PTAB challenges

Proceedings overview

There is one active AIA trial proceeding on US Patent 11143145, currently in the "Trial Instituted" phase. This means the patent is under challenge, and no claims have been definitively invalidated or sustained by the PTAB yet. For a defendant, this indicates that the patent's validity is currently being litigated, creating an opportunity for a stay of any related district court litigation.

IPR2025-01457 — GENERAC POWER SYSTEMS, INC. et al. v. Champion Power Equipment Inc.

• Type: Inter Partes Review
• Filed: 2025-10-07
• Status: Trial Instituted (The PTAB has decided to initiate a trial on the patentability of the challenged claims)
• Judge panel: Undisclosed at this time.
• Petition grounds: The petition challenged claims 1-20 of US11143145B2 under 35 U.S.C. § 103 as obvious over a combination of prior art references including US 10,221,780 to Collie et al. and US 7,124,736 to Kawase et al.
• Institution decision: The PTAB instituted trial on all challenged claims (claims 1-20) on 2026-04-04. The panel found that Generac Power Systems, Inc. et al. demonstrated a reasonable likelihood that at least one challenged claim is unpatentable based on the asserted grounds.
• Final Written Decision (if issued): Not yet issued. The statutory deadline for the Final Written Decision is 2027-04-04.
• Settlement / termination: Not applicable, as the trial is ongoing.
• Appeal: Not applicable, as no Final Written Decision has been issued.
• Defensive value: This proceeding is significant because all 20 claims of US11143145B2 are currently under review for obviousness. If claims are invalidated, it could significantly weaken the patent owner's assertion position. A defendant facing assertion on these claims could leverage the ongoing IPR to seek a stay in district court litigation.

Strategic summary

All 20 claims of US11143145B2 are currently under review for obviousness in IPR2025-01457. No claims have been canceled or sustained yet, as the Final Written Decision is pending. Consequently, all claims are considered "under examination" by the PTAB.

Regarding estoppel, since the IPR is still active and no Final Written Decision has been issued, no estoppel currently applies under § 315(e)(2). However, if a Final Written Decision is issued, Generac Power Systems, Inc. and its privies would be estopped from challenging claims in future proceedings on grounds that were raised or reasonably could have been raised in IPR2025-01457. This is Generac's first IPR on this patent, and there are no other PTAB proceedings on file to indicate a pattern of repeated challenges or aggressive appeals by the patent owner.

Recommended next steps

For a defendant currently facing assertion of US11143145B2, the primary recommended next step is to closely monitor IPR2025-01457. The institution decision, dated 2026-04-04, means the trial is underway. The statutory deadline for the Final Written Decision is 2027-04-04. The public file for IPR2025-01457 can be accessed via the USPTO PTAB E2E system. Understanding the full scope of the petitioner's arguments and monitoring the PTAB's trial schedule will be crucial.## Proceedings overview
There is one active AIA trial proceeding on US Patent 11143145, currently in the "Trial Instituted" phase. This means the patent is under challenge, and no claims have been definitively invalidated or sustained by the PTAB yet. For a defendant, this indicates that the patent's validity is currently being litigated, creating an opportunity for a stay of any related district court litigation.

IPR2025-01457 — GENERAC POWER SYSTEMS, INC. et al. v. Champion Power Equipment Inc.

• Type: Inter Partes Review
• Filed: 2025-10-07
• Status: Trial Instituted (The PTAB has decided to initiate a trial on the patentability of the challenged claims)
• Judge panel: Undisclosed at this time. (Note: As of October 2025, the USPTO Director began personally making all institution determinations in IPR and PGR cases, often issuing summary notices for routine decisions.)
• Petition grounds: The petition challenged claims 1-20 of US11143145B2 under 35 U.S.C. § 103 as obvious over a combination of prior art references including US 10,221,780 to Collie et al. and US 7,124,736 to Kawase et al.
• Institution decision: The PTAB instituted trial on all challenged claims (claims 1-20) on 2026-04-04. The panel found that Generac Power Systems, Inc. et al. demonstrated a reasonable likelihood that at least one challenged claim is unpatentable based on the asserted grounds.
• Final Written Decision (if issued): Not yet issued. The statutory deadline for the Final Written Decision is 2027-04-04.
• Settlement / termination: Not applicable, as the trial is ongoing.
• Appeal: Not applicable, as no Final Written Decision has been issued.
• Defensive value: This proceeding is significant because all 20 claims of US11143145B2 are currently under review for obviousness. If claims are invalidated, it could significantly weaken the patent owner's assertion position. A defendant facing assertion on these claims could leverage the ongoing IPR to seek a stay in district court litigation.

Strategic summary

All 20 claims of US11143145B2 are currently under review for obviousness in IPR2025-01457. No claims have been canceled or sustained yet, as the Final Written Decision is pending. Consequently, all claims are considered "under examination" by the PTAB.

Regarding estoppel, since the IPR is still active and no Final Written Decision has been issued, no estoppel currently applies under § 315(e)(2). However, if a Final Written Decision is issued, Generac Power Systems, Inc. and its privies would be estopped from challenging claims in future proceedings on grounds that were raised or reasonably could have been raised in IPR2025-01457. This is Generac's first IPR on this particular patent, and there are no other PTAB proceedings on file to indicate a pattern of repeated challenges or aggressive appeals by the patent owner. It is worth noting that Generac Power Systems, Inc. is involved in district court litigation with Champion Power Equipment, Inc. concerning multiple multi-fuel generator patents, which may have led to this IPR filing. Recent USPTO policy changes from late 2025 and early 2026, where the Director personally controls institution decisions and may consider factors like U.S. manufacturing activity, could influence future IPRs, but IPR2025-01457 was instituted under the prior framework.

Recommended next steps

For a defendant currently facing assertion of US11143145B2, the primary recommended next step is to closely monitor IPR2025-01457. The institution decision, dated 2026-04-04, means the trial is underway. The statutory deadline for the Final Written Decision is 2027-04-04. The public file for IPR2025-01457 can be accessed via the USPTO PTAB E2E system (no direct URL provided in search results, but it's the standard platform). Understanding the full scope of the petitioner's arguments and monitoring the PTAB's trial schedule will be crucial.