Unified Patents v. Evolution Malta Ltd

This case involves an Inter Partes Review (IPR) proceeding, IPR2025-01073, before the Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB) of the USPTO. The petitioner, Unified Patents, is a membership-based organization focused on deterring unsubstantiated or invalid patent assertions, particularly those by Non-Practicing Entities (NPEs), and improving patent quality across various technology sectors. Unified Patents achieves its goals through activities such as analytics, prior art searches, and filing post-grant challenges like IPRs against patents it believes are unpatentable or invalid. The patent owner, Evolution Malta Ltd, is an operating company within the larger Evolution Gaming Group, a leading provider of business-to-business (B2B) online casino solutions, including live dealer games.

The patent at issue is US Patent 10629024, titled "Systems, methods, and media for immersive roulette gaming." This patent generally describes receiving video data from image sensors, detecting a ball on a roulette wheel, obtaining motion data, determining if the ball is about to fall into a pocket, and producing slow-motion images in response to that determination. The procedural posture of this case is an IPR before the PTAB, a specialized administrative court within the USPTO that reviews the patentability of claims in an issued patent. The IPR was instituted on the petition filed by Unified Patents, meaning the PTAB found a reasonable likelihood that at least one of the challenged claims is unpatentable.

This case is notable because it involves Unified Patents, known for challenging patents, often those held by NPEs, now targeting a patent owned by a prominent operating company in the online gaming industry. While Unified Patents primarily focuses on NPE deterrence, their mission also encompasses improving overall patent quality and challenging patents they deem invalid, regardless of the owner's operating status. Evolution Malta Ltd has previously been involved in patent infringement litigation, both as a plaintiff (e.g., against Light & Wonder Inc. over its "Lightning Roulette" game) and as a defendant (sued by Jumbo Technology for alleged infringement related to "dynamic raised odds" features). This IPR thus represents a direct challenge to the validity of one of Evolution Malta Ltd's patents in a context where the company has demonstrated an active interest in patent enforcement and defense within the competitive online casino technology market.

Key Legal Developments and Outcome for IPR2025-01073

This report details the legal developments for Inter Partes Review (IPR) proceeding IPR2025-01073, filed against US Patent 10,629,024, before the Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB). While the initial case metadata listed Unified Patents as the petitioner, research indicates that Light & Wonder Inc. is the actual petitioner in this IPR. Evolution Malta Ltd remains the patent owner. This IPR is part of a series of challenges by Light & Wonder Inc. against Evolution Malta Ltd's patents.

1. Parallel District Court Litigation (Pre-IPR Filing)

• 2024-05-28: Evolution Malta Limited, along with other Evolution entities, filed a patent infringement lawsuit against Light & Wonder, Inc. and LNW Gaming, Inc. in the U.S. District Court for the District of Nevada, case number 2:24-cv-00993. The asserted patents included US 10,629,024, US 11,011,014, and US 11,756,371.
• 2025-02-11: U.S. District Judge Cristina D. Silva dismissed Evolution's lawsuit, ruling that the asserted patents (including 10,629,024) were invalid under 35 U.S.C. § 101, finding them directed to abstract concepts rather than patent-eligible innovations. The court granted Evolution the opportunity to amend its complaint.

2. IPR Filing and Institution

• 2025-05-30: Light & Wonder Inc. filed the Inter Partes Review petition IPR2025-01073 challenging U.S. Patent 10,629,024. This was one of three IPRs filed by Light & Wonder Inc. against Evolution Malta Ltd on the same day, targeting patents also at issue in the parallel district court litigation. The other IPRs were IPR2025-01072 (challenging US 11,011,014) and IPR2025-01078 (challenging US 11,756,371).
• 2025-12-16: The PTAB instituted IPR2025-01073. The other related IPRs, IPR2025-01072 and IPR2025-01078, were instituted on 2025-12-17 and 2025-12-19, respectively. The institution of these IPRs occurred after the district court's initial dismissal of the related infringement claims.

3. Current Posture

• As of the current date (2026-05-18), IPR2025-01073 is in the "Pending - Instituted" phase. No Final Written Decision has been issued. The proceeding is ongoing before the PTAB.

Unified Patents, as a petitioner in Inter Partes Review (IPR) proceedings, typically utilizes its in-house legal team for these challenges. While specific counsel of record for IPR2025-01073 Unified Patents v. Evolution Malta Ltd has not been explicitly identified in the provided search results, the following attorneys are regularly listed as in-house counsel for Unified Patents and have extensive experience in PTAB proceedings:

• Ellyar Barazesh

  • Role: Senior Patent Counsel
  • Firm: Unified Patents (Washington, DC)
  • Relevant Experience: Prepares and litigates post-grant proceedings before the PTAB for Unified Patents. Prior to joining Unified, he practiced at Stoel Rives LLP and Wilmer, Cutler, Pickering, Hale, and Dorr LLP, focusing on post-grant proceedings and district court litigation. He also has experience in patent prosecution and developing non-infringement and invalidity opinions, and previously worked as a Patent Examiner at the USPTO. Ellyar Barazesh was listed as counsel of record for Unified Patents in IPR2023-00584.

• Roshan Mansinghani

  • Role: In-house Counsel / Senior Patent Counsel
  • Firm: Unified Patents (Washington, DC)
  • Relevant Experience: Identified as in-house counsel for Unified Patents in ex parte reexamination proceedings. He was also listed as counsel of record for Unified Patents in IPR2023-00584.

• T.J. Murphy

  • Role: In-house Counsel
  • Firm: Unified Patents (Washington, DC)
  • Relevant Experience: Represented Unified Patents as in-house counsel in an ex parte reexamination, demonstrating involvement in post-grant challenges.

• Jessica L.A. Marks

  • Role: Senior Patent Counsel
  • Firm: Unified Patents (Washington, DC)
  • Relevant Experience: Prepares and litigates post-grant proceedings before the PTAB for Unified Patents. Before joining Unified, Jess practiced at Finnegan, Henderson, Farabow, Garret & Dunner, LLP for over ten years, litigating post-grant proceedings, district court cases, and International Trade Commission proceedings. She also has experience in licensing negotiations, patent prosecution, due diligence, and opinions on patent infringement, validity, and freedom-to-operate.

• Alyssa Holtslander

  • Role: Senior Patent Counsel
  • Firm: Unified Patents (Washington, DC)
  • Relevant Experience: Prepares and litigates post-grant proceedings before the PTAB for Unified Patents. Previously, she practiced at Finnegan, Henderson, Farabow, Garret & Dunner, LLP for over ten years, providing intellectual property services in post-grant proceedings, ITC proceedings, district court litigations, due diligence, patent prosecution, and opinions.

• Jordan Rossen

  • Role: Senior Patent Counsel
  • Firm: Unified Patents (Washington, DC)
  • Relevant Experience: Prepares and litigates post-grant proceedings before the PTAB for Unified Patents. His prior experience includes eleven years in intellectual property litigation departments at Ropes & Gray and Paul Hastings in Washington, DC.

• David Seastrunk

  • Role: Senior Patent Counsel
  • Firm: Unified Patents (Washington, DC)
  • Relevant Experience: Prepares and litigates post-grant proceedings before the PTAB for Unified Patents. He previously practiced at Finnegan, Henderson, Farabow, Garrett & Dunner, LLP, focusing on post-grant proceedings, district court cases, ITC investigations, patent prosecution, and client counseling.

• Michelle Callaghan

  • Role: Senior Patent Counsel
  • Firm: Unified Patents (Washington, DC)
  • Relevant Experience: Prepares and litigates post-grant proceedings before the PTAB for Unified Patents. Prior to Unified, she practiced at Erise IP, defending clients against patent demands in district courts, challenging patents before the PTAB, and preparing opinions on patent validity and infringement across various technologies.

• Jung Hahm

  • Role: Senior Patent Counsel
  • Firm: Unified Patents (Washington, DC)
  • Relevant Experience: Prepares and litigates PTAB patent review proceedings for Unified Patents. Before joining Unified, he practiced at Amster, Rothstein & Ebenstein LLP for over 16 years, concentrating on PTAB trial practice, patent litigation, patent preparation and prosecution, non-infringement, validity, patentability and freedom-to-operate studies, patent portfolio management, and licensing.

• Michelle Aspen

  • Role: Counsel
  • Firm: Unified Patents (Chevy Chase, MD)
  • Relevant Experience: Listed as counsel of record for Unified Patents in IPR2023-00584.

It is important to note that Unified Patents operates as a "deterrence entity" and is not a law firm that creates attorney-client relationships with its members. Its activities are independent and not based on the interests of any particular member. The listed attorneys are in-house counsel for Unified Patents, handling its IPR challenges as part of its mission to improve patent quality and deter unsubstantiated assertions.

Evolution Malta Ltd, the patent owner in IPR2025-01073, is represented by attorneys from Sidley Austin LLP and Spencer Fane LLP.

Specifically, the following attorneys are listed in related proceedings where Evolution Malta Ltd (or Evolution Malta Limited) is a party:

• Ching-Lee Fukuda (Lead Counsel)

  • Firm: Sidley Austin LLP
  • Office Location: Not specified in search results, but Sidley Austin has numerous offices globally, including major US cities.
  • Note: Ms. Fukuda is listed as counsel for Evolution Malta Ltd in Evolution Malta Limited et al v. Light & Wonder, Inc. et al (2:24-cv-00993).

• Thomas A. Broughan, III (Counsel)

  • Firm: Sidley Austin LLP
  • Office Location: Not specified.
  • Note: Mr. Broughan is listed as counsel for Evolution Malta Ltd in Evolution Malta Ltd v. Light & Wonder Inc (2:24-cv-00993).

• Sharon Lee (Counsel)

  • Firm: Sidley Austin LLP
  • Office Location: Not specified.
  • Note: Ms. Lee is listed as counsel for Evolution Malta Ltd in Evolution Malta Limited et al v. Light & Wonder, Inc. et al (2:24-cv-00993).

• Joshua J. Fougere (Counsel)

  • Firm: Sidley Austin LLP
  • Office Location: Not specified.
  • Note: Mr. Fougere is listed as counsel for Evolution Malta Ltd in Evolution Malta Limited et al v. Light & Wonder, Inc. et al (2:24-cv-00993).

• Morgan Mendicino (Counsel)

  • Firm: Sidley Austin LLP
  • Office Location: Not specified.
  • Note: Ms. Mendicino is listed as counsel for Evolution Malta Ltd in Evolution Malta Ltd v. Light & Wonder Inc (2:24-cv-00993).

• Elizabeth McLean (Counsel)

  • Firm: Sidley Austin LLP
  • Office Location: Not specified.
  • Note: Ms. McLean is listed as counsel for Evolution Malta Ltd in Evolution Malta Ltd v. Light & Wonder Inc (2:24-cv-00993).

• Jason D Smith (Counsel)

  • Firm: Spencer Fane LLP
  • Office Location: Not specified.
  • Note: Mr. Smith is listed as counsel for Evolution Malta Limited in Evolution Malta Limited et al v. Light & Wonder, Inc. et al (2:24-cv-00993).

• Nicholas J Santoro (Counsel)

  • Firm: Spencer Fane LLP
  • Office Location: Not specified.
  • Note: Mr. Santoro is listed as counsel for Evolution Malta Limited in Evolution Malta Limited et al v. Light & Wonder, Inc. et al (2:24-cv-00993).

It is important to note that the provided search results specifically cite a related district court case (Evolution Malta Ltd v. Light & Wonder Inc, 2:24-cv-00993) and other IPRs (IPR2025-01072, IPR2025-01078) for the attorney information, rather than IPR2025-01073 directly. While it is highly probable that the same counsel would represent Evolution Malta Ltd in IPR2025-01073 given the related patents and parties, a direct docket entry for IPR2025-01073 explicitly naming counsel for Evolution Malta Ltd was not found in the provided snippets.