Sable Networks Inc.Download PDFPatent Trials and Appeals BoardFeb 11, 2021IPR2021-00061 (P.T.A.B. Feb. 11, 2021) Copy Citation Trials@uspto.gov Paper 12 571-272-7822 Entered: February 11, 2021 UNITED STATES PATENT AND TRADEMARK OFFICE ____________ BEFORE THE PATENT TRIAL AND APPEAL BOARD ____________ CISCO SYSTEMS, INC., PALO ALTO NETWORKS, INC., HEWLETT PACKARD ENTERPRISE COMPANY and ARUBA NETWORKS, INC., Petitioner, v. SABLE NETWORKS, INC., Patent Owner. ____________ IPR2021-00061 (Patent 8,085,775 B1) IPR2021-00166 (Patent 8,817,790 B2)1 ____________ Before GARTH D. BAER, SCOTT B. HOWARD, and JULIET MITCHELL DIRBA, Administrative Patent Judges. BAER, Administrative Patent Judge. DECISION Granting Joint Motions to Terminate Proceeding Due to Settlement before Institution and Granting Joint Requests to Treat Settlement Agreements as Business Confidential Information 37 C.F.R. § 42.74 1 This Order applies to both proceedings. The parties are not authorized to use this style heading for any subsequent papers. IPR2021-00061 (Patent 8,085,775 B1) IPR2021-00166 (Patent 8,817,790 B2) 2 I. INTRODUCTION Petitioner and Patent Owner have requested that the above-identified inter partes review proceedings be terminated pursuant to a settlement. On February 4, 2021, the parties filed a Joint Motion of All Parties to Terminate in each of the above-identified proceedings (“Joint Motion”). Paper 9.2 The parties previously sought authorization to file the joint motions and received authorization on February 1, 2021. Joint Motion 2. The parties also filed a settlement agreement (Paper 113) and a Joint Request to Treat Settlement Information as Business Confidential Information and Keep Separate (Paper 10, “Joint Request”) in each of the above-identified proceedings. II. DISCUSSION In the Joint Motions, the parties represent that they have reached an agreement to jointly seek termination of these inter partes review proceedings, that the filed copies of the settlement agreements are true and correct copies, and there are no other collateral agreements or understandings made in connection with, or in contemplation of, the termination of these proceedings. Joint Motion 1–5. The parties also represent that their disputes have been resolved. Joint Motion 2. We have not yet instituted a trial on the above-identified proceedings. 2 For expediency, we cite to the Papers filed in IPR2021-00061, unless otherwise indicated. Similar Papers were filed in IPR2021-00166. 3 Although labeled as Exhibit 2001, the settlement agreement was filed as Paper 11 in IPR2021-00061. The parties are reminded that evidences such as the settlement agreement must be filed as exhibits. See 37 C.F.R. § 42.63(a) (“Evidence consists of affidavits, transcripts of depositions, documents, and things. All evidence must be filed in the form of an exhibit.”). The settlement agreement was filed as Exhibit 2001 in IPR2021- 00166. IPR2021-00061 (Patent 8,085,775 B1) IPR2021-00166 (Patent 8,817,790 B2) 3 Nor have we decided the merits of the proceedings, and final written decisions have not been entered in the proceedings. The parties have shown adequately that termination of the proceedings is appropriate. Under these circumstances, we determine that good cause exists to terminate the proceedings with respect to the parties. The parties also requested that the settlement agreements be treated as business confidential information and be kept separate from the files of the patents involved in these proceedings. Joint Request 1. After reviewing the settlement agreements, we find that the settlement agreements contain confidential business information regarding the terms of settlement. We determine that good cause exists to treat the settlement agreements between the parties as business confidential information pursuant to 35 U.S.C. § 317(b) and 37 C.F.R. § 42.74(c). This Order does not constitute a final written decision pursuant to 35 U.S.C. § 318(a). III. ORDER Accordingly, for the reasons discussed above, it is: ORDERED that the Joint Motions to Terminate are granted, and each of IPR2021-00061 and IPR2021-00166 is terminated with respect to Petitioner and Patent Owner; and FURTHER ORDERED that the Joint Requests are granted, and the settlement agreements shall be kept separate from the respective files of Patents 8,085,775 B1 and 8,817,790 B2 and made available only to Federal Government agencies on written request, or to any person on a showing of good cause, pursuant to 35 U.S.C. § 317(b) and 37 C.F.R. § 42.74(c). IPR2021-00061 (Patent 8,085,775 B1) IPR2021-00166 (Patent 8,817,790 B2) 4 For PETITIONER: Patrick McPherson Patrick Muldoon DUANE MORRIS LLP PDMcpherson@duanemorris.com pcmuldoon@duanemorris.com Jonathan Tuminaro Michael Specht Daniel Block STERNE, KESSLER, GOLDSTEIN & FOX, P.L.L.C. jtuminar-ptab@sternekessler.com mspecht-ptab@sternekessler.com dblock-ptab@sternekessler.com Tiffany Miller James Heintz DLA PIPER LLP (US) tiffany.miller@dlapiper.com For PATENT OWNER: Kenneth Weatherwax Patrick Maloney Jason Linger LOWENSTEIN & WEATHERWAX LLP weatherwax@lowensteinweatherwax.com maloney@lowensteinweatherwax.com linger@lowensteinweatherwax.com Copy with citationCopy as parenthetical citation