PTAB challenges

Proceedings overview

There is currently one active AIA trial proceeding on US Patent 9318609. The proceeding, IPR2026-00130, is currently in the "Trial Instituted" status. This means that at least some claims of the patent are being reviewed for patentability, and the patent's validity is currently being challenged.

IPR2026-00130 — Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company Limited v. Marlin Semiconductor Ltd

• Type: Inter Partes Review
• Filed: 2025-11-14
• Status: Trial Instituted (as of 2026-05-05)
• Judge panel: Not yet publicly available.
• Petition grounds: Not yet publicly available.
• Institution decision: Instituted. The specific date of institution is not available, but the status was last modified on 2026-05-05, indicating trial has been instituted. The reasoning for institution is not yet publicly available but typically involves the PTAB finding a reasonable likelihood that the petitioner would prevail with respect to at least one challenged claim.
• Final Written Decision (if issued): Not yet issued, as the proceeding is active and in trial.
• Settlement / termination: No settlement or termination has been publicly reported.
• Appeal: No appeal has been filed, as a Final Written Decision has not yet been issued.
• Defensive value: This active IPR proceeding indicates that the patentability of US9318609 is currently being challenged. A defendant facing assertion of this patent should closely monitor the progress of IPR2026-00130, as a Final Written Decision invalidating claims could significantly weaken the patent owner's position.

Strategic summary

As of the current date, US Patent 9318609 has one active Inter Partes Review, IPR2026-00130, initiated by Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company Limited. This proceeding is currently in the trial phase, meaning that the patentability of at least some claims is under review. The specific claims challenged and the prior art asserted are not yet publicly detailed in the provided information. Therefore, it is currently unknown which claims are specifically at risk of being canceled or sustained. All claims of the patent are currently considered untested by a Final Written Decision from the PTAB.

The estoppel landscape is not yet fully defined as there has been no Final Written Decision. If claims are ultimately invalidated in IPR2026-00130, Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company Limited (and its privies) would be estopped from raising any ground that they raised or reasonably could have raised in that IPR. However, other potential defendants would not be subject to this estoppel and would retain the ability to challenge the patent on any available prior art grounds.

There is no discernible pattern of multiple IPRs filed by the same petitioner, nor is there information on whether the patent owner has aggressively pursued PTAB appeals. The petitioner, Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company Limited, is a large operating company in the semiconductor industry, which suggests a strategic interest in challenging the patent.

Recommended next steps

The IPR2026-00130 proceeding is active and in the trial stage. A Final Written Decision is typically due one year from the institution date. Therefore, it is crucial to monitor the PTAB E2E system for updates, including the institution decision details (which will outline the specific claims challenged and grounds), any subsequent orders, and ultimately the Final Written Decision. The institution decision date is not explicitly provided, but given the "last modified" date of 2026-05-05, the one-year deadline for the Final Written Decision would likely fall around May 2027.

The PTAB E2E portal for this proceeding can be found at: https://portal.unifiedpatents.com/ptab/case/IPR2026-00130. This portal will contain all public documents related to the IPR, including the petition, institution decision, and ultimately the Final Written Decision.