ROBE LIGHTING S.R.O. v. Guangzhou Haoyang Electronic Co Ltd

This Inter Partes Review (IPR) proceeding, IPR2025-01016, involves two prominent global manufacturers in the professional lighting industry: Petitioner ROBE LIGHTING S.R.O. and Patent Owner Guangzhou Haoyang Electronic Co Ltd. ROBE LIGHTING S.R.O., based in the Czech Republic, is an operating company known for manufacturing high-quality moving lights and digital lighting products for entertainment, architectural, and themed environments. Guangzhou Haoyang Electronic Co Ltd, a China-based operating company also known by its brand TERBLY or Golden Sea, specializes in the research, development, manufacturing, and sales of stage entertainment lighting equipment, architectural lighting fixtures, and truss products. Neither party appears to be a non-practicing entity (NPE) or patent assertion entity (PAE); rather, they are direct competitors in the specialized lighting market.

The single patent at issue in this IPR is U.S. Patent No. 11,988,373, titled "Light Fixture with Self-Test Ability of Sealing." This patent generally describes a professional light fixture that incorporates an integrated system allowing it to perform a self-test of its environmental sealing integrity. Such a feature is crucial for maintaining the durability and performance of lighting equipment used in demanding outdoor or entertainment venues, protecting internal components from environmental factors like dust and moisture.

This case is currently pending before the Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB) of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office under case number IPR2025-01016, having been filed on June 13, 2025. The status indicates that the PTAB has already "Instituted" the review, meaning the Board found a reasonable likelihood that at least one challenged claim of the patent is unpatentable, allowing the trial to proceed. The PTAB serves as a critical administrative forum for challenging patent validity based on prior art, offering a potentially more efficient and cost-effective alternative to district court litigation. The case is notable as it represents a direct intellectual property dispute between two significant operating companies in the competitive professional lighting industry, highlighting the ongoing importance of patent challenges, such as IPRs, in managing competitive landscapes and innovation in specialized technology markets.

Patent Litigation: ROBE LIGHTING S.R.O. v. Guangzhou Haoyang Electronic Co Ltd (IPR2025-01016)

This case involves an Inter Partes Review (IPR) proceeding, IPR2025-01016, filed by ROBE LIGHTING S.R.O. challenging U.S. Patent No. 11,988,373, owned by Guangzhou Haoyang Electronic Co Ltd. The IPR was filed on June 13, 2025. The prompt indicates the IPR is "Pending - Instituted."

Key Legal Developments and Outcome:

Parallel PTAB IPR Proceedings:

• Filing of IPR: ROBE LIGHTING S.R.O. filed a petition for Inter Partes Review (IPR) against Guangzhou Haoyang Electronic Co Ltd on June 13, 2025, challenging U.S. Patent No. 11,988,373. The patent in question is titled "Light Fixture with Self-Test Ability of Sealing."

• Institution Decision (Status based on prompt): As of the current date (2026-05-19), the IPR is stated to be "Pending - Instituted." However, specific details regarding the date of the institution decision and the content of the order were not found in public search results. The year 2025 and early 2026 have seen significant changes in PTAB institution practices, with the USPTO Director consolidating authority over institution decisions, leading to an increase in summary denials in many IPR cases.

Absence of Parallel District Court Patent Infringement Litigation:

Despite comprehensive searches, no corresponding patent infringement litigation in a U.S. District Court involving U.S. Patent No. 11,988,373 and the specific parties, ROBE LIGHTING S.R.O. and Guangzhou Haoyang Electronic Co Ltd, could be identified. Therefore, no information regarding complaints, answers, counterclaims, pre-trial motions, claim construction, discovery, trial events, or final disposition from a district court case can be provided for this specific patent and these parties.

The current legal development is limited to the ongoing IPR proceeding at the PTAB.

The counsel of record representing ROBE LIGHTING S.R.O. (Petitioner) in IPR2025-01016 is:

• Name: Thomas L. Warden
• Role: Lead Counsel
• Firm: Muncy, Geissler, Olds & Lowe, P.C.
• Office Location: 125 S. Royal St. Alexandria, VA 22314
• Note on experience: Thomas L. Warden is a registered patent attorney with USPTO Reg. No. 47,165, appearing as lead counsel for the petitioner in this Inter Partes Review proceeding.

Despite multiple search attempts across various legal databases and the USPTO's public resources like P-TACTS and the Open Data Portal, the specific counsel of record representing Guangzhou Haoyang Electronic Co Ltd (Patent Owner) in IPR2025-01016 could not be definitively identified through publicly accessible web search results.

While searches provided general information about PTAB proceedings, power of attorney filings, and examples of counsel in other IPR cases (such as Brian W. Oaks of McDermott Will & Schulte LLP in IPR2025-01116), a direct docket entry or a Patent Owner's Power of Attorney for IPR2025-01016 listing the attorneys for Guangzhou Haoyang Electronic Co Ltd was not found.

In a live investigation, the next steps would involve direct access to the USPTO's Patent Trial and Appeal Case Tracking System (P-TACTS) using the IPR2025-01016 case number. This system is the official means for electronically filing legal documents with the PTAB, and a Patent Owner would typically file a Power of Attorney or appear through counsel in a Preliminary Response. Without direct access to the full docket details within P-TACTS, the counsel information for the defendant remains unconfirmed through public web searches.