Inter partes reexaminations of three patents on LCD backlighting technology

Finnegan requested inter partes reexaminations of three patents on LCD backlighting technology, which had been asserted against several firm clients in the Eastern District of Texas. Although one of the patents had been successfully litigated to jury verdict against another company, the patent owner settled with Finnegan’s clients after the reexaminations were initiated and the clients ceased participation in the ongoing inter partes reexaminations. Even without the participation of Finnegan’s clients, however, the USPTO adopted the multiple grounds of rejection Finnegan presented in the original requests for inter partes reexamination, requiring the patent owner to narrowly amend all 108 claims of the asserted patents.