`By:
`
`Joseph E. Palys
`Paul Hastings LLP
`875 15th Street NW
`Washington, DC 20005
`Telephone: (202) 551-1996
`Facsimile: (202) 551-0496
`E-mail: josephpalys@paulhastings.com
`
`
`
`
`
`Paper No.
`Filed: November 3, 2014
`
`Naveen Modi
`Paul Hastings LLP
`875 15th Street NW
`Washington, DC 20005
`Telephone: (202) 551-1990
`Facsimile: (202) 551-0490
`E-mail: naveenmodi@paulhastings.com
`
`
`UNITED STATES PATENT AND TRADEMARK OFFICE
`
`
`
`
`
`BEFORE THE PATENT TRIAL AND APPEAL BOARD
`
`
`
`
`
`MICROSOFT CORP. and APPLE INC.1
`Petitioner
`v.
`VIRNETX INC.
`Patent Owner
`
`
`
`Case IPR2014-00403
`Patent 7,987,274
`
`
`
`
`
`Patent Owner’s Response
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`1 Case IPR2014-00483 has been joined with this case.
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`Case No. IPR2014-00403
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`I.
`II.
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`Table of Contents
`Introduction ...................................................................................................... 1
`Claim Construction .......................................................................................... 2
`A.
`“VPN Communication Link” (Claims 1, 2, and 11-14 ) ....................... 4
`1.
`A “VPN Communication Link” Does Not Exist Outside
`of a Virtual Private Network ....................................................... 5
`A VPN Requires Direct Communication .................................... 9
`2.
`A VPN Requires a Network of Computers ...............................14
`3.
`“Secure Domain (Name) Service” (Claims 1, 17) ..............................15
`B.
`“Tunnel Packeting” (Claim 13) ...........................................................18
`C.
`“Client Computer” (Claim 15 ) ...........................................................20
`D.
`“Access Request Message” (Claim 1) .................................................23
`E.
`“Secure Network Address” (Claims 1, 6, 7, 8, 10, and 17) ................24
`F.
`III. Provino Does Not Anticipate Claims 1, 7, 8, 10, 12, 13, 15, and 17 ............24
`A.
`Provino’s Disclosure ...........................................................................24
`B.
`Provino Does Not Disclose “Sending a Query Message From a
`First Network Device to a Secure Domain Service, the Query
`Message Requesting From the Secure Domain Service a Secure
`Network Address For a Second Network Device” .............................27
`1.
`The Specification of the ’274 Patent Disclaims
`Conventional Domain Name Servers Like Provino’s
`Nameserver 32 ..........................................................................27
`VirnetX Disclaimed Provino’s Nameserver 32 from
`Being a “Secure Domain Service” ............................................33
`Provino’s Nameserver 32 Is Not a “Secure Domain
`Service” Even Under Petitioners’ Construction .......................34
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`2.
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`3.
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`i
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`Case No. IPR2014-00403
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`C.
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`2.
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`3.
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`Provino Does Not Disclose “Sending an Access Request
`Message from the First Network Device to the Secure Network
`Address Using a Virtual Private Network Communication
`Link” ....................................................................................................36
`1.
`Provino’s Message Packets to Server 31(s) Do Not
`Disclose the “Access Request Message” Feature .....................37
`The Proceeding Should Be Terminated Because the
`Petition Is Deficient ..................................................................38
`Provino’s Request to Set up the Tunnel Does Not
`Disclose the “Access Request Message” Feature .....................39
`Provino Does Not Anticipate Dependent Claims 12 and 13 ..............41
`D.
`Provino Does Not Anticipate Dependent Claim 17 ............................43
`E.
`Remaining Dependent Claims 7, 8, 10, 12, 13, and 15 .......................44
`F.
`IV. Provino in View of Kosiur Does Not Render Obvious Claims 2-5 ..............45
`V.
`Provino in View of Xu Does Not Render Obvious Claim 18 .......................47
`VI. Conclusion .....................................................................................................47
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`ii
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`Case No. IPR2014-00403
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`Table of Authorities
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` Page(s)
`
`Federal Cases
`In re Abbott Diabetes Care Inc.,
`696 F.3d 1142 (Fed. Cir. 2004) .................................................. 27, 28, 29, 30-31
`Apple Inc. v. VirnetX Inc.,
`IPR2014-00237, Paper No. 15 (May 15, 2013) .................................................. 10
`Apple Inc. v. VirnetX Inc.,
`IPR2014-00237, Paper No. 30 (Aug. 29, 2014) ................................................... 1
`Apple Inc. v. VirnetX Inc.,
`IPR2014-00481, Paper No. 11 (Sept. 3, 2014) ................................................... 35
`Apple Inc. v. VirnetX Inc.,
`IPR2014-00482, Paper No. 10 (Sept. 3, 2014) ................................................... 35
`AstraZeneca AB v. Hanmi USA, Inc.,
`554 F. App’x 912 (Fed. Cir. 2013) ..................................................................... 28
`AstraZeneca AB v. Mut. Pharm. Co.,
`384 F.3d 1333 (Fed. Cir. 2004) .................................................................... 27-28
`Diamond v. Diehr,
`450 U.S. 175 (1981) ............................................................................................ 40
`Garmin Int’l inc. v. Cuozzo Speed Tech, LLC,
`IPR2012-00001, Paper No. 15 (Jan. 9, 2013) ............................................... 12, 33
`Grober v. Mako Prods., Inc.,
`686 F.3d 1335 (Fed. Cir. 2012) .......................................................................... 11
`Idle Free Sys., Inc. v. Bergstrom, Inc.,
`IPR2012-00027, Paper No. 26 (June 11, 2013) .............................................. 3, 39
`Institut Pasteur & Universite Pierre Et Marie Curie v. Focarino,
`738 F.3d 1337 (Fed. Cir. 2013) .......................................................................... 46
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`iii
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`Table of Authorities
`(continued)
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`Case No. IPR2014-00403
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` Page(s)
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`Jonsson v. Stanley Works,
`903 F.2d 812 (Fed. Cir. 1990) ............................................................................ 34
`Krippelz v. Ford Motor Co.,
`667 F.3d 1261 (Fed. Cir. 2012) .......................................................................... 11
`In re Kumar,
`418 F.3d 1361 (Fed. Cir. 2005) .......................................................................... 46
`Microsoft Corp. v. Multi–Tech Sys., Inc.,
`357 F.3d 1340 (Fed. Cir. 2004) .......................................................................... 34
`Microsoft Corp. v. VirnetX Inc.,
`IPR2014-00610, Paper No. 9 (Oct. 15, 2014) .................................................... 20
`Motorola Solutions, Inc. v. Mobile Scanning Techs., LLC,
`IPR2013-00093, Paper No. 28 (Apr. 29, 2013) ............................................ 12, 33
`In re Robertson,
`169 F.3d 743 (Fed. Cir. 1999) ...................................................................... 37, 44
`ScentAir Techs., Inc. v. Prolitec, Inc.,
`IPR2013-00179, Paper No. 9 (Apr. 16, 2013) .............................................. 38-39
`In re Skvorecz,
`580 F.3d 1262 (Fed. Cir. 2009) ............................................................................ 3
`Star Scientific, Inc. v. RJ Reynolds Tobacco Co.,
`655 F.3d 1364 (Fed. Cir. 2011) .......................................................................... 46
`Tempo Lighting, Inc. v. Tivoli, LLC,
`742 F.3d 973 (Fed. Cir. 2014) ................................................................ 10, 11, 34
`VirnetX, Inc. v. Cisco Sys., Inc.,
`767 F.3d 1308 (Fed. Cir. 2014) .................................................................... 12-13
`VirnetX Inc. v. Cisco Systems, Inc. et al.,
`Case No. 6:10-CV-417 (E.D. Tex. Dec. 7, 2011) ................................................. 9
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`iv
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`Table of Authorities
`(continued)
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`Case No. IPR2014-00403
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` Page(s)
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`VirnetX Inc. v. Microsoft Corp.,
`Case No. 6:07-CV-80 (E.D. Tex. Jul. 30, 2009) .............................................. 8, 9
`Wang Labs., Inc. v. Am. Online, Inc.,
`197 F.3d 1377 (Fed. Cir. 1999) .......................................................................... 34
`Xilinx, Inc. v. Intellectual Ventures I LLC,
`IPR2013-00112, Paper No. 14 (June 27, 2013) ............................................ 12, 33
`In re Yamamoto,
`740 F.2d 1569 (Fed. Cir. 1984) ...................................................................... 3, 13
`ZTE Corp. & ZTE (USA) Inc. v. ContentGuard Holdings Inc.,
`IPR2013-00134, Paper No. 12 (June 19, 2013) ............................................ 12, 33
`Federal Statutes
`35 U.S.C. § 112(d) ..................................................................................................... 8
`35 U.S.C. § 314 .................................................................................................. 38, 39
`35 U.S.C. § 316(e) ..................................................................................................... 1
`Federal Regulations
`37 C.F.R. § 42.108 ................................................................................................... 38
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`v
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`I.
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`Case No. IPR2014-00403
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`Introduction
`Because the Petitioners, Microsoft and Apple, have not carried their “burden
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`of proving . . . unpatentability by a preponderance of the evidence,” Patent Owner
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`VirnetX Inc. requests that the Board enter judgment against Petitioners and
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`terminate this proceeding. 35 U.S.C. § 316(e).
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`The Board instituted inter partes review (Paper No. 13, the “Decision”) of
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`U.S. Patent No. 7,987,274 (“the ’274 patent”) based on Microsoft’s petition in
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`IPR2014-00403 (Paper No. 4).2 The Board also joined Apple’s petition in
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`IPR2014-00483 (Paper No. 1 in IPR2014-00483)3 on the “grounds that are
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`2 Microsoft filed with its petition a declaration by Michael Fratto (Ex. 1029)
`
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`that discusses references the Board did not institute upon and thus is not relevant
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`here. To the extent it is deemed relevant, his testimony should be accorded no
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`weight at least because he is not one of ordinary skill and has displayed a bias
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`against VirnetX’s patents. (See Apple Inc. v. VirnetX Inc., IPR2014-00237, Paper
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`No. 30 at 1-8 (Aug. 29, 2014); Ex. 2043, Deposition of Michael Fratto in IPR2014-
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`00237.)
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`
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`3 Apple filed with its petition in IPR2014-00483, a declaration by Dr. Roch
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`Guerin (Ex. 1011 in IPR2014-00483), that it did not file in this proceeding despite
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`an order by the Board. Even if it had, however, any contentions raised in that
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`identical to those presented and instituted in the ’403 proceeding.”4 Paper No. 11
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`at 5 in IPR2014-00483. Specifically, the Board instituted review of the ’274 patent
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`on 3 grounds: (1) anticipation of claims 1, 7, 8, 10, 12, 13, 15, and 17 by Provino;
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`(2) obviousness of claims 2-5 over Provino in view of Kosiur; and obviousness of
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`claim 18 over Provino in view of Xu. (Decision at 3.) However, Provino alone or
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`in combination does not anticipate nor render obvious the claims at issue.
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`Accordingly, VirnetX respectfully submits this Response to the Board’s Decision
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`and the Petition and requests this proceeding be terminated.
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`II. Claim Construction
`The Petition identified seven terms for construction. The Decision provided
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`constructions for three of the seven terms and for one term not identified by the
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`parties for construction. VirnetX responds to the terms construed in the Decision
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`and addresses two other terms, “client computer” and “secure domain (name)
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`service,” that are material to the parties’ dispute and should be construed.
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`declaration would fail for at least the same reasons provided in this response and
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`also because the declaration discusses a different patent.
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`4 Microsoft’s petition in IPR2014-00403 and Apple’s petition in IPR2014-
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`00483 are hereinafter referred to as the “Petition.” Any citations to the “Petition”
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`refer to Microsoft’s petition in IPR2014-00403.
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`2
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`Although VirnetX’s constructions represent
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`the broadest reasonable
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`interpretation (“BRI”) of the claims in light of the specification and prosecution
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`history, in inter partes review, the Board should apply the claim construction
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`standard applied by the courts, especially given the litigations and prosecution
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`histories of patents in the same family as the ’274 patent. The BRI standard “is
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`solely an examination expedient, not a rule of claim construction.” In re Skvorecz,
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`580 F.3d 1262, 1267-68 (Fed. Cir. 2009). It is justified during the examination
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`process because applicant has the opportunity to amend the claims during
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`prosecution. In re Yamamoto, 740 F.2d 1569, 1571 (Fed. Cir. 1984).
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`As the Board has noted, however, inter partes review is not an examination
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`but is “more adjudicatory than examinational, in nature.” Idle Free Sys., Inc. v.
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`Bergstrom, Inc., IPR2012-00027, Paper No. 26 at 6 (June 11, 2013). The ability to
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`amend claims during inter partes review is so severely restricted that the rationale
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`underpinning the BRI—the ability to freely amend claims—does not apply,
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`especially given the litigations and prosecution histories of patents in the same
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`patent family as the ’274 patent. As a result, to the extent the Board would have
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`adopted a narrower construction under the courts’ claim construction standard than
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`it has adopted here, it should adopt the narrower construction because the BRI
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`standard should not apply to this proceeding.
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`3
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`Case No. IPR2014-00403
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`A.
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`“VPN Communication Link” (Claims 1, 2, and 11-14 )
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`VirnetX’s Proposed
`Construction
`
`Microsofi’s Proposed
`Construction
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`Board’s Construction
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`A communication path
`between computers in a
`virtual private network
`
`Any communication link A transmission path
`between two end points in between two devices that
`a Virtual private network
`restricts access to data,
`addresses, or other
`information on the path,
`generally using
`obfuscation methods to
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`hide infonnation on the
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`path, including, but not
`limited to, one or more of
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`authentication,
`encryption, or address
`hopping
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`The Decision preliminarily construed “VPN communication link” to mean
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`“a transmission path between two devices that restricts access to data, addresses, or
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`other information on the path, generally using obfuscation methods to hide
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`information on the path,
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`including, but not
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`limited to, one or more of
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`authentication, encryption, or address hopping.”
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`(Decision at 9.) VimetX
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`disagrees with this construction, but only addresses the construction to the extent it
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`materially affects the parties’ disputes_5 Specifically, the Decision also notes that a
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`5 Any disagreements with the Decision’s construction not addressed here
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`that VimetX discussed in its Preliminary Response, such as the lack of a
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`requirement that the VPN communication link provide security over an insecure
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`communication path and whether the obfuscation techniques other than encryption
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`“VPN communication link” may be satisfied by “a link that merely connects to a
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`virtual private network.” (Id. at 8.) VirnetX disagrees with the Decision’s
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`assessment. Further, because the “VPN communication link” must be in a VPN, it
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`must incorporate the “direct communication” and “network” aspects of the VPN
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`that are disclosed in the ’274 patent specification. Accordingly, the Board should
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`modify its construction to include these aspects of a “VPN communication link.”
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`1.
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`A “VPN Communication Link” Does Not Exist Outside of a
`Virtual Private Network
`The Decision states that a “VPN communication link” may be satisfied by “a
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`link that merely connects to a virtual private network.” (Decision at 8.) This is
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`premised on a misinterpretation of the ’274 specification and claims 1 and 11.
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`Reading the specification together with the claims discloses that a VPN
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`communication link is a communication path between computers in a virtual
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`private network—not simply a link that is tangential to a virtual private network.
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`As explained in the ’274 patent, a VPN communication link does not exist
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`outside of a virtual private network. When a secure domain name service (SDNS)
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`identified in the Board’s construction are characteristics of a VPN communication
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`link, do not appear to be relevant to the parties’ disputes, so VirnetX does not
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`separately address them. VirnetX similarly does not address arguments that
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`Petitioners made, but that the Decision did not discuss or adopt.
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`5
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`receives a query for a secure network address, it “accesses VPN gatekeeper 3314
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`for establishing a VPN communication link between software module 3309 [at the
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`querying computer 3301] and secure server 3320.” (Ex. 1001 at 47:38-40; Ex.
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`2041 at ¶ 15, Monrose Decl.) Then, “VPN gatekeeper 3314 provisions computer
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`3301 and secure web server computer 3320 . . . thereby creating the VPN” between
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`the devices. (Ex. 1001 at 47:41-44; Ex. 2041 at ¶ 15, Monrose Decl.)6 Notably,
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`secure server 3320 “can only be accessed through a VPN communication link.”
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`(Ex. 1001 at 47:40-41; Ex. 2041 at ¶ 15, Monrose Decl.)
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`The VPN communication link is initiated to send an access request message
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`between the querying computer 3301 and secure server 3320. (Ex. 1001 at 47:66-
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`48:1, Ex. 2041 at ¶ 16, Monrose Decl.) “Further communication between
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`computers 3301 and 3320 occurs via the VPN” through the VPN communication
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`link. (Ex. 1001 at 48:4-6; Ex. 2041 at ¶ 16, Monrose Decl.)
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`In other words, the VPN communication link and the virtual private network
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`arise contemporaneously and exist between the same devices. (Ex. 2041 at ¶ 17,
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`Monrose Decl.) Figure 33, depicted below, reflects this. As shown, VPN
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`communication link 3321 traverses the unsecured public network, Internet 3302 to
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`connect computer 3301 with secure server 3320. Thus, the VPN communication
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`link is more than a simple connection to a VPN.
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`6 All emphasis is added except where otherwise noted.
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`6
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`Claims 1 and 11 are consistent with the ’274 patent’s description. Claim 1
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`recites that the access request message is sent “using a virtual private network
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`communication link.” (Ex. 2041 at ¶ 18, Monrose Decl.)
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`Claim 11 refers to instances in which the virtual private network
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`communication link may need to be automatically re-initiated following the last
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`step in claim 1. (Ex. 2041 at ¶ 19, Monrose Decl.) As the ’274 patent explains, its
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`inventions are directed to increasing security for communication over the internet
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`by “business travellers” and other remote users. (Ex. 1001 at 3:7-9, 3:13; Ex. 2041
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`at ¶ 19, Monrose Decl.) Given the nature of this type of access, the ’274 patent
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`contemplates that in some instances, a transmission path may fail or a “transmitter
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`shut-down event” may occur. (Ex. 1001 at 36:15-19, “FIG. 22B shows steps that
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`can be executed to shut down transmission links where a transmitter turns off. In
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`step 2210, a transmitter shut-down event occurs. In step 2211, a test is made to
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`determine whether at least one transmitter is still turned on,” 35:39-48; Ex. 2041 at
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`¶ 19, Monrose Decl.) If so, “all packets are dropped until a transmitter turns on.”
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`(Ex. 1001 at 36:19-20; Ex. 2041 at ¶ 19, Monrose Decl.) Under claim 11, once “at
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`least one transmitter is turned on,” the virtual private network communication link
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`may automatically initiate without repeating the steps of claim 1. (See Ex. 1001 at
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`36:20-23; see also id. at 39:26-44; Ex. 2041 at ¶ 19, Monrose Decl.) To instead
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`conclude, as the Decision does, that claim 11 alters the plain meaning and scope of
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`claim 1, would be contrary to 35 U.S.C. § 112(d)’s requirement that “[a] claim in
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`dependent form shall be construed to incorporate by reference all the limitations of
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`the claim to which it refers.”
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`VirnetX’s adversaries and their experts agree that a VPN communication
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`link refers to a link in a virtual private network. Microsoft and Apple both
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`construe VPN communication link as “any communication link between two end
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`points in a virtual private network.” (Pet. at 10.) Outside of the Patent Office, in
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`district court, Microsoft proposed a similar construction requiring the link to be in
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`a virtual private network. (Ex. 1016 at 25, Memorandum Opinion in VirnetX Inc.
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`v. Microsoft Corp., Case No. 6:07-CV-80 (E.D. Tex. Jul. 30, 2009), a
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`“communication link in a virtual private network.”) There, the court relied on its
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`construction of VPN, finding it unnecessary to separately construe VPN
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`communication link, suggesting that a VPN communication link is not separate
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`from a VPN. (Id. at 25-26.)
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`Thus, parties and courts have universally understood that a VPN
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`communication link exists in the VPN.
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`A VPN Requires Direct Communication
`2.
`The Decision does not address the portion of VirnetX’s construction
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`requiring computers within a VPN to communicate directly. In its Preliminary
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`Response, VirnetX explained that during reexamination of the ’135 patent,
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`VirnetX distinguished its claims over a prior art reference by describing ordinary
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`VPNs as requiring direct communication. (See Paper No. 9 at 14.) In district
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`court, Apple and other defendants described VirnetX’s statements as a “clear
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`mandate to the Patent Office that computers in a ‘virtual private network’
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`communicate directly with each other, and that absent direct communication
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`between the computers, there is no virtual private network.” (Ex. 1067 at 5,
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`Defendants’ Responsive Claim Construction Brief in VirnetX Inc. v. Cisco
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`Systems, Inc. et al., Case No. 6:10-CV-417 (E.D. Tex. Dec. 7, 2011), (“the ’417
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`litigation”).) Given VirnetX’s statements, the district court found disclaimer and
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`required the claimed VPN to include direct communication. (Ex. 1018 at 6-8,
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`Memorandum Opinion and Order in the ’417 litigation (E.D. Tex. Apr. 25, 2012).)
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`Case No. IPR2014-00403
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`In a proceeding on a related patent, the Board declined to apply disclaimer,
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`relying on Tempo Lighting, Inc. v. Tivoli, LLC, 742 F.3d 973 (Fed. Cir. 2014), for
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`the notion that the Board need not adopt a disclaimer. See Apple Inc. v. VirnetX
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`Inc., IPR2014-00237, Paper No. 15 at 8 (May 15, 2013). One significant
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`difference in Tempo Lighting, however, is that it involved reexamination where
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`amending claims is a realistic option unlike motions to amend in inter partes
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`review that are subject to much tighter constraints. Despite having a greater
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`opportunity to amend—the Office’s alleged basis for applying the broadest
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`reasonable interpretation and more heavily scrutinizing disclaimers—the Federal
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`Circuit still did apply the disclaimer in Tempo Lighting. 742 F.3d at 978. In inter
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`partes review, where the opportunity to amend is severely restricted, the Office
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`should even more liberally recognize disclaimers.
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`Setting aside the reexamination vs. inter partes review distinction, the
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`circumstances of the disclaiming remarks in Tempo Lighting were similar to those
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`present here. There, the PTO had requested that the patentee rewrite the claims.
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`The patentee did so, and as part of that process, made the disclaiming remarks.
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`Tempo Lighting, 742 F.3d at 978. Similarly here, VirnetX’s disclaiming comments
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`were provided in response to the examiner’s broadening of the claim via claim
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`construction. The only difference between the two cases is that in Tempo Lighting
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`10
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`Case No. IPR2014-00403
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`the PTO gave the applicant the option of rewriting the claim as opposed to
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`effectively rewriting the claim itself.
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`VirnetX’s disclaimer may also be applied despite the fact that the
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`reexamination in which those statements were made is ongoing. In Tempo
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`Lighting, the Federal Circuit endorsed a disclaimer from an ongoing proceeding.
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`742 F.3d 973, 978 (Fed. Cir. 2014). This case is in accord with other Federal
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`Circuit cases finding that statements in ongoing reexaminations may be used to
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`construe claims. See Grober v. Mako Prods., Inc., 686 F.3d 1335, 1342 (Fed. Cir.
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`2012) (finding no disclaimer due to ambiguous statements, but confirming that
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`statements made in an ongoing, pending reexamination are relevant to claim
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`construction if unambiguous).
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` The ongoing nature of the reexamination
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`proceeding is not a basis for declining to apply a disclaimer.
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`In addition, disclaimer is especially applicable where, as here, there is no
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`ambiguity. See Krippelz v. Ford Motor Co., 667 F.3d 1261, 1266-67 (Fed. Cir.
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`2012) (unambiguous statements in reexamination amounted to disclaimer).
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`Among other things, VirnetX stated that the reference Aventail does not “disclose
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`a VPN because computers connected according
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`to Aventail do not
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`communicate directly with each other.” (Ex. 2036 at 7, Response to Office Action
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`in Control No. 95/001,269 (Apr. 15, 2010); see also Ex. 1067 at 5, Defendants’
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`Responsive Claim Construction Brief in the ’417 litigation.)
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`11
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`Case No. IPR2014-00403
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`Apple and other parties have all agreed that VirnetX’s statements are clear,
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`unambiguous, and result in disclaimer. (Id. at 5-7, “VirnetX unequivocally argued
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`that Aventail does not disclose a VPN because it does not teach direct
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`communication between computers.”) There is no reason the Board should find
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`any differently here. Indeed, the Board has relied on prosecution history
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`statements in construing claims in numerous other inter partes reviews. See, e.g.,
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`Garmin Int’l inc. v. Cuozzo Speed Tech, LLC, IPR2012-00001, Paper No. 15 at 8
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`(Jan. 9, 2013); Motorola Solutions, Inc. v. Mobile Scanning Techs., LLC, IPR2013-
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`00093, Paper No. 28 at 10 (Apr. 29, 2013); ZTE Corp. & ZTE (USA) Inc. v.
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`ContentGuard Holdings Inc., IPR2013-00134, Paper No. 12 at 16 (June 19, 2013);
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`Xilinx, Inc. v. Intellectual Ventures I LLC, IPR2013-00112, Paper No. 14 at 6 (June
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`27, 2013).
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`Furthermore, the Federal Circuit noted that virtual private network and
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`secure communication links require direct communication.7 It stated that the
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`district court’s construction of VPN is “a network of computers which privately
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`and directly communicate with each other by encrypting traffic on insecure paths
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`between the computers where the communication is both secure and anonymous.”
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`7 VirnetX has filed a request for rehearing or rehearing en banc with respect
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`to a different aspect of
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`the Federal Circuit’s construction of “secure
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`communication link.”
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`Case No. IPR2014-00403
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`VirnetX, Inc. v. Cisco Sys., Inc., 767 F.3d 1308, 1317 n.1 (Fed. Cir. 2014). Based
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`on that construction, the Federal Circuit held that a secure communication link
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`similarly requires “a direct communication link . . . .” Id. at 1319.
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`The Board should not dismiss the Federal Circuit’s ruling simply because it
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`applied a different claim construction standard. As the Federal Circuit has
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`explained, the application of the BRI standard is premised on “[a]n applicant’s
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`ability to amend his claims to avoid cited prior art [which] distinguishes
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`proceedings before the PTO from proceedings in federal district courts on issued
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`patents.” In re Yamamoto, 740 F.2d 1569, 1572 (Fed. Cir. 1984). But, as
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`discussed above, this ability is severely restricted in inter partes review
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`proceedings, refuting the need for the broader standard in this case. (See supra
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`Section II.) Considerations of judicial efficiency and judicial comity further
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`support consideration of the Federal Circuit’s claim construction ruling. Where, as
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`here, both a district court and the Federal Circuit have addressed a construction—
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`and the Federal Circuit’s reasoning in Yamamoto is largely inapplicable—the
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`Board should apply that construction.
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`Accordingly, the Board should modify its construction to include direct
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`communication.
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`A VPN Requires a Network of Computers
`3.
`The Decision does not address the portion of VirnetX’s construction of VPN
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`(and thus VPN communication link) requiring a “network of computers.” Instead,
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`the Decision concludes that a virtual private network communication link may be
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`satisfied by nothing more than a “path between two devices.” (Decision at 9.) The
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`Decision’s construction eliminates the “network” from a virtual private network
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`and a virtual private network communication link. (Ex. 2041 at ¶ 20, Monrose
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`Decl.)
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`Consistent with the plain meaning of a VPN communication link, the link
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`must exist in a VPN and therefore must be between computers in a network. (Ex.
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`2041 at ¶ 21, Monrose Decl.) In describing a VPN, the ’274 patent refers to the
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`“FreeS/WAN” project, which has a glossary of terms. (Ex. 1001 at 39:22 and
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`bibliographic data showing references cited.) The FreeS/WAN glossary defines a
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`VPN as “a network which can safely be used as if it were private, even though
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`some of its communication uses insecure connections. All traffic on those
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`connections is encrypted.” (Ex. 2025 at 24, Glossary for the Linux FreeS/WAN
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`Project.) According to this glossary, a VPN includes at least the requirement of a
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`“network of computers.” (Ex. 2041 at ¶ 21, Monrose Decl.)
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`The specification further describes a VPN as including multiple “nodes.”
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`(See, e.g., Ex. 1001 at 16:59-63, referring to “each node in the network” and
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`“vastly increasing the number of distinctly addressable nodes,” 21:36, “nodes on
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`the network”; see also id. 19:17-19, 24:27.) More specifically, the network allows
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`“[e]ach node .
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`.
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`. to communicate with other nodes in the network.” (Ex. 1001 at
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`16:63-65; Ex. 2041 at 1] 22, Monrose Decl_) So a device within a VPN is able to
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`communicate with the other devices Within that same VPN.
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`(Ex. 2041 at 1] 22,
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`Monrose Decl_)
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`In addition, the specification distinguishes point-to-point queries
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`from those carried on a VPN communication link, stating that they occur “without
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`using an administrative VPN communication link.” (See, e.g., Ex. 1011 at 47:53-
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`54, 47:57-60; Ex. 2041 at 1] 22, Monrose Decl_)
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`For at least these reasons,
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`the Board should modify its construction to
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`require a VPN communication link to be Within a VPN and include the “direct
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`communication” and “network” characteristics disclosed in the ’274 patent.
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`B.
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`“Secure Domain (Name) Service” (Claims 1, 17)
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`VimetX’s Proposed
`Construction
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`Petitioners’ Proposed
`Construction
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`Board’s Construction
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`domain name
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`A lookup service that
`recognizes that a query
`message is requesting a
`secure computer address,
`and returns a secure
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`A service that can resolve No construction
`secure computer network
`addresses for a secure
`domain name for which a
`conventional domain
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`computer network address name service cannot
`for a requested secure
`resolve addresses
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`The Decision finds that the “parties do not disagree materially about” the
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`construction for “secure domain (name) service” (“SDNS”), and concludes that
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`“[i]t is not necessary to construe explicitly” the term “secure domain (name)
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`service.” (Decision at 11.) VirnetX respectfully disagrees.
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`Microsoft’s proposed construction, for example, incorrectly does not require
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`“recogniz[ing] that a query message is requesting a secure computer address.”
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`(Pet. at 12-14; see also Paper No. 9 at 25-27.) This is a material issue. As
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`discussed below, the primary prior art reference in this proceeding, Provino, fails
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`to disclose a “secure domain (name) service,” as claimed, at least in part because it
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`does not disclose any device that recognizes that a query message is requesting a
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`secure computer network address.
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`To the contrary, VirnetX has disclaimed secure domain services that do not
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`perform this recognition. During the now-completed inter partes reexamination of
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`USPN 7,188,180 (“the ’180 patent”), the grandparent of the ’274 patent, VirnetX
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`unambiguously stated:
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`A secure domain name service is not a domain name
`service