IPR2020-01168 (P.T.A.B. Dec. 14, 2020)

Sterno Home Inc.

Patent Trials and Appeals BoardDec 14, 2020

IPR2020-01168 (P.T.A.B. Dec. 14, 2020)

Trials@uspto.gov Paper 9 571-272-7822 Entered: December 14, 2020 UNITED STATES PATENT AND TRADEMARK OFFICE ____________ BEFORE THE PATENT TRIAL AND APPEAL BOARD ____________ L&L CANDLE COMPANY LLC Petitioner, v. STERNO HOME INC., Patent Owner. ____________ IPR2020-01166 (Patent 6,719,443 B2) IPR2020-01167 (Patent 8,562,186 B2) IPR2020-01168 (Patent 9,491,832 B2) IPR2020-01169 (Patent 10,247,374 B2) IPR2020-01170 (Patent 8,858,043 B2) IPR2020-01171 (Patent 6,616,308 B2)1 ____________ Before THU A. DANG, JON B. TORNQUIST, and SHEILA F. McSHANE Administrative Patent Judges. TORNQUIST, Administrative Patent Judge. DECISION Settlement Prior to Institution of Trial 37 C.F.R. § 42.74 1 This Order applies to all of the above-identified proceedings. We exercise our discretion to issue one Order to be filed in each case. The parties are not authorized to use this style heading for any subsequent papers. IPR2020-01166 (Patent 6,719,443 B2) IPR2020-01167 (Patent 8,562,186 B2) IPR2020-01168 (Patent 9,491,832 B2) IPR2020-01169 (Patent 10,247,374 B2) IPR2020-01170 (Patent 8,858,043 B2) IPR2020-01171 (Patent 6,616,308 B2) 2 INTRODUCTION With our authorization, Petitioner, L&L Candle Company, LLC, and Patent Owner, Sterno Home Inc., filed joint motions to terminate the above- identified proceedings due to a settlement. Paper 7 (“Mot.”).2 The parties also filed motions requesting that we treat their settlement agreement, filed with the joint motions, as business confidential information, to be kept separate from the files of these proceedings in accordance with 35 U.S.C. § 317(b) and 37 C.F.R. § 42.74(c). Mot. 3; Paper 8, 1. DISCUSSION The involved proceedings are in their earliest stages and the parties jointly represent that their settlement resolves “all the disputes” between the parties with respect to the involved patents. Mot. 2–3. The parties provide a copy of their settlement agreement (Ex. 1014) and “jointly certify that there are no other written or oral agreements or understandings, including any collateral agreements, between them” that “are made in connection with or in contemplation of, the termination of” the instant proceedings. Mot. 3–4. Upon review of the parties’ joint motions and settlement agreement, we determine that good cause exists to terminate the above-captioned proceedings and treat the parties’ settlement agreement as business 2 For purposes of expediency, we cite to Papers and Exhibits filed in IPR2020-01166. Petitioner filed similar Papers and Exhibits in IPR2020- 01167, IPR2020-01168, IPR2020-01169, IPR2020-01170, and IPR2020- 01171. IPR2020-01166 (Patent 6,719,443 B2) IPR2020-01167 (Patent 8,562,186 B2) IPR2020-01168 (Patent 9,491,832 B2) IPR2020-01169 (Patent 10,247,374 B2) IPR2020-01170 (Patent 8,858,043 B2) IPR2020-01171 (Patent 6,616,308 B2) 3 confidential information, to be kept separate from the files of these proceedings, under 35 U.S.C. § 317(b) and 37 C.F.R. § 42.74(c). ORDER It is hereby ORDERED that the joint motions to terminate the proceedings in IPR2020-01166, IPR2020-01167, IPR2020-01168, IPR2020-01169, IPR2020-01170, and IPR2020-01171 are granted; FURTHER ORDERED that the parties’ joint requests that their settlement agreement be treated as business confidential information and kept separate from the files of the above-captioned proceedings are granted; and FURTHER ORDERED that the above-captioned proceedings are terminated. IPR2020-01166 (Patent 6,719,443 B2) IPR2020-01167 (Patent 8,562,186 B2) IPR2020-01168 (Patent 9,491,832 B2) IPR2020-01169 (Patent 10,247,374 B2) IPR2020-01170 (Patent 8,858,043 B2) IPR2020-01171 (Patent 6,616,308 B2) 4 PETITIONER: Thomas Millikan Babak Tehranchi Joseph Reid Kristen Schunter Roderick O’Dorisio Ruchika Verma Perkins Coie LLP Millikan-ptab@perkinscoie.com Tehranchi-ptab@perkinscoie.com Reid-ptab@perkinscoie.com Schunter-ptab@perkinscoie.com ODorisio-ptab@perkinscoie.com Verma-ptab@perkinscoie.com PATENT OWNER: Christopher V. Carani Wilhelm L. Rao Andrew B. Karp Gregory C. Schodde Scott P. McBride Ryan Pianetto Sarine R. Hagopian Philipp Ruben McAndrews, Held & Malloy, Ltd. CCarani@mcandrews-ip.com wrao@mcandrews-ip.com akarp@mcandrews-ip.com gschodde@mcandrews-ip.com smcbride@mcandrews-ip.com rpianetto@mcandrews-ip.com shagopian@mcandrews-ip.com pruben@mcandrews-ip.com