Trials@uspto.gov
`571.272.7822
`
`
`
`
`
`Paper: 13
`Entered: March 9, 2020
`
`UNITED STATES PATENT AND TRADEMARK OFFICE
`____________
`
`BEFORE THE PATENT TRIAL AND APPEAL BOARD
`____________
`
`ERICSSON INC.,
`Petitioner,
`v.
`ELECTRONICS AND TELECOMMUNICATIONS RESEARCH INSTITUTE,
`Patent Owner.
`____________
`
`IPR2020-00237 (Patent 8,320,337 B2) IPR2020-00238 (Patent 8,593,936 B2)
`IPR2020-00239 (Patent 9,204,438 B2) IPR2020-00240 (Patent 9,496,976 B2)
`IPR2020-00241 (Patent 9,888,435 B2) IPR2020-00242 (Patent 10,080,204 B2)
`IPR2020-00243 (Patent 8,971,168 B2) IPR2020-00244 (Patent 8,971,168 B2)
`IPR2020-00249 (Patent 8,270,354 B2) IPR2020-00250 (Patent 9,265,063 B2)
`IPR2020-00251 (Patent 9,603,174 B2) IPR2020-00252 (Patent 9,155,066 B2)
`IPR2020-00253 (Patent 8,761,814 B2)1
`
`____________
`
`
`
`Before KRISTEN L. DROESCH, TREVOR M. JEFFERSON, and
`SCOTT B. HOWARD, Administrative Patent Judges.
`
`DROESCH, Administrative Patent Judge.
`
`
`DECISION
`Settlement Prior to Institution of Trial
`37 C.F.R. § 42.74
`
`
`1 This Decision applies to each case listed.
`
`
`
`

`

`IPR2020-00237 (Patent 8,320,337 B2) IPR2020-00238 (Patent 8,593,936 B2)
`IPR2020-00239 (Patent 9,204,438 B2) IPR2020-00240 (Patent 9,496,976 B2)
`IPR2020-00241 (Patent 9,888,435 B2) IPR2020-00242 (Patent 10,080,204 B2)
`IPR2020-00243 (Patent 8,971,168 B2) IPR2020-00244 (Patent 8,971,168 B2)
`IPR2020-00249 (Patent 8,270,354 B2) IPR2020-00250 (Patent 9,265,063 B2)
`IPR2020-00251 (Patent 9,603,174 B2) IPR2020-00252 (Patent 9,155,066 B2)
`IPR2020-00253 (Patent 8,761,814 B2)
`
`
`
`Pursuant to our e-mail authorization on February 27, 2020, in each of the
`above-captioned preliminary proceedings, Petitioner filed an Unopposed Motion to
`Dismiss (“Motion”) (see Appendix), and Petitioner and Patent Owner2 filed a Joint
`Request to File Settlement Agreement as Business Confidential Information (“Joint
`Request”) (see id.). Pursuant to 37 C.F.R. § 42.74(b), a copy of a written
`settlement and license agreement (“Settlement Agreement”) has been filed in each
`proceeding (see id.).3
`Petitioner represents in its Motions that it has settled its disputes with Patent
`Owner and memorialized the settlement in the written Settlement Agreement
`submitted in each case. E.g., IPR2020-00237, Paper 7, 1. In each Motion,
`Petitioner represents that the Settlement Agreement resolves the disputes between
`the parties in the above-captioned preliminary proceedings and the related lawsuits.
`
`
`2 The parties assert that Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute
`(ETRI) “is the patentee with the right to license certain patents relating to Cellular
`and WLAN Standards, and has granted an exclusive license in some of such
`patents to Sol IP,” including the patents at issue in the above-captioned preliminary
`proceedings. E.g., IPR2020-00237, Ex. 1038, 1. Petitioner asserts that ETRI, by
`and through its licensing agent SOL IP, LLC, has made allegations in related
`district court litigation about one or more of the patents at issue in the
`above-captioned preliminary proceedings. See, e.g., Petition for Inter Partes
`Review, IPR2020-00253, Paper 2, 1.
`3 In each of the above preliminary proceedings except for IPR2020-00237, the
`parties filed the Settlement Agreement as a Paper rather than as an Exhibit. We
`deem this to be harmless error; however, the parties are reminded that such a
`document must be filed as an Exhibit. See 37 C.F.R. § 42.63(a) (“Evidence
`consists of affidavits, transcripts of depositions, documents, and things. All
`evidence must be filed in the form of an exhibit.”).
`
`2
`
`

`

`IPR2020-00237 (Patent 8,320,337 B2) IPR2020-00238 (Patent 8,593,936 B2)
`IPR2020-00239 (Patent 9,204,438 B2) IPR2020-00240 (Patent 9,496,976 B2)
`IPR2020-00241 (Patent 9,888,435 B2) IPR2020-00242 (Patent 10,080,204 B2)
`IPR2020-00243 (Patent 8,971,168 B2) IPR2020-00244 (Patent 8,971,168 B2)
`IPR2020-00249 (Patent 8,270,354 B2) IPR2020-00250 (Patent 9,265,063 B2)
`IPR2020-00251 (Patent 9,603,174 B2) IPR2020-00252 (Patent 9,155,066 B2)
`IPR2020-00253 (Patent 8,761,814 B2)
`
`
`Id. Petitioner asserts that the Settlement Agreement is a true and correct copy and
`that there are no other agreements, oral or written, between the parties made in
`connection with, or in contemplation of, the termination of these preliminary
`proceedings. Id. at 2. In each Motion, Petitioner asserts that it has conferred with
`Patent Owner and that Patent Owner does not oppose the relief requested in the
`Motion. Id. at 1.
`Each of these proceedings is in its preliminary phase, Patent Owner has not
`yet filed a Preliminary Response, and we have not yet reached the merits in each
`preliminary proceeding by issuing a decision on institution.
`There are strong public policy reasons to favor settlement between the
`parties to a proceeding. Office Patent Trial Practice Guide, 84 Fed. Reg. 64,280
`(Nov. 21, 2019). In the circumstances present here, we determine that it is
`appropriate to dismiss each of these petitions without rendering a decision on
`institution or a final written decision. See 37 C.F.R. § 42.72.
`We also grant the Joint Request to treat the Settlement Agreement as
`business confidential information filed in each case, as authorized under 37 C.F.R.
`§ 42.74(c).
`Accordingly, it is:
`ORDERED that the Motion to Dismiss in each of the following preliminary
`proceedings is granted, and each of the petitions are DISMISSED:
`IPR2020-00237, Paper 7,
`IPR2020-00238, Paper 7,
`IPR2020-00239, Paper 10,
`
`3
`
`

`

`IPR2020-00237 (Patent 8,320,337 B2) IPR2020-00238 (Patent 8,593,936 B2)
`IPR2020-00239 (Patent 9,204,438 B2) IPR2020-00240 (Patent 9,496,976 B2)
`IPR2020-00241 (Patent 9,888,435 B2) IPR2020-00242 (Patent 10,080,204 B2)
`IPR2020-00243 (Patent 8,971,168 B2) IPR2020-00244 (Patent 8,971,168 B2)
`IPR2020-00249 (Patent 8,270,354 B2) IPR2020-00250 (Patent 9,265,063 B2)
`IPR2020-00251 (Patent 9,603,174 B2) IPR2020-00252 (Patent 9,155,066 B2)
`IPR2020-00253 (Patent 8,761,814 B2)
`
`
`
`IPR2020-00240, Paper 7,
`IPR2020-00241, Paper 10,
`IPR2020-00242, Paper 9,
`IPR2020-00243, Paper 7,
`IPR2020-00244, Paper 7,
`IPR2020-00249, Paper 7,
`IPR2020-00250, Paper 7,
`IPR2020-00251, Paper 7,
`IPR2020-00252, Paper 8, and
`IPR2020-00253, Paper 8; and
`FURTHER ORDERED that the Joint Request to File Settlement Agreement
`as Business Confidential Information in each of the following preliminary
`proceedings is granted, that the Settlement Agreement shall remain designated as
`“Parties and Board Only” in Board’s filing system, shall made available only to
`Federal Government agencies on written request, or to any person on a showing of
`good cause, and shall be kept separate from the files of the related patent:
`IPR2020-00237 (Paper 8, Ex. 1038)
`IPR2020-00238 (Papers 8, 9),
`IPR2020-00239 (Papers 11, 12),
`IPR2020-00240 (Papers 8, 9),
`IPR2020-00241 (Papers 11, 12),
`IPR2020-00242 (Papers 10, 11),
`IPR2020-00243 (Papers 8, 9),
`
`4
`
`

`

`IPR2020-00237 (Patent 8,320,337 B2) IPR2020-00238 (Patent 8,593,936 B2)
`IPR2020-00239 (Patent 9,204,438 B2) IPR2020-00240 (Patent 9,496,976 B2)
`IPR2020-00241 (Patent 9,888,435 B2) IPR2020-00242 (Patent 10,080,204 B2)
`IPR2020-00243 (Patent 8,971,168 B2) IPR2020-00244 (Patent 8,971,168 B2)
`IPR2020-00249 (Patent 8,270,354 B2) IPR2020-00250 (Patent 9,265,063 B2)
`IPR2020-00251 (Patent 9,603,174 B2) IPR2020-00252 (Patent 9,155,066 B2)
`IPR2020-00253 (Patent 8,761,814 B2)
`
`
`
`IPR2020-00244 (Papers 10, 11),
`IPR2020-00249 (Papers 8, 9),
`IPR2020-00250 (Papers 8, 9),
`IPR2020-00251 (Papers 8, 9),
`IPR2020-00252 (Papers 9, 10), and
`IPR2020-00253 (Papers 9, 10).
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`5
`
`

`

`IPR2020-00237 (Patent 8,320,337 B2) IPR2020-00238 (Patent 8,593,936 B2)
`IPR2020-00239 (Patent 9,204,438 B2) IPR2020-00240 (Patent 9,496,976 B2)
`IPR2020-00241 (Patent 9,888,435 B2) IPR2020-00242 (Patent 10,080,204 B2)
`IPR2020-00243 (Patent 8,971,168 B2) IPR2020-00244 (Patent 8,971,168 B2)
`IPR2020-00249 (Patent 8,270,354 B2) IPR2020-00250 (Patent 9,265,063 B2)
`IPR2020-00251 (Patent 9,603,174 B2) IPR2020-00252 (Patent 9,155,066 B2)
`IPR2020-00253 (Patent 8,761,814 B2)
`
`
`
`APPENDIX
`
`Case
`IPR2020-00237
`IPR2020-00238
`IPR2020-00239
`IPR2020-00240
`IPR2020-00241
`IPR2020-00242
`IPR2020-00243
`IPR2020-00244
`IPR2020-00249
`IPR2020-00250
`IPR2020-00251
`IPR2020-00252
`IPR2020-00253
`
`Motion
`Paper 7
`Paper 7
`Paper 10
`Paper 7
`Paper 10
`Paper 9
`Paper 7
`Paper 7
`Paper 7
`Paper 7
`Paper 7
`Paper 8
`Paper 8
`
`
`
`
`
`
`Joint Request
`Paper 8
`Paper 8
`Paper 11
`Paper 8
`Paper 11
`Paper 10
`Paper 8
`Paper 10
`Paper 8
`Paper 8
`Paper 8
`Paper 9
`Paper 9
`
`
`
`Settlement
`Agreement
`Ex. 1038
`Paper 9
`Paper 12
`Paper 9
`Paper 12
`Paper 11
`Paper 9
`Paper 11
`Paper 9
`Paper 9
`Paper 9
`Paper 10
`Paper 10
`
`6
`
`

`

`IPR2020-00237 (Patent 8,320,337 B2) IPR2020-00238 (Patent 8,593,936 B2)
`IPR2020-00239 (Patent 9,204,438 B2) IPR2020-00240 (Patent 9,496,976 B2)
`IPR2020-00241 (Patent 9,888,435 B2) IPR2020-00242 (Patent 10,080,204 B2)
`IPR2020-00243 (Patent 8,971,168 B2) IPR2020-00244 (Patent 8,971,168 B2)
`IPR2020-00249 (Patent 8,270,354 B2) IPR2020-00250 (Patent 9,265,063 B2)
`IPR2020-00251 (Patent 9,603,174 B2) IPR2020-00252 (Patent 9,155,066 B2)
`IPR2020-00253 (Patent 8,761,814 B2)
`
`
`For PETITIONER:
`
`Theodore Stevenson, III
`Scott W. Hejny
`Nicholas Mathews
`McKOOL SMITH PC
`tstevenson@mckoolsmith.com
`shejny@mckoolsmith.com
`nmathews@mckoolsmith.com
`
`
`
`For PATENT OWNER:
`
`Richard F. Giunta
`Elisabeth H. Hunt
`WOLF, GREENFIELD & SACKS, P.C.
`600 Atlantic Avenue
`Boston, MA 02210
`RGiunta-PTAB@wolfgreenfield.com
`EHunt-PTAB@wolfgreenfield.com
`
`
`
`
`7
`
`