Untitled case

This patent infringement litigation, Case No. 8:24-cv-01840, is titled Meridian International Co., Ltd. v. ToughBuilt Industries, Inc. and is currently proceeding in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California. The plaintiff, Meridian International Co., Ltd., is a manufacturer, referred to as the "box maker" in the context of this dispute, and is known for its "Casestack" attachment technology. The defendant, ToughBuilt Industries, Inc., is a company that produces various tools and accessories, including bags and cases.

The patent at the heart of this dispute is U.S. Patent No. 11,192,689, titled "Stackable Storage Box." This patent specifically claims a "sliding mechanism" that engages a "locking groove" to connect storage boxes, defining a particular geometry for attachment technology. Meridian International Co., Ltd. alleges that ToughBuilt Industries, Inc. has infringed this patent through its "ClipTech" or "StackTech" bags, particularly those manufactured for Lowe's "CaseStack" product line, which allegedly utilize the patented locking geometry without authorization.

The case was filed on August 21, 2024, in the Central District of California. While a preliminary injunction hearing was initially set before Judge Dean D. Pregerson, the current assigned judge for the case is Judge John W. Holcomb. This venue, the Central District of California, is a busy federal court for patent litigation. The case is notable because, in response to Meridian's infringement claims, ToughBuilt Industries, Inc. has launched an Inter Partes Review (IPR) challenge against U.S. Patent No. 11,192,689. This IPR, identified as IPR2025-01462 and filed on August 27, 2025, argues that Meridian's patent should be invalidated due to prior art, contending that the stacking box technology with latches was already known. The outcome of this IPR could significantly impact the ongoing district court litigation, potentially deleting Meridian's patent and allowing others to utilize similar stacking mechanisms.

Key Legal Developments and Outcome for Meridian International Co., Ltd. v. ToughBuilt Industries, Inc.

The patent infringement litigation between Meridian International Co., Ltd. and ToughBuilt Industries, Inc., case number 8:24-cv-01840 in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California, involves allegations of infringement concerning at least U.S. Patent No. 11,192,689, and potentially U.S. Patent No. 11986946. The case, filed on August 21, 2024, is currently active and has seen significant pre-trial activity, including a motion for preliminary injunction and the institution of a parallel inter partes review (IPR) proceeding.

Filing & Initial Pleadings

• Complaint Filed (2024-08-21): Meridian International Co., Ltd. filed the initial complaint for patent infringement against ToughBuilt Industries, Inc. on August 21, 2024. The complaint included attached exhibits, likely detailing the asserted patent(s) and infringement allegations. While the prompt identifies US patent 11986946 as at issue, docket exhibits from the case indicate analysis of both US Patent No. 11,192,689 and US Patent No. 11986946. Another source suggests that US Patent No. 11,192,689 is central to the dispute, described as "the entire war".
• Motion for Preliminary Injunction Filed (2024-08-26): Meridian filed a motion for a preliminary injunction, seeking to halt ToughBuilt's alleged infringing activities. The hearing for this motion was initially scheduled for September 23, 2024, before Judge Dean D. Pregerson.
• Case Reassignment and Rescheduled Hearing (2024-08-27 & 2024-09-27): On August 27, 2024, the case was reassigned from Judge Dean D. Pregerson to Judge John W. Holcomb. Subsequently, the hearing for the preliminary injunction was continued to September 27, 2024. Another scheduling notice for the preliminary injunction motion was set for November 8, 2024. The outcome of this preliminary injunction motion is not explicitly detailed in the available information.
• Answer, Affirmative Defenses, and Counterclaims Filed (2024-10-16): ToughBuilt Industries, Inc. filed its Answer to the Complaint, including affirmative defenses and counterclaims, on October 16, 2024. This filing was made under seal.

Pre-trial Motions of Substance

• Motion for Preliminary Injunction: As noted above, Meridian filed a motion for preliminary injunction on August 26, 2024. While the motion was calendared for multiple hearings, the ultimate decision on this motion is not available in the provided snippets.

Parallel PTAB IPR Proceedings

• IPR2025-01462 Filed (2025-08-28): ToughBuilt Industries, Inc. initiated a parallel Inter Partes Review (IPR) proceeding, IPR2025-01462, against Meridian International Co., Ltd. on August 28, 2025, challenging the validity of U.S. Patent No. 11,192,689.
• IPR Trial Instituted (2026-02-10): The Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB) instituted a trial for IPR2025-01462 on February 10, 2026.
• Effect on Litigation (Reported Stay): The district court lawsuit has reportedly been paused, awaiting the judgment from the IPR proceeding, which could extend until mid to late 2026. However, a formal court order explicitly granting a stay in the district court case pending the IPR institution or final decision is not present in the provided information.

There is no information available regarding parallel PTAB IPR/PGR proceedings specifically for US patent 11986946.

Final Disposition or Present Posture

The case 8:24-cv-01840 is currently active, with its status impacted by the ongoing IPR challenging U.S. Patent No. 11,192,689. The lawsuit is reported to be paused while awaiting the IPR judgment, which is expected to take until mid to late 2026. No information regarding claim construction, discovery milestones, trial events, verdict, post-trial motions, settlement, or final judgment is available, consistent with the reported stay.

Counsel of Record for Plaintiff Meridian International Co., Ltd. in Meridian International Co., Ltd. v. ToughBuilt Industries, Inc.

In the patent infringement case 8:24-cv-01840, filed in the California Central District Court, the plaintiff, Meridian International Co., Ltd., is represented by the following attorneys:

• Scott Adam Penner

  • Role: Counsel for Plaintiff
  • Firm: Likely associated with one of the firms listed on the docket. Further research would be needed to pinpoint his specific firm and office location from this case's docket.
  • Relevant Experience: Details on specific patent litigation experience or notable past cases for Scott Adam Penner in this context require further investigation of his professional profile or additional docket entries.

• Regis C. Worley, Jr.

  • Role: Counsel for Plaintiff
  • Firm: Similar to Penner, his specific firm and office location would be detailed in the docket entries.
  • Relevant Experience: Information regarding Regis C. Worley, Jr.'s patent litigation experience or notable cases would require further research into his professional background.

• Ann Grunewald Fort

  • Role: Attorney for Plaintiff Meridian International Co., Ltd., and Counter Defendant Meridian International Co., Ltd.
  • Firm & Office Location: An address change notice filed in the case indicates her address as 600 Peachtree St NE, Suite 5200, Atlanta, GA 30308. This suggests a firm presence in Atlanta.
  • Relevant Experience: Her appearance as counsel in this patent infringement case demonstrates relevant experience. Specific details on her patent litigation experience or notable past cases would require further inquiry.

The information regarding counsel is based on publicly available docket entries. Filings in this case are not indicated to be sealed, and counsel has appeared.

In the patent infringement case Meridian International Co., Ltd. v. ToughBuilt Industries, Inc. (8:24-cv-01840) in the California Central District Court, the following counsel represents the defendant(s):

• Ramsey M. Al-Salam
  • Role: Counsel of Record
  • Firm: Perkins Coie LLP, Seattle, WA
  • Experience: Mr. Al-Salam is a partner at Perkins Coie LLP with over 35 years of experience focusing on intellectual property and technology-related disputes, particularly patent litigation and trials. He is consistently recognized as a leading practitioner in intellectual property litigation, having been named in "Band One" of Chambers for more than 10 years and as Seattle Patent Litigator of the Year by Best Lawyers in America in 2014, 2019, and 2024. He has successfully led litigation and trial teams in various technologies, with a strong focus on computer, networking, and radio frequency identification technology.

Other Individuals Mentioned in Relation to ToughBuilt Industries, Inc.:

• Michael H. Panosian

  • Role: In-house (President, CEO & Director of ToughBuilt Industries, Inc.)
  • Firm: ToughBuilt Industries, Inc.
  • Note: Mr. Panosian is a co-founder of ToughBuilt Industries, Inc., and holds numerous patents and trademarks. His declaration in the case is in his capacity as a company executive, not as external legal counsel.

• J. Michael McCarthy

  • Role: Expert witness (likely)
  • Note: J. Michael McCarthy is noted in the docket as submitting a "Declaration-Report" in support of ToughBuilt's opposition to a preliminary injunction. This type of filing is typically associated with an expert witness providing technical analysis rather than legal representation. While there are prominent academics and consultants named J. Michael McCarthy specializing in intellectual property and machine design, there is no indication in the publicly available docket information for 8:24-cv-01840 that he has entered an appearance as legal counsel for ToughBuilt Industries, Inc.

• Richard M. Bemben

  • Role: Counsel in a related PTAB IPR (not identified as counsel of record in the district court case).
  • Firm: Sterne, Kessler, Goldstein & Fox PLLC, Washington, D.C.
  • Experience: Mr. Bemben is a director in Sterne Kessler's Electronics Practice Group and co-chair of the firm's PTAB Practice. He is highly experienced in post-grant proceedings before the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), including inter partes reviews (IPRs), and has been counsel in over 150 PTAB proceedings and more than a dozen related Federal Circuit appeals. He was ranked as one of the best-performing PTAB attorneys in 2023. While he is listed as "Petitioner Counsel" for ToughBuilt Industries, Inc. in a related PTAB proceeding (IPR2025-01462) against Meridian International Co. Ltd., there is no indication that he has entered an appearance as counsel of record in the district court case 8:24-cv-01840.

Therefore, based on the available information, Ramsey M. Al-Salam of Perkins Coie LLP is confirmed as counsel of record representing the defendant ToughBuilt Industries, Inc. in this patent infringement case.