ALBANY INTERNATIONAL CORP. v. VOITH PATENT GMBH

This Inter Partes Review (IPR) proceeding, IPR2025-01116, involves a challenge to U.S. Patent No. 11,261,566, titled "Clothing for a Machine for Producing a Fibrous Material Web." The petitioner, Albany International Corp., is a global developer and manufacturer of engineered components, particularly known for its Machine Clothing segment which produces custom-designed fabrics and high-speed process belts essential for paper manufacturing. Albany International is a publicly traded operating company with significant operations in the paper and aerospace industries. The patent owner, Voith Patent GmbH, is an entity associated with the broader German-headquartered Voith Group, a major global technology company providing machinery and services for various industries, including a prominent "Voith Paper" division that supplies paper production systems and fabric & roll systems. Both companies are direct competitors in the market for paper machine clothing.

The patent at issue, US 11261566, describes structural features related to paper machine clothing (PMC), focusing on the seam area of these belt-like fabrics used in papermaking machines. The invention specifically claims dimensionless ratios for "seam loop density" (between 64% and 90%) and the ratio of seam loop diameter to machine-direction thread diameter ("LD/MDYD" ratio, between 2.7 and 3.6), purporting to address disadvantages in the seam area. While an IPR itself does not directly involve an "accused product" in the context of infringement, Albany International's petition to invalidate Voith's patent likely stems from a competitive dispute where products or technologies related to paper machine clothing are at play. Albany is challenging claims 1-15 of the patent.

This case is currently pending before the Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB) of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), with a status of "Instituted." Institution signifies that the PTAB has determined there is a "reasonable likelihood" that Albany International would prevail in proving at least one challenged claim of the patent to be unpatentable. The PTAB venue is significant because IPRs offer a streamlined, faster, and generally less expensive alternative to federal district court litigation for challenging patent validity. Unlike district court, there is no presumption of validity for the patent, and the petitioner only needs to prove unpatentability by a "preponderance of the evidence" rather than the higher "clear and convincing" standard. The grounds for challenging validity in an IPR are limited to anticipation and obviousness based on prior art patents and printed publications. This particular IPR is notable as it highlights an ongoing intellectual property dispute between two major operating companies in the highly specialized industrial fabrics sector, given that Albany International has also filed at least one other IPR against Voith Patent GmbH (IPR2025-01367).

This report outlines the key legal developments and current posture for the patent at issue, U.S. Patent No. 11,261,566, primarily through the Inter Partes Review (IPR) proceeding IPR2025-01116. No related federal district court patent infringement litigation directly involving ALBANY INTERNATIONAL CORP. and VOITH PATENT GMBH concerning patent 11261566 could be identified. The proceedings detailed below therefore focus on the IPR.

Key Legal Developments in IPR2025-01116:

• Filing of IPR Petition (2025-06-05): Albany International Corp. filed a petition for Inter Partes Review (IPR2025-01116) against Voith Patent GmbH, challenging claims 1-15 of U.S. Patent No. 11,261,566. The petition asserted grounds of unpatentability based on obviousness over prior art, specifically Sudre in view of Adanur, for claims 1, 3, and 10-13, and potentially other combinations. The petitioner's core contention was that the claimed numerical ranges for "loop density" and the "LD/MDYD ratio" were inherent, dimensionless properties of conventional paper machine clothing (PMC) well-known in the art, supported by expert analysis of prior art images.
• Institution of Inter Partes Review (2025-12-11): The Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB) issued a decision granting institution of the inter partes review for IPR2025-01116.
• Change of Counsel for Patent Owner (2026-02-12 / 2026-02-13): The Board authorized Voith Patent GmbH's unopposed motion to withdraw and substitute counsel on February 12, 2026. McDermott Will & Schulte LLP withdrew as counsel, and Goodwin Procter LLP was substituted to represent Voith Patent GmbH. An updated Mandatory Notice reflecting this change was filed on February 13, 2026.
• Patent Owner's Notice of Deposition (2026-03-02): Voith Patent GmbH served notice of its intent to cross-examine Dr. Christopher M. Pastore, a witness for Albany International Corp. The deposition was scheduled for March 23, 2026.
• Patent Owner's Response (2026-03-29): Voith Patent GmbH filed its Patent Owner's Response in the IPR proceeding.

Outcome:

The IPR proceeding IPR2025-01116 is currently active and in the "Trial Instituted" phase. No final written decision regarding the patentability of the challenged claims has been issued yet.

Albany International Corp., the petitioner in IPR2025-01116, is represented by a team of attorneys from Finnegan, Henderson, Farabow, Garrett & Dunner, LLP.

The counsel of record for Albany International Corp. include:

• Grace Kim
  • Role: Counsel (specific lead/backup role not explicitly stated in provided documents, but identified as counsel of record).
  • Firm: Finnegan, Henderson, Farabow, Garrett & Dunner, LLP.
  • Office Location: Likely one of Finnegan's offices, often Washington D.C., Boston, Atlanta, or Palo Alto, given the firm's presence in key IP hubs. (Specific office not identified in the provided search results).
  • Relevant Experience: To be determined with further specific search.
• Michael Kane
  • Role: Counsel (specific lead/backup role not explicitly stated in provided documents, but identified as counsel of record).
  • Firm: Finnegan, Henderson, Farabow, Garrett & Dunner, LLP.
  • Office Location: To be determined with further specific search.
  • Relevant Experience: To be determined with further specific search.
• Kristi L. R. Sawert
  • Role: Counsel (specific lead/backup role not explicitly stated in provided documents, but identified as counsel of record).
  • Firm: Finnegan, Henderson, Farabow, Garrett & Dunner, LLP.
  • Office Location: To be determined with further specific search.
  • Relevant Experience: To be determined with further specific search.
• Gretchen DeVries
  • Role: Counsel (specific lead/backup role not explicitly stated in provided documents, but identified as counsel of record).
  • Firm: Finnegan, Henderson, Farabow, Garrett & Dunner, LLP.
  • Office Location: To be determined with further specific search.
  • Relevant Experience: To be determined with further specific search.

Jennifer L. O'Connell is also associated with Albany International Corp. as Assistant General Counsel and Director of Intellectual Property. Her role is in-house, managing the company's global IP portfolio and collaborating with R&D teams to protect innovations. She has experience in global patent counseling and portfolio management, as well as patent prosecution. She serves on the Board of Directors for the PTAB Bar Association and chairs the International Committee for the Women in IP Network. While she is Albany International's in-house counsel for IP, the aforementioned Finnegan attorneys are representing them in this specific IPR proceeding.

• Jennifer L. O'Connell
  • Role: In-house counsel, Assistant General Counsel, Director of Intellectual Property.
  • Firm: Albany International Corp.
  • Office Location: To be determined, as company headquarters are in Rochester, NH.
  • Relevant Experience: Specializes in global patent counseling and portfolio management, patent procurement, and developing and implementing IP programs and policies. She previously served as Counsel and Partner at Davidson, Davidson & Kappel, LLC.

Further details on the specific roles (e.g., lead counsel vs. backup counsel within the Finnegan team) and detailed patent litigation experience for the Finnegan attorneys were not explicitly available in the provided search results for this specific IPR docket.Albany International Corp. is represented in IPR2025-01116 by attorneys from Finnegan, Henderson, Farabow, Garrett & Dunner, LLP. Their in-house intellectual property is managed by an Assistant General Counsel and Director of Intellectual Property.

Here is the breakdown of the counsel:

External Counsel (Finnegan, Henderson, Farabow, Garrett & Dunner, LLP):

• Grace Kim
  • Role: Counsel.
  • Firm: Finnegan, Henderson, Farabow, Garrett & Dunner, LLP.
  • Office Location: Washington, D.C..
  • Relevant Experience: Grace Kim focuses on securing strong patents and managing patent portfolios across various technologies, including medical devices, energy, chemical innovations, and electrical and computer technologies. She has extensive experience in post-grant proceedings like inter partes reviews (IPRs), particularly for life science clients. Prior to her legal career, she was an R&D engineering manager for Boston Scientific, gaining firsthand experience in product development and FDA approvals.
• Michael Kane
  • Role: Counsel.
  • Firm: Finnegan, Henderson, Farabow, Garrett & Dunner, LLP.
  • Office Location: Boston, MA.
  • Relevant Experience: Michael Kane specializes in complex patent litigation and post-grant strategy, particularly in pharmaceutical matters, including Hatch-Waxman cases, biotechnology, and medical devices. He has successfully represented both petitioners and patent owners in over 135 PTAB petitions in life sciences and medical device cases. He is known for managing complex litigation involving foreign actions, U.S. district courts, and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit.
• Kristi L. R. Sawert
  • Role: Counsel.
  • Firm: Finnegan, Henderson, Farabow, Garrett & Dunner, LLP.
  • Office Location: Washington, D.C.
  • Relevant Experience: Kristi Sawert brings an insider's perspective to post-grant trials and appeals, having spent 15 years at the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, including eight years as an Administrative Patent Judge (APJ) at the PTAB, where she presided over 250 trials and served as lead judge on more than 110. Before her time as an APJ, she worked in the USPTO's Solicitor's Office, defending Board decisions in over 40 appeals to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit. She has a Ph.D. in biochemistry and handles complex innovations across life sciences, biotechnology, pharmaceuticals, electrical engineering, software, and medical devices.
• Gretchen DeVries
  • Role: Counsel.
  • Firm: Finnegan, Henderson, Farabow, Garrett & Dunner, LLP.
  • Office Location: Information not found in public search results.
  • Relevant Experience: Information not found in public search results.

In-House Counsel:

• Jennifer L. O'Connell
  • Role: Assistant General Counsel, Director of Intellectual Property (in-house).
  • Firm: Albany International Corp.
  • Office Location: Portsmouth, New Hampshire (Albany International's corporate headquarters relocated to Portsmouth, NH, from Rochester, NH, in October 2025).
  • Relevant Experience: Jennifer O'Connell specializes in global patent counseling and portfolio management, overseeing patent procurement and intellectual property strategy for Albany International Corp. With over 20 years of IP experience, she is responsible for developing and implementing the company's global IP program and policies. She previously served as Counsel and Partner at Davidson, Davidson & Kappel, LLC.

Voith Patent GmbH, the Patent Owner in IPR2025-01116, is currently represented by counsel from Goodwin Procter LLP. There was a substitution of counsel where attorneys from McDermott Will & Schulte LLP withdrew, and attorneys from Goodwin Procter LLP were substituted as of February 13, 2026.

The current counsel of record for Voith Patent GmbH are:

• Scott T. Weingaertner

  • Role: Lead Counsel
  • Firm: Goodwin Procter LLP.
  • Office Location: While not explicitly stated in the provided snippets for Scott T. Weingaertner, Goodwin Procter LLP has multiple offices. Further specific search would be needed to pinpoint his primary office location if required.
  • Experience Note: Scott Weingaertner is noted for extensive patent litigation experience, including representing clients in the pharmaceutical, biotechnology, and medical device industries. He has been involved in numerous Hatch-Waxman and other patent infringement cases, as well as inter partes review (IPR) proceedings.

• John Paul Padro

  • Role: Back-up Counsel (to be admitted pro hac vice)
  • Firm: Goodwin Procter LLP.
  • Office Location: Similar to Mr. Weingaertner, his specific office location within Goodwin Procter LLP is not detailed in the provided search results.
  • Experience Note: John Paul Padro's experience often involves representing clients in complex intellectual property disputes, including patent litigation across various technologies and post-grant proceedings before the PTAB.

• Theodoros Konstantakopoulos

  • Role: Back-up Counsel
  • Firm: Goodwin Procter LLP
  • Office Location: New York, NY (The New York Times Building, 620 Eighth Avenue, New York, NY 10018-1405).
  • Experience Note: Theodoros Konstantakopoulos, Ph.D., is involved in patent litigation and post-grant proceedings. His background often includes a strong technical foundation, which is valuable in complex patent cases.