SpaceTime3D, IncDownload PDFPatent Trials and Appeals BoardMar 15, 2021IPR2020-01417 (P.T.A.B. Mar. 15, 2021) Copy Citation Trials@uspto.gov Paper 22 571-272-7822 Entered: March 15, 2021 UNITED STATES PATENT AND TRADEMARK OFFICE BEFORE THE PATENT TRIAL AND APPEAL BOARD SAMSUNG ELECTRONICS CO., LTD., and SAMSUNG ELECTRONICS AMERICA, INC., Petitioner, v. SPACETIME3D, INC., Patent Owner. IPR2020-01417 Patent 8,881,048 B2 Before BRIAN J. McNAMARA, JENNIFER MEYER CHAGNON, and TERRENCE W. McMILLIN, Administrative Patent Judges. McMILLIN, Administrative Patent Judge. DECISION Settlement Prior to Institution of Trial 37 C.F.R. § 42.74 IPR2020-01417 Patent 8,881,048 B2 2 I. INTRODUCTION With the Board’s authorization, Petitioner and Patent Owner (collectively “the Parties”) filed a Joint Motion to Dismiss the Petition in the above-identified proceeding. Paper 20 (“Joint Motion”). In support of the Joint Motion, the Parties filed a copy of a Confidential Settlement and License Agreement (Ex. 1036 (“Settlement Agreement”)), as well as a Joint Request to Treat the Settlement Agreement as Business Confidential Information pursuant to and 37 C.F.R. § 42.74(c) (Paper 21 (“Joint Request”)). II. DISCUSSION In the Joint Motion, the Parties represent that they have reached an agreement to jointly seek termination of the above-identified inter partes review proceeding, and that the filed copy of the Settlement Agreement is a true and complete copy and that “[t]here are no other agreements, oral or written, between the parties that were made in connection with, or in contemplation of, the requested dismissal.” Joint Motion, 1. The Parties further represent that “[t]he parties have settled all disputes relating to the ’048 patent” and that “[t]he lawsuit between Petitioners and Patent Owner involving the ’048 patent is in the process of being dismissed concurrently with this inter partes review.” Id. at 2. This proceeding is at an early stage, and we have not yet decided whether to institute a trial in the proceeding. In view of the early stage of the proceeding and the settlement between the Parties, we determine that good cause exists to dismiss the petition and terminate the proceeding with respect to the Parties. The Parties also filed a Joint Request that the Settlement Agreement be treated as business confidential information and be kept separate from the IPR2020-01417 Patent 8,881,048 B2 3 file of the patent involved in this inter partes proceeding. Paper 21. After reviewing the Settlement Agreement between Petitioner and Patent Owner, we find that the Settlement Agreement contains confidential business information regarding the terms of settlement. We determine that good cause exists to treat the Settlement Agreement between Petitioner and Patent Owner as business confidential information pursuant to 37 C.F.R. § 42.74(c). This Order does not constitute a final written decision pursuant to 35 U.S.C. § 318(a). III. ORDER Accordingly, for the reasons discussed above, it is: ORDERED that the Joint Motion to Dismiss is granted, and the petition in IPR2020-01417 is dismissed and the proceeding is terminated; and FURTHER ORDERED that the Joint Request to Treat the Settlement Agreement as Business Confidential Information is granted, and the Settlement Agreement shall be kept separate from the files of Patent 8,881,048 B2 and made available only to Federal Government agencies on written request, or to any person on a showing of good cause, pursuant to 37 C.F.R. § 42.74(c). IPR2020-01417 Patent 8,881,048 B2 4 For PETITIONER: Robert Buergi Brent Yamashita Jonathan Hicks DLA PIPER LLP robert.buergi@dlapiper.com brent.yamashita@dlapiper.com jonathan.hicks@dlapiper.com For PATENT OWNER: Todd E. Fitzsimmons FITZSIMMONS IP LAW, P.C. todd@fitziplaw.com Gregory Cordrey JEFFER MANGELS BUTLER & MITCHELL LLP gcordrey@jmbm.com Copy with citationCopy as parenthetical citation