756 - Pgr2026-00032OtherPTAB · Sep 2, 2026 · PGR2026-00032 · APJ John A Squires · PGR · Order
The Director granted institution of PGR2026-00032 after finding the petition showed the required likelihood of prevailing on at least one challenged claim.
RulingsOther- PTAB / AIA Trials › Institution threshold (reasonable likelihood / more likely than not)InstitutedInstituted
“Pursuant 35 U.S.C. §§ 314(a) and 324(a), after review of the merits, the petitioner has shown a reasonable likelihood of prevailing with respect to at least one of the claims challenged in the petition, or that it is more likely than not that at least one of the claims challenged in the petition is unpatentable, as appropriate, and no other non-discretionary considerations warrant denial of institution. Accordingly, institution of inter partes review and post-grant review is granted in the following proceedings: IPR2026-00271 IPR2026-00274 PGR2026-00032 IPR2026-00272 IPR2026-00275 PGR2026-00033 IPR2026-00273 IPR2026-00326” slip op. at 2
NonePatents in suitUS 12,412,561 - Ipr2026-00326InstitutedPTAB · Sep 2, 2026 · IPR2026-00326 · APJ John A Squires · IPR · Institution
The Director granted institution of IPR2026-00326 after finding the petition showed a reasonable likelihood of prevailing on at least one challenged claim.
RulingsInstitution decision- PTAB / AIA Trials › Institution threshold (reasonable likelihood / more likely than not)InstitutedInstituted
“Pursuant 35 U.S.C. §§ 314(a) and 324(a), after review of the merits, the petitioner has shown a reasonable likelihood of prevailing with respect to at least one of the claims challenged in the petition, or that it is more likely than not that at least one of the claims challenged in the petition is unpatentable, as appropriate, and no other non-discretionary considerations warrant denial of institution. Accordingly, institution of inter partes review and post-grant review is granted in the following proceedings:” slip op. at 2
NonePatents in suitUS 12,301,628 - Ipr2026-00275InstitutedPTAB · Sep 2, 2026 · IPR2026-00275 · APJ John A Squires · IPR · Institution
The Director granted institution of IPR2026-00275.
RulingsInstitution decision- PTAB / AIA Trials › Institution threshold (reasonable likelihood / more likely than not)InstitutedInstituted
“the petitioner has shown a reasonable likelihood of prevailing with respect to at least one of the claims challenged in the petition, or that it is more likely than not that at least one of the claims challenged in the petition is unpatentable, as appropriate, and no other non-discretionary considerations warrant denial of institution. Accordingly, institution of inter partes review and post-grant review is granted in the following proceedings:” slip op. at 2
NonePatents in suitUS 11,715,457 - Ipr2026-00274InstitutedPTAB · Sep 2, 2026 · IPR2026-00274 · APJ John A Squires · IPR · Institution
The Director granted institution of IPR2026-00274 after finding the petition showed a reasonable likelihood of prevailing on at least one challenged claim.
RulingsInstitution decision- PTAB / AIA Trials › Institution threshold (reasonable likelihood / more likely than not)InstitutedInstituted
“the petitioner has shown a reasonable likelihood of prevailing with respect to at least one of the claims challenged in the petition, or that it is more likely than not that at least one of the claims challenged in the petition is unpatentable, as appropriate, and no other non-discretionary considerations warrant denial of institution. Accordingly, institution of inter partes review and post-grant review is granted in the following proceedings:” slip op. at 2
None - Ipr2026-00273OtherPTAB · Sep 2, 2026 · IPR2026-00273 · APJ John A Squires · IPR · Order
Institution of IPR2026-00273 is granted after the petitioner showed a reasonable likelihood of prevailing on at least one challenged claim, with no other nondiscretionary reason to deny institution.
RulingsOther- PTAB / AIA Trials › Institution threshold (reasonable likelihood / more likely than not)InstitutedInstituted
“Pursuant 35 U.S.C. §§ 314(a) and 324(a), after review of the merits, the petitioner has shown a reasonable likelihood of prevailing with respect to at least one of the claims challenged in the petition, or that it is more likely than not that at least one of the claims challenged in the petition is unpatentable, as appropriate, and no other non-discretionary considerations warrant denial of institution. Accordingly, institution of inter partes review and post-grant review is granted in the following proceedings:” slip op. at 2
NonePatents in suitUS 12,125,496 - Ipr2026-00272InstitutedPTAB · Sep 2, 2026 · IPR2026-00272 · APJ John A Squires · IPR · Institution
Institution of IPR2026-00272 is granted because the petitioner showed a reasonable likelihood of prevailing on at least one challenged claim.
RulingsInstitution decision- PTAB / AIA Trials › Institution threshold (reasonable likelihood / more likely than not)InstitutedInstituted
“Pursuant 35 U.S.C. §§ 314(a) and 324(a), after review of the merits, the petitioner has shown a reasonable likelihood of prevailing with respect to at least one of the claims challenged in the petition, or that it is more likely than not that at least one of the claims challenged in the petition is unpatentable, as appropriate, and no other non-discretionary considerations warrant denial of institution. Accordingly, institution of inter partes review and post-grant review is granted in the following proceedings:” slip op. at 2
NonePatents in suitUS 11,948,550 - Ipr2026-00271InstitutedPTAB · Sep 2, 2026 · IPR2026-00271 · APJ John A Squires · IPR · Institution
Institution of IPR2026-00271 was granted because the petitioner showed a reasonable likelihood of prevailing on at least one challenged claim.
RulingsInstitution decision- PTAB / AIA Trials › Institution threshold (reasonable likelihood / more likely than not)InstitutedInstituted
“Pursuant 35 U.S.C. §§ 314(a) and 324(a), after review of the merits, the petitioner has shown a reasonable likelihood of prevailing with respect to at least one of the claims challenged in the petition, or that it is more likely than not that at least one of the claims challenged in the petition is unpatentable, as appropriate, and no other non-discretionary considerations warrant denial of institution. Accordingly, institution of inter partes review and post-grant review is granted in the following proceedings: IPR2026-00271 IPR2026-00274 PGR2026-00032 IPR2026-00272 IPR2026-00275 PGR2026-00033 IPR2026-00273 IPR2026-00326” slip op. at 2
NonePatents in suitUS 9,491,564 - Merck Sharp & Dohme LLC v. Halozyme, Inc.All claims unpatentablePTAB · Sep 1, 2026 · PGR2025-00017 · APJ Jeffrey N Fredman · PGR · Final written decision
Claims 1, 2, 6–15, and 17–30 are unpatentable because the challenged claims lack written-description support and are not enabled.
RulingsFinal written decision- Skill levelSkill level petitioner adoptedDecided for petitioner
“II. ANALYSIS A. Level of Ordinary Skill in the Art We consider the grounds of unpatentability in view of the” slip op. at 9
- Expert testimonyPetitioner expert creditedPatent owner expert discountedDecided for petitioner
“been able to use the data in the Specification to make reasonable predictions about the effect of multiple modifications on hyaluronidase activity, we view this testimony to at most describe a research plan (i.e., a “tool to engage in further modification”14) for finding the recited polypeptides rather than demonstrating the inventors were in possession of the full scope claimed. This is particularly so given the limits of the then-available analytical tools noted above and the fact that the structural connections and three dimensional modeling Patent Owner’s experts attempt to make (see, e.g., Ex. 2070 ¶¶ 129–213; Ex. 2068 ¶¶ 123–125) do not appear in the written description itself. To the extent the experts disagree on this point, we credit the testimony of Petitioner’s experts over that of Patent Owner’s. See Ex. 1133 ¶¶ 111–230 (identifying problems with the approaches proposed by Patent Owner’s experts). For these reasons, we find that a preponderance of the evidence of record better supports a finding that in the 2011–2012 timeframe, it would have been unpredictable to identify which multiple” slip op. at 53
- Disclosure Requirements (§112) › Written description (Ariad)Written description inadequateUnpatentable
“been able to use the data in the Specification to make reasonable predictions about the effect of multiple modifications on hyaluronidase activity, we view this testimony to at most describe a research plan (i.e., a “tool to engage in further modification”14) for finding the recited polypeptides rather than demonstrating the inventors were in possession of the full scope claimed. This is particularly so given the limits of the then-available analytical tools noted above and the fact that the structural connections and three dimensional modeling Patent Owner’s experts attempt to make (see, e.g., Ex. 2070 ¶¶ 129–213; Ex. 2068 ¶¶ 123–125) do not appear in the written description itself. To the extent the experts disagree on this point, we credit the testimony of Petitioner’s experts over that of Patent Owner’s. See Ex. 1133 ¶¶ 111–230 (identifying problems with the approaches proposed by Patent Owner’s experts). For these reasons, we find that a preponderance of the evidence of record better supports a finding that in the 2011–2012 timeframe, it would have been unpredictable to identify which multiple” slip op. at 53
- Disclosure Requirements (§112) › Enablement (Wands, Amgen full scope)Not enabledUnpatentable
“an enzyme has folded,” Dr. Naismith states, “there would need to be additional evidence to justify a conclusion that the folded enzyme is sufficiently stable to retain its folded state” and “a POSA would not believe an enzyme had ‘properly folded’ if it did not maintain activity over a meaningful period or if it formed aggregates within a short period.” Id. ¶ 59.” slip op. at 78
Patent outcomesUS 12,110,520 unpatentable§ 103 obviousness§ 112 disclosurecites Phillips · KSR · GrahamPatents in suitUS 12,110,520
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.