PTAB challenges

Proceedings overview

One Inter Partes Review (IPR) proceeding, IPR2026-00280, is currently on file for US patent 12401720 and is in pending status. This means no claims have been invalidated or sustained by the PTAB yet. For a defendant, this indicates the patent claims are still fully intact from a PTAB perspective, but an active challenge is underway.

IPR2026-00280 — Amazon.com Services LLC et al. v. May Patents Ltd

• Type: Inter Partes Review
• Filed: 2026-03-23
• Status: Pending — The proceeding has been filed and is awaiting a decision on institution by the Patent Trial and Appeal Board.
• Judge panel: Information regarding the specific judge panel is not yet publicly available for this pending proceeding.
• Petition grounds: Specific claims, prior art, and statutory bases (§ 102 / § 103 / § 112) for the petition are not available in the provided overview and require access to the petition document itself.
• Institution decision: As of 2026-05-29, an institution decision has not yet been issued. The statutory deadline for the Board to issue a decision on whether to institute the IPR is generally six months from the filing date of the petition, which would be around 2026-09-23.
• Final Written Decision: Not applicable; the proceeding is pending.
• Settlement / termination: Not applicable; the proceeding is pending.
• Appeal: Not applicable; the proceeding is pending.
• Defensive value: This proceeding represents an active challenge to US12401720. While no claims have been invalidated, the fact that Amazon.com Services LLC et al. have filed an IPR suggests they believe there are strong grounds to challenge the patent's validity. A defendant facing assertion should monitor this IPR closely, especially the institution decision.

Strategic summary

Currently, all claims of US12401720 are untested by a final PTAB decision. The single IPR, IPR2026-00280, is pending an institution decision, meaning no claims have been canceled or sustained through this process yet. Therefore, the patent remains in its originally granted form from a PTAB outcome perspective.

Regarding the estoppel landscape, since IPR2026-00280 is still pending institution, there is no estoppel yet under 35 U.S.C. § 315(e)(2). If the IPR is instituted, the petitioner (Amazon.com Services LLC et al.) and its privies would be estopped from asserting in district court or the ITC that a claim is invalid on any ground that the petitioner raised or reasonably could have raised during the IPR. For other potential defendants, prior art grounds remain available unless they are in privity with Amazon.com Services LLC et al.

The presence of Amazon.com Services LLC et al. as the petitioner is a significant signal, as large operating companies often file IPRs with substantial resources and well-developed prior art arguments. May Patents Ltd. is listed as the patent owner. The current situation does not yet show a pattern of multiple IPR filings on this specific patent, nor does it indicate any PTAB appeals or involvement of defensive aggregators.

Recommended next steps

• Monitor IPR2026-00280 closely: The next critical milestone for this proceeding is the institution decision, which is anticipated around 2026-09-23. This decision will indicate whether the PTAB believes Amazon.com Services LLC et al. has a reasonable likelihood of prevailing on at least one challenged claim.
• Review the petition: If you are a defendant, obtaining and reviewing the petition filed by Amazon.com Services LLC et al. for IPR2026-00280 is crucial. This will reveal the specific claims being challenged, the prior art references cited, and the arguments being made, which can inform your own defensive strategy.
• Assess prior art: Independently assess the prior art cited in the IPR petition and consider if there are other, even stronger, prior art references that could be used in an IPR, particularly if the current IPR is denied institution or if its claims are sustained.
• Consider joining or intervening: Depending on your specific situation and alignment with Amazon.com Services LLC et al.'s interests, explore options to join or intervene in IPR2026-00280, if permissible and strategically advantageous.