`Tel: 571.272.7822
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`Paper 16
`Entered: January 17, 2018
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`UNITED STATES PATENT AND TRADEMARK OFFICE
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`BEFORE THE PATENT TRIAL AND APPEAL BOARD
`
`
`ZTE (USA) INC.,
`Petitioner,
`v.
`PAPST LICENSING GMBH & CO. KG,
`Patent Owner.
`____________
`
`Case IPR2017-00713
`Patent 6,895,449 B2
`____________
`
`
`Before JONI Y. CHANG, JENNIFER S. BISK, and JAMES B. ARPIN,
`Administrative Patent Judges.
`
`
`BISK, Administrative Patent Judge.
`
`
`JUDGMENT
`Termination of Proceeding
`37 C.F.R. § 42.73
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`
`
`IPR2017-00713
`Patent 6,895,449 B2
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`Petitioner, ZTE (USA) Inc. (“ZTE”), and Patent Owner, Papst
`Licensing GmbH & Co. KG (“Papst”), jointly move to terminate this inter
`partes review in light of their settlement that resolves their dispute regarding
`U.S. Patent No. 6,895,449 B2 (“the ’449 patent”). Paper 14 (“Mot.”). The
`parties also filed a true copy of their written settlement agreement in
`connection with the termination as required by 35 U.S.C. § 317(b) and 37
`C.F.R. § 42.74(b). Ex. 2007. Pursuant to 37 C.F.R. § 42.74(c), the parties
`additionally filed a joint request to treat the Settlement Agreement as
`business confidential information kept separate from the file of the involved
`patent. Paper 15.
`For the reasons set forth below, the Joint Motion to Terminate with
`respect to ZTE and the Joint Request to File Settlement Agreement as
`Business Confidential Information are granted.
`Under the Leahy-Smith America Invents Act, settlement between the
`parties to a proceeding is encouraged. Notably, 35 U.S.C. § 317(a), in part,
`provides the following (emphasis added):
`(a) IN GENERAL.—An inter partes review instituted under this
`chapter shall be terminated with respect to any petitioner upon
`the joint request of the petitioner and the patent owner, unless
`the Office has decided the merits of the proceeding before the
`request for termination is filed. If the inter partes review is
`terminated with respect to a petitioner under this section, no
`estoppel under section 315(e) shall attach to the petitioner, or to
`the real party in interest or privy of the petitioner, on the basis of
`that petitioner’s institution of that inter partes review.
`Here, the parties indicate that their Settlement Agreement resolves the
`controversy between the parties relating to the involved patent. Mot. 3.
`Although this inter partes review has been instituted, the proceeding is still
`in the briefing stage. We have not yet held an oral hearing and have not
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`IPR2017-00713
`Patent 6,895,449 B2
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`entered a final written decision in this proceeding.
`Upon review of the procedural posture of this proceeding and the facts
`before us, we determine that it is appropriate to terminate this proceeding.
`In consideration of the foregoing, it is hereby:
`ORDERED that the Joint Motion to Terminate is granted;
`FURTHER ORDERED that this review is terminated as to all parties
`including ZTE and Papst; and
`FURTHER ORDERED that the Joint Request to File Settlement
`Agreement as Business Confidential Information and to keep such
`settlement agreement separate from the patent file, and to make it available
`only to Federal Government agencies on written request, or to any person on
`a showing of good cause, pursuant to 35 U.S.C. § 317(b) and 37 C.F.R.
`§ 42.74(c), is granted.
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`
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`For PETITIONER:
`Scott Miller
`Darren Franklin
`SHEPPARD, MULLIN, RICHTER & HAMPTON LLP
`smiller@sheppardmullin.com
`dfranklin@sheppardmullin.com
`
`
`For PATENT OWNER:
`Nicholas T. Peters
`Paul Henkelmann
`FITCH, EVEN, TABIN & FLANNERY LLP
`ntpete@fitcheven.com
`phenkelmann@fitcheven.com
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