Litigation summary

U.S. Patent 9,089,770 has been the subject of multiple legal disputes, including district court litigations and administrative challenges at the Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB). Below is a summary of the known litigation and PTAB proceedings involving this patent.

District Court Litigation

1. Ironburg Inventions Ltd. v. Valve Corporation

• Plaintiff: Ironburg Inventions Ltd.
• Defendant: Valve Corporation
• Jurisdiction: Initially filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Georgia, then transferred to the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington.
• Case Numbers: 1:15-cv-04219 (Northern District of Georgia), 2:17-cv-01182 (Western District of Washington).
• Filing Date: December 3, 2015 (in the Northern District of Georgia).
• Outcome/Status: The litigation, which also involved other related patents, proceeded to a jury trial. In February 2021, a jury in the Western District of Washington found that Valve had willfully infringed on Ironburg's patents, including U.S. Patent 9,089,770, and awarded Ironburg approximately $4 million in damages. The case has seen extensive post-trial motions and appeals to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, primarily focusing on the related U.S. Patent 8,641,525, with rulings on issues such as IPR estoppel.

2. Ironburg Inventions Ltd. v. Collective Minds Gaming Co. Ltd.

• Plaintiff: Ironburg Inventions Ltd.
• Defendant: Collective Minds Gaming Co. Ltd.
• Jurisdiction: U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Georgia.
• Case Number: 1:16-cv-04110.
• Filing Date: 2016.
• Outcome/Status: This patent infringement action involved U.S. Patent 9,089,770 along with several other related patents. Court documents indicate a claims construction order was issued in June 2018. The case was ultimately terminated, reportedly due to a settlement between the parties.

Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB) Proceedings

U.S. Patent 9,089,770 has also been challenged through Inter Partes Review (IPR) proceedings, which are trials conducted at the PTAB to review the patentability of claims.

1. IPR2016-00949

• Petitioner: Valve Corporation
• Patent Owner: Ironburg Inventions Ltd.
• Filing Date: April 22, 2016.
• Outcome/Status: Valve Corporation filed this IPR petition challenging the claims of U.S. Patent 9,089,770. The PTAB issued a final written decision in this proceeding.

2. IPR2017-00137

• Petitioner: Valve Corporation
• Patent Owner: Ironburg Inventions Ltd.
• Filing Date: October 25, 2016.
• Outcome/Status: This was another IPR petition filed by Valve Corporation against U.S. Patent 9,089,770. This proceeding was terminated before a final written decision was issued due to a settlement between the parties.

3. IPR2018-00356

• Petitioner: Collective Minds Gaming Co. Ltd.
• Patent Owner: Ironburg Inventions Ltd.
• Filing Date: January 3, 2018.
• Outcome/Status: This IPR was filed by Collective Minds. The PTAB instituted the trial, but the proceeding was terminated after a settlement was reached between the parties.