Petitioner v. Patent Owner

This Inter Partes Review (IPR) case, IPR2025-01267, involved Petitioner BOE Technology Group Co., Ltd. and Patent Owner Paneltouch Technologies, LLC. BOE Technology Group is a prominent global operating company specializing in display products and technologies. Paneltouch Technologies, LLC, with "Technologies, LLC" in its name and a pattern of patent assertion, likely operates as a Non-Practicing Entity (NPE) or Patent Assertion Entity (PAE). The IPR challenged U.S. Patent No. 11,126,025, which generally pertains to touch panel technology, specifically addressing concepts such as "dummy touch signal" or "spare touch lines". The petition specifically targeted independent claims 1, 10, and 18 of the patent.

The case was heard by the Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB) and was assigned IPR2025-01267. The PTAB instituted the inter partes review for patent 11126025 on February 18, 2026. However, the proceedings were cut short when both parties filed a Joint Motion to Terminate Inter Partes Review, which the PTAB granted on April 7, 2026. This termination was a result of a confidential settlement and license agreement reached between BOE Technology Group and Paneltouch Technologies. The IPR was overseen by Administrative Patent Judge BELISLE.

This case is notable for several reasons. It highlights the common defensive strategy of operating companies like BOE Technology Group, a major player in the display industry, to use IPRs to challenge patents asserted by entities like Paneltouch Technologies, LLC, which appears to be an NPE. The swift settlement, occurring just under two months after institution, suggests the IPR process played a significant role in encouraging a resolution between the parties. Furthermore, IPR2025-01267 was part of a group of related IPRs (including IPR2025-01245 and IPR2025-01246) between the same parties concerning similar display technologies, all of which settled concurrently. The settlement of these multiple IPRs likely signifies a broader resolution to a dispute over Paneltouch's display-related patent portfolio, impacting the wider display manufacturing industry.

IPR2025-01267 and Related Litigation: A Timeline of Key Developments and Settlement

The Inter Partes Review (IPR) case IPR2025-01267, involving Petitioner BOE Technology Group Co., Ltd. and Patent Owner Paneltouch Technologies LLC, which challenged U.S. Patent No. 11,126,025, was ultimately resolved through a settlement that also encompassed related district court patent infringement litigation. The IPR proceeding was formally terminated on April 7, 2026, following the parties' joint motion.

Key Legal Developments and Outcome:

Parallel PTAB IPR Proceedings:

• 2025-08-05: BOE Technology Group Co., Ltd. filed the petition for inter partes review (IPR2025-01267) challenging U.S. Patent No. 11,126,025, owned by Paneltouch Technologies LLC. The petition was accorded a filing date of August 5, 2025.
• 2026-02-18: The Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB) instituted inter partes review in IPR2025-01267.
• 2026-03-30: The Petitioner and Patent Owner jointly moved to terminate the IPR proceeding, including withdrawing a pending request for director review, stating that they had reached a settlement resolving their dispute regarding the '025 patent. This settlement also encompassed the Patent Owner's assertion of the '025 patent in related district court litigation. Additionally, the settlement covered other related IPRs challenging U.S. Patent Nos. 8,803,836 and 9,250,758 (IPR2025-01245 and -01246), and patents at issue in IPR2024-01130, -01131, -01132, and -01133 (BOE Tech Group Ltd. v. Optronic Sciences LLC). The parties concurrently filed a joint motion to seal the settlement agreement as business confidential information.
• 2026-04-07: The PTAB granted the joint motion to terminate IPR2025-01267, along with IPR2025-01245 and IPR2025-01246, citing that good cause existed due to the settlement reached between the Petitioner and Patent Owner. The Board also granted the request to treat the settlement and license agreement as business confidential information and keep it separate from the public files.

Related District Court Litigation:

While the provided case caption is for an IPR, the settlement documents explicitly state that the agreement resolved "Patent Owner's assertion of the '025 patent in the related district court litigation." This indicates that an infringement suit involving patent 11,126,025 and these parties was ongoing in a district court. However, the specific details regarding the filing, pleadings, motions, and other milestones of this related district court case, such as the court, case number, and specific dates of filings, are not available in the provided search results. Therefore, a comprehensive chronological list of developments for the district court litigation cannot be provided.

Overall Outcome:

The entire dispute between BOE Technology Group Co., Ltd. and Paneltouch Technologies LLC, encompassing IPR2025-01267 and related district court litigation concerning U.S. Patent No. 11,126,025 (and other patents), was concluded through a confidential settlement agreement. The IPR was terminated by the PTAB on April 7, 2026, as a result of this settlement. The parties stated they did not anticipate further litigation between them concerning the '025 patent.

Counsel for Petitioner BOE Technology Group Co., Ltd. in IPR2025-01267

Based on available public information, Yongqi Zhang is identified as in-house counsel for Petitioner BOE Technology Group Co., Ltd. in IPR2025-01267. This IPR, challenging U.S. Patent No. 11,126,025, concluded in a settlement between BOE Technology Group Co., Ltd. and Patent Owner Paneltouch Technologies LLC.

In-House Counsel:

• Name: Yongqi Zhang
• Role: IP Counsel
• Firm: BOE Technology Group Co., Ltd.
• Office Location: Not specified in the provided documents, but BOE Technology Group Co., Ltd. is based in Beijing, China.
• Note on Experience: Ms. Zhang has served as IP Counsel at BOE Technology Group Co., Ltd. since 2015 and was involved in the preparation and filing of IPR2025-01267, as well as related IPRs, IPR2025-01245 and IPR2025-01246.

Outside Counsel:

The specific outside counsel of record representing BOE Technology Group Co., Ltd. in IPR2025-01267 could not be definitively identified from the publicly available search results. While documents such as a "Joint Motion to Terminate Proceeding" and a "Joint Motion to File Settlement Agreement as Business Confidential Information" for IPR2025-01267 name BOE Technology Group Co., Ltd. as the Petitioner, they do not list the associated outside attorneys or law firms. Similarly, a "Notice of Accorded Filing Date" for IPR2025-01267 outlines the general requirements for designating lead and back-up counsel but does not name the specific practitioners.

It is standard practice for petitioners in Inter Partes Review proceedings to designate lead and back-up counsel, often including external law firms, in their initial filings such as the Petition for Inter Partes Review and a Power of Attorney. However, these specific documents for IPR2025-01267, which would contain the names of outside counsel, were not retrievable through the conducted web searches.

Paneltouch Technologies LLC, the Patent Owner in IPR2025-01267, was represented by attorneys from Russ August & Kabat. This firm frequently acts as plaintiff-side counsel in patent litigation.

The counsel of record for Paneltouch Technologies LLC included:

• Marc A. Fenster (Lead Counsel)
  • Firm: Russ August & Kabat
  • Marc Fenster is a named partner at Russ August & Kabat and is known for his extensive experience in patent litigation, particularly representing patent owners and frequently litigating against large technology companies.
• Paul A. August (Back-up Counsel)
  • Firm: Russ August & Kabat
  • Paul August is a founding partner of Russ August & Kabat with a focus on intellectual property litigation.
• Adam B. Amer (Back-up Counsel)
  • Firm: Russ August & Kabat
  • Adam Amer is an attorney at Russ August & Kabat with experience in patent litigation.
• Kent N. Slaback (Back-up Counsel)
  • Firm: Russ August & Kabat
  • Kent Slaback is an attorney at Russ August & Kabat, focusing on intellectual property and patent litigation.