Litigation summary

Aggressive Enforcement Campaign by VPR Brands LP Leads to Numerous Lawsuits Over U.S. Patent 8,205,622

VPR Brands LP, the current assignee of U.S. Patent 8,205,622, has engaged in a significant and ongoing litigation campaign to enforce its intellectual property rights. This patent, with a priority date of 2009, covers foundational "auto-draw" technology in which an electric airflow sensor activates the heating element in an e-cigarette or vaporizer. The company has stated its intent to vigorously enforce the patent and has identified and notified over 50 companies of potential infringement. The enforcement is being handled by law firms including SRIPLAW, P.A. and, as of April 2026, McAndrews, Held & Malloy. The strategy includes litigation in federal courts, proceedings before the Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB), and potential actions at the U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC).

A key factor in this enforcement campaign has been the successful defense of the patent's validity. The patent has survived at least two inter partes review (IPR) challenges at the PTAB.

• IPR2022-00299: A petition filed by Jupiter Research, LLC seeking to invalidate claims 13-18 was denied by the PTAB in a non-appealable decision on July 12, 2022. The board found Jupiter did not establish a reasonable likelihood that the claims were unpatentable.
• iMiracle IPR: A similar challenge by iMiracle was also defeated, with the PTAB upholding the validity of claims 13 through 18 on January 27, 2024.

These PTAB victories have solidified VPR Brands' position and cleared the way for its infringement lawsuits to proceed.

Known Litigation and Settlements:

VPR Brands has filed numerous lawsuits, many of which have resulted in settlements and licensing agreements. As of April 2026, VPR Brands reported having signed licensing agreements with over 17 parties.

Plaintiff(s)	Defendant(s)	Jurisdiction	Case Number	Filing Date	Outcome/Status
VPR Brands, LP	Jupiter Research, LLC	District of Arizona	Not specified in results	Not specified in results	Pending as of July 2022. The PTAB's decision to uphold the patent's validity allowed this case to proceed.
VPR Brands, LP	HQDTech USA LLC, NEPA 2 Wholesale, LLC	Southern District of Florida	Not specified in results	May 3, 2021	Settled in December 2021 for a total of $275,000. NEPA 2 Wholesale also entered into a licensing agreement.
VPR Brands, LP	PHD Marketing, Inc.	Central District of California	2:21-cv-03797	Not specified in results	Settled as of December 30, 2021. PHD Marketing agreed to pay $85,000 and was granted a non-exclusive license.
VPR Brands, LP	XL Vape LLC, VGOD Inc., and Saltnic LLC	Not specified in results	Not specified in results	Not specified in results	Settled for $155,000, as announced in March 2022. The defendants also received a non-exclusive license.
VPR Brands, LP	POP Vapor	Northern District of Georgia	Not specified in results	Not specified in results	Settled as of February 27, 2025. POP Vapor agreed to a $30,000 payment and a royalty of $0.05 per unit sold until the patent's expiration in 2030, in exchange for a non-exclusive license.
VPR Brands, LP	Shenzhen Fango Technology Co.	Northern District of Georgia	1:24-cv-01154	Not specified in results	Concluded via a stipulated dismissal without prejudice as of April 30, 2026. Each party bore its own costs, and VPR Brands can refile the claims.