`__________________
`
`BEFORE THE PATENT TRIAL AND APPEAL BOARD
`__________________________________________________________________
`
`AFTON CHEMICAL CORPORATION
`
`Petitioner
`v.
`INFINEUM INTERNATIONAL LIMITED
`
`Patent Owner
`
`Case IPR2017-01321
`U.S. Patent No. 8,076,274
`__________________________________________________________________
`
`PATENT OWNER’S OPPOSITION TO
`PETITIONER’S MOTION TO EXCLUDE
`__________________________________________________________________
`
`
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`Patent Owner Infineum International Ltd. (“Infineum” or “Patent Owner”)
`
`respectfully submits the following opposition to the motion to exclude filed by
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`Petitioner Afton Chemical Corp. (“Afton” or “Petitioner”). (See Paper 36.) None
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`of the exhibits discussed in Afton’s motion to amend can be excluded.
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`Afton first discusses Exhibits 2014, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, and 2024.
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`These exhibits all relate to the composition of Irganox L 57, a component used by
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`certain of the Colclough reference’s examples. Afton—not Infineum—bears the
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`burden of showing that Colclough expressly or inherently discloses everything that
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`the ’274 patent’s claims require. According to Afton, these exhibits are irrelevant
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`because they are dated after the 2006 filing date of the ’274 patent. But, post-filing
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`documents can be used to establish the state of the art as of the date of a patent’s
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`filing. This is exactly why Patent Owner does here: it cites Exhibits 2014, 2017,
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`2018, 2019, 2020, and 2024 to show what one of ordinary skill in the art would
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`understand the composition of Irganox L 57 to be at the time the ’274 patent was
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`filed.
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`Afton next moves to exclude unspecified portions of Exhibit 2025, an expert
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`declaration submitted by Infineum’s expert Dr. Emert. According to Afton, this
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`exhibit is “unreliable” because it references the same Irganox L 57 documents that
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`Afton now wants to exclude, and makes a purported calculation error. But, the
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`Irganox L 57 documents are all admissible. Thus, there is no reason why Dr.
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`-1-
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`
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`Emert cannot cite to and rely on these exhibits. Further, with respect to Dr.
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`Emert’s calculations, Afton has not introduced any expert testimony explaining
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`why Dr. Emert’s erred. Instead, it relies solely on attorney argument. And, that
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`attorney argument misapprehends what Dr. Emert is saying. When reviewed in its
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`entirety, there is nothing unreliable about Dr. Emert’s testimony.
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`Afton also asks the Board to exclude Exhibits 2037, a declaration signed by
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`an Infineum patent counsel, and 2038, a cover email and attached draft of the
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`application that led to the ’274 patent. According to Afton, these exhibits are
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`inadmissible because they are redacted and incomplete. But, Infineum produced
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`the entirety of the declaration and draft application without redaction. And, while
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`limited attorney/client privileged information was removed from the body of the
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`cover email, this redacted information is irrelevant to this proceeding. Infineum
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`only relies on Exhibit 2038 to show that the invention of the ’274 patent was
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`conceived and reduced to practice prior to the filing of one of the patents identified
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`in Afton’s motion to amend opposition. The visible portions of Ex. 2038, including
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`the date, time, and recipient list on the cover, and the complete application that
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`spans the remainder of the exhibit, show that it was.
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`I.
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`Exhibits 2014, 2017, 2018, and 2024
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`Again, Afton first moves to exclude Exhibits 2014, 2017, 2018, and 2024.
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`(See Paper 36 at 3-4.) These exhibits are material safety data sheets (“MSDS”) for
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`Irganox L 57, an antioxidant employed by certain of the examples set forth in the
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`Colclough reference. According to Afton, all of these exhibits are “irrelevant”
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`because they are dated after the effective filing date of Infineum’s ’274 patent.
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`(See id.) Afton is wrong.
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`Afton’s petition argues that Colclough anticipates claims 1-11 of the ’274
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`patent. (See Paper 1, Petition at 26-34.) Afton, not Infineum, bears the burden to
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`show that Colclough either expressly or inherently discloses every limitation
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`required by the claims. In an effort to show that Colclough includes the
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`“antioxidant component … selected from one or more ash-free aminic and/or
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`sulfur-free phenolic compounds in an amount of at least 0.6 mass % up to 3.0 mass
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`%” required by the ’274 patent, Afton points to Colclough’s use of “an alkylated
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`diphenylamine antioxidant, commercially available as Irganox L-57 from Ciba-
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`Geigy.” (Id. at 27 (citing Ex. 1007, Colclough at 7:5).) Infineum cited Exhibits
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`2014, 2017, 2018, and 2024 to show that, as of the ’274 patent’s filing date, one of
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`ordinary skill in the art would have understood that Irganox L 57 is not necessarily
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`composed of 100% aminic antioxidant, but instead may include as little as 60%
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`antioxidant. (See, e.g., Paper 16, Response at 22-24.) Thus, these documents are
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`highly pertinent to—and serve to rebut—Afton’s allegations regarding Colclough.
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`Afton is correct that Exhibits 2014, 2017, 2018, and 2024 bear dates that are
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`later than the ’274 patent’s 2006 filing date. This alone, however, does not render
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`them irrelevant. Indeed, the Federal Circuit has repeatedly explained that “later”
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`published documents can be used “as evidence of the state of the art existing” as of
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`the filing date of a patent-at-issue. Plant Genetic Sys., N.V. v. DeKalb Genetics
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`Corp., 315 F.3d 1335, 1344 (Fed. Cir. 2003); see also Bd. Of Trust. Leland
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`Stanford Jr. Univ. V. Chinese Univ. of Hong Kong, 860 F.3d 1367, 1378 (Fed. Cir.
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`2017) (explaining that the patent office should consider “post-filing date
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`publications” that “contain art-related facts” relating to the meaning of a term used
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`in a patent specification); Amgen Inc. v. Sanofi, 872 F.3d 1367, 1375-76 (Fed. Cir.
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`2017) (explaining that while “post-priority-date evidence” cannot be introduced to
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`“illuminate the post-priority-date state of the art,” it can be used to show the state
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`of the art at and prior to the time of filing); Gould v. Quigg, 822 F.2d 1074, 1078
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`(Fed. Cir. 1987) (holding that a technical article, published after the filing date, can
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`be considered as “evidence of the level of ordinary skill in the art at the time of the
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`application and as evidence that the disclosed device would have been operative”);
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`Thomas & Betts Corp. v. Litton Sys. Inc., 720 F.2d 1572, 1581 (Fed. Cir. 1983)
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`(explaining that later documents “though not technically prior art,” may properly
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`be used “as indicators of the level of ordinary skill in the art to which the invention
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`pertained.”); In re Hogan, 559 F.2d 595, 605 (CCPA 1977) (noting that “later
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`publications” can be used “as evidence of the state of the art existing on the filing
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`date of an application”).
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`-4-
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`
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`Infineum does not cite to Exhibits 2014, 2017, 2018, and 2024 because they
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`are “prior art” to the ’274 patent. Instead, it references these exhibits solely to
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`show what one of ordinary skill in the art would have understood the reference to
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`“Irganox L 57” in Colclough to mean when the ’274 patent was filed. As
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`established by the Plant Genetics, Leland Stanford Jr., Amgen, Gould, Thomas &
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`Betts, and In re Hogan, post-filing date publications can be introduced and used for
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`this purpose.
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`Infineum also does not rely on Exhibits 2014, 2017, 2018, and 2024 in
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`isolation. These exhibits are discussed extensively by Infineum’s expert, Dr.
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`Emert. (See Ex. 2025, Emert Dec. at ¶¶ 40-57.) And, Dr. Emert expressly stated
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`that the exhibits, while dated after 2006, provide insight into the purity of Irganox
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`L 57 as it would have existed as of the ’274 patent’s filing date. (See id. at ¶¶ 40,
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`48, 55.) According to Dr. Emert, the purity of commercially available lubricant
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`components increases—and does not decrease—over time. (See id. at ¶¶ 54-57.)
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`Thus, Dr. Emert testified that the fact that version of Irganox L 57 with a 60-100%
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`purity existed in 2009—as shown by Exhibits 2014, 2017, 2017, and 2024—
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`establishes that the version of Irganox available before this date also had a purity
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`no better than 60-100%. (Id. at ¶¶ 55-57.) Further, Dr. Emert stated that it would
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`be unreasonable to assume—as Afton itself does—that only a 100% pure version
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`-5-
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`existed in 1988 and 2006, when the evidence plainly shows that 60-100% versions
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`were available three years later. (See id. at ¶ 55.)
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`Afton’s own witnesses also provided testimony further confirming that
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`Exhibits 2014, 2017, 2018, and 2024 are relevant to the state of the art as of the
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`’274 patent’s filing date. For instance, Mr. Styer, a former Afton employee, was
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`questioned regarding all these exhibits. (See Ex. 2026, Styer Depo. at 76:1-78:18.)
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`And, he testified that while the documents bear 2009 and later dates, the version of
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`Irganox L 57 available for purchase at earlier times—including both in 1988 and
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`2007— would “[p]robably not” be available with a higher purity that that set forth
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`in Exhibits 2014, 2017, 2018, and 2024. (Id. at 77:22-78:3.)
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`In sum, Exhibits 2014, 2017, 2018, and 2024 can be used to establish the
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`state of the art as of the ’274 patent’s filing date. And, the usefulness of these
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`exhibits for this purpose is confirmed by the testimony of both Patent Owner’s and
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`Petitioner’s declarants. Thus, the exhibits are plainly relevant to whether
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`Colclough necessarily discloses the “antioxidant component” required by claims 1-
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`11 and cannot properly be excluded.
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`II. Exhibits 2019 and 2020
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`Afton also moves to exclude Exhibits 2019 and 2020. (See Paper 36 at 3-4.)
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`These exhibits are MSDS for a product referred to as “Irganox 5057.” Irganox
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`5057, like Irganox L 57, is identified as “Benzenamine, N-phenyl-, reaction
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`-6-
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`
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`products with 2,4,4-trimethylpentene.” (Compare Exs. 2019, 2020 with Exs. 2014,
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`2017, 2018, and 2024.)
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`According to Afton, these exhibits are inadmissible both because they are
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`dated after 2006, and because they refer to “Irganox 5057” instead of “Irganox L
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`57.” (Paper 36 at 3-4.) But, as described above, it was entirely proper for
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`Infineum to rely on post-2006 documents to show the state of the art as of the ’274
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`patent’s filing date. And, while Exhibits 2019 and 2020 do reference “Irganox
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`5057,” they nonetheless relate to the same component formed using the same
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`materials and same reaction as Irganox L 57. Thus, as Dr. Emert explains, these
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`exhibits also have a bearing on what one of ordinary skill in the art would
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`understand the composition of Irganox L 57 to be at the time the ’274 patent was
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`filed. (See Ex. 2025, Emert Dec. at ¶ 57.) In view of this, neither exhibit can be
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`excluded.
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`III. Exhibit 2025
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`Afton next moves to exclude the Declaration of Dr. Emert (Ex. 2025) as
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`“unreliable.” (Paper 36 at 5-7.) But, Afton fails to specifically identify which
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`portions of Dr. Emert’s declaration purportedly run afoul of the Rules of Evidence
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`and should be excluded. Instead, it just generically references the entirety of
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`Exhibit 2025. This alone merits denial of its motion. Regardless, even if Afton
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`-7-
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`
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`had identified the specific portions of Dr. Emert’s testimony it found objectionable,
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`the entirety of Exhibit 2025 is reliable and admissible.
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`A.
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`Dr. Emert’s Testimony Regarding Irganox L-57
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`Afton first takes issue with Dr. Emert’s citation to Exhibits 2014, 2017,
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`2018, 2019, and 2020. (See Paper 36 at 6.) But, as explained above, these Irganox
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`L 57 and 5057 MSDS are relevant and admissible. Further, Dr. Emert explains in
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`detail why these exhibits—despite being dated after 2006—provide insight into the
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`state of the art as of the ’274 patent’s filing date. (See Ex. 2025, Emert Dec. at ¶¶
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`40-57.) Thus, there is nothing unreliable about Dr. Emert’s testimony. Instead,
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`this testimony is supported by the record and is highly relevant to whether
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`Colclough discloses use of an amount of “antioxidant composition” falling within
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`the range required by the ’274 patent’s claims.
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`B.
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`Dr. Emert’s Calculations Regarding Nicholson’s Dispersants
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`Afton also complains about Dr. Emert’s testimony regarding Nicholson’s
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`examples. (Paper 36 at 6-7.) But, Afton misunderstands both Dr. Emert’s
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`declaration and the testimony he provided at his deposition. There is nothing
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`unreliable about what Dr. Emert says.
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`Again, Afton does not clearly identify exactly which paragraphs of Dr.
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`Emert’s declaration it considers “unreliable.” Its motion does, however, cite to
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`paragraph 112. (Paper 36 at 6.) This paragraph relates to the nitrogen content of
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`-8-
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`
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`the dispersants used by the Nicholson reference’s example IV. (See Ex. 2025,
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`Emert Dec. at ¶ 112.) And, this paragraph is part of Dr. Emert’s overall testimony
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`and opinions explaining: (1) how Nicholson fails to identify the actual nitrogen
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`content of the dispersants used by example IV and (2) why Nicholson does not
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`provide adequate information that would allow one of ordinary skill in the art to
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`conclude that the dispersants should have a nitrogen content within the ranges
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`required by claims 6 and 7. (See id. at ¶¶ 88-116.)
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`As an initial matter, Afton has not introduced any expert testimony or other
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`evidence of its own challenging Dr. Emert’s opinions. Instead, it relies entirely on
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`attorney argument. This does not—and cannot—establish that Dr. Emert’s now
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`uncontroverted opinions regarding the nitrogen content of example IV are
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`“unreliable.”
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`In any event, Dr. Emert’s opinions regarding example IV are both accurate
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`and reliable. Afton does not dispute that Nicholson fails to provide the nitrogen
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`content of the dispersants used in this example. (See Ex. 2026, Styer Depo. at
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`81:20-82:6; see also Ex. 2027, Lam Depo. at 113:9-115:12.) And, Afton did not
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`even attempt to estimate the amount of nitrogen content of those dispersants.
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`Instead, it simply synthesized its own versions of the dispersants (using
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`unspecified materials and an unspecified method) and then measured (using some
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`unknown method) the nitrogen content of the dispersants it synthesized. (See, e.g.,
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`Ex. 1006, Styer Dec. at ¶¶ 55-56.)
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`In response to Afton’s analysis of example IV, Dr. Emert explained the
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`deficiencies with Nicholson’s disclosure, and then provided an estimate of the
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`maximum amount of nitrogen that one of ordinary skill in the art would consider to
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`be present in the example given the limited amount of information provided. As
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`Dr. Emert explains, example IV uses dispersant B-4, which is based on dispersant
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`B-1. (See Ex. 2025, Emert Dec. at ¶ 108.) The nitrogen in both of these
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`dispersants comes from the TEPA used during synthesis. (See id. at ¶ 110.) In
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`connection with example B-1, Nicholson provides the relative molar ratio of boric
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`acid to TEPA used when making the dispersant, and the boron and nitrogen
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`content of the final dispersant. (See id. at ¶ 112.) Then, in Example B-4,
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`Nicholson specifies that example B-1 was followed, except that the relative molar
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`ratio of boric acid to TEPA was reduced. (See id.) It also provides the boron
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`content—but not the nitrogen content—of the final dispersant. (See id.) Using this
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`information, Dr. Emert explained that given the change in the relative molar ratio
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`of boric acid to TEPA between examples B-1 and B-4, one would expect the
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`amount of boron in example B-4 to be lower than what is reported by Nicholson.
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`(See id.) Thus, Dr. Emert explained that to actually achieve example B-4’s
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`reported boron content while using that example’s specified boric acid to TEPA
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`molar ratio, it would be necessary to change the total molar amount of TEPA used.
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`(See id.) This would in turn reduce the amount of nitrogen in the example to an
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`amount no greater than that reported by Dr. Emert. (See id.)
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`Dr. Emert’s deposition testimony is entirely consistent with this analysis.
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`During his deposition, Dr. Emert explained that because Nicholson provides only
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`boric acid to TEPA molar ratios—and not the absolute molar amounts of boric
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`acid and TEPA—the change in this ratio between examples B-1 and B-4 would
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`result in a reduction in Example B-4’s nitrogen content. (See, e.g., Ex. 1046,
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`Emert Depo. at 48:3-21, 49:21-50:8.) This is the case because the reported molar
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`ratios—because they are ratios—depend on both the molar amount of boric acid
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`and the molar amount of TEPA present. Dr. Emert did not state, however, as
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`Afton appears to argue in its motion to exclude, that merely adding more or less
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`boric acid without changing the absolute amount of TEPA impacts nitrogen
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`content. (See id.)
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`Afton also attempts to interject additional confusion into Dr. Emert’s
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`testimony by referencing other examples in Nicholson, including Example B-2.
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`(See Paper 36 at 7.) But, Afton does not rely on Example B-2 to establish that
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`Nicholson satisfies the nitrogen content limitations of claims 6 and 7 of the ’274
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`patent. Further, the dispersant of Example B-2 is different from that of both
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`Examples B-1 and B-4. In particular, in this example, Nicholson specifically
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`-11-
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`
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`explains that the dispersant was “diluted to 1.70 % nitrogen.” (Ex. 1009,
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`Nicholson at 7:6-10.) No such dilution step to achieve a particular nitrogen
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`content was performed in either example B-1 or B-4. (See id. at 6:52-7:4, 7:17-
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`20.) Thus, there was no reason for Dr. Emert to consider example B-2 in his
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`analysis.
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`In view of the above, Dr. Emert’s testimony regarding the nitrogen content
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`of Nicholson’s example IV is uncontroverted, highly relevant, and reliable. It—
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`like the rest of the evidence discussed in Afton’s motion—cannot be excluded.
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`IV. Exhibits 2037 and 2038
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`Finally, Afton moves to exclude Exhibits 2037 and Exhibit 2038. Exhibit
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`2037 is a declaration signed by Jacob Levine, Infineum’s Chief U.S. Patent
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`Attorney. (See Ex. 2037.) Exhibit 2038 is a June 2006 email directed to Mr.
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`Levine and others at Infineum to which a draft of the application that eventually
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`led to the ’274 patent was attached. (See Ex. 2038.) Infineum relies on both these
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`exhibits to show that the ’274 patent was conceived and reduced to practice prior
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`to the filing of the Diggs patent identified in Afton’s motion to amend opposition.
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`(See Paper 29, Motion to Amend Reply at 4-5.)
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`Afton only objects to Exhibits 2037 and 2038 as “incomplete” because they
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`are “redacted.” (See Paper 36 at 8-9.) Afton does not argue that either exhibit is
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`irrelevant, inauthentic, or otherwise inadmissible.
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`-12-
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`None of Exhibit 2037 has been redacted. Thus, that exhibit is complete and
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`cannot be excluded on the basis set forth in Afton’s motion. Further, Exhibit 2038
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`is a two-part document. Pages 2-15 of Exhibit 2038 is a draft of the patent
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`application that eventually led to the ’274 patent when filed. This draft patent
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`application was submitted by Patent Owner in complete and un-redacted form.
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`(See Ex. 2038 at 2-15.) Thus, it also cannot be excluded as incomplete. Page 1 is
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`Exhibit 2038 is a cover email to which the draft patent application was attached.
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`(See id. at 1.) Patent Owner relies only on this cover email to (1) date the draft
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`patent application and (2) show that it was disclosed to others at Infineum besides
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`the inventors. (See Paper 29, Motion to Amend Reply at 4-5.) Petitioner does not
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`contest that the cover email establishes these two points. Further, the cover email’s
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`the date and time stamp and the recipient list is not redacted and is plainly visible.
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`(See Ex. 2038 at 1.) The only redacted portion of the exhibit is the body of the
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`email. (See id.) But, Patent Owner is not relying on the body of the email and
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`makes no reference to it in any of its papers.
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`The only case that Afton cites in support of its motion to exclude Exhibits
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`2037 and 2038 is Seagate Tech. (US) Holdings, Inc. v. Enova Tech. Corp.,
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`IPR2014-00683 (PTAB, Sept. 2, 2015). This case, however, is inapposite. There,
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`the patent owner attempted to rely on a series of settlement and licensing
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`agreements in an effort to show that objective indicia existed that weighed in favor
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`of non-obviousness. Id. at 55. But, the agreements were “almost entirely
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`redacted” such that “Patent Owner’s assertions regarding these agreements” could
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`not be “verified.” Id. Here, the only portion of Exhibit 2038 that was redacted was
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`the brief body of the cover email found on page 1. But, as explained above, the
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`body of this email—which was not drafted by the inventors identified on the face
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`of the ’274 patent—is not cited and is simply not relevant to any of the issues in
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`this proceeding. Instead, the only relevant issue is whether the ’274 patent
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`inventors conceived and reduced the patent’s subject matter to practice before
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`Diggs was filed. Exhibit 2038—which is dated before Diggs and includes a
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`complete copy of a draft of the ’274 patent’s application—plainly establishes that
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`they did. Thus, neither Exhibit 2037 nor Exhibit 2038 can be excluded as
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`“incomplete.”
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`Date: July 20, 2018
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`Respectfully submitted,
`
`/ Elizabeth Gardner /
`Elizabeth Gardner (Reg. No. 36,519)
`Orrick, Herrington, & Sutcliffe LLP
`51 West 52nd Street
`New York, NY 10019
`Tel: 212-506-5000
`Fax. 212-506-5151
`Email: egardner@orrick.com
`
`Counsel for Patent Owner
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`-14-
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`
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`CERTIFICATE OF SERVICE
`The undersigned hereby confirms that the foregoing PATENT OWNER’S
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`OPPOSITION TO PETITIONER’S MOTION TO EXCLUDE was caused to be
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`served on July 20, 2018 via e-mail upon the following counsel of record for
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`Petitioner:
`
`Matias Ferrario
`Kilpatrick Townsend & Stockton LLP
`1001 West Fourth Street
`Winston-Salem, NC 27101-2400
`mferrario@kilpatricktownsend.com
`
`Keith Fredlake
`Kilpatrick Townsend & Stockton LLP
`607 14th Street, NW Suite 900
`Washington, DC 20005-2018
`kfredlake@kilpatricktownsend.com
`
`8076274IPR@kilpatricktownsend.com
`
`/ Elizabeth Gardner /
`Elizabeth Gardner (Reg. No. 36,519)
`Orrick, Herrington, & Sutcliffe LLP
`51 West 52nd Street
`New York, NY 10019
`Tel: 212-506-5000
`Fax. 212-506-5151
`Email: egardner@orrick.com
`
`-15-
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`