`Tel: 571-272-7822
`
`
`Paper 80
`Entered: September 19, 2019
`
`UNITED STATES PATENT AND TRADEMARK OFFICE
`____________
`
`BEFORE THE PATENT TRIAL AND APPEAL BOARD
`____________
`
`THE MANGROVE PARTNERS MASTER FUND, LTD. and APPLE INC.,
`Petitioner,
`
`v.
`
`VIRNETX INC.,
`Patent Owner.
`
`Case IPR2015-01046
`Patent 6,502,135 B1
`________________________________________
`
`THE MANGROVE PARTNERS MASTER FUND, LTD., APPLE INC.,
`and BLACK SWAMP IP, LLC,
`Petitioner,
`
`v.
`
`VIRNETX INC.,
`Patent Owner.
`
`Case IPR2015-01047
`Patent 7,490,151 B2
`________________________________________
`
`Before MICHAEL P. TIERNEY, Vice Chief Administrative Patent Judge,
`KARL D. EASTHOM and STEPHEN C. SIU, Administrative Patent
`Judges.
`
`EASTHOM, Administrative Patent Judge.
`
`
`REMAND SCHEDULE
`DISCOVERY MOTION and BRIEFING
`35 U.S.C. § 316(c) and 37 C.F.R. §§ 5, 42.51
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`IPR2015-01046, Patent 6,502,135 B1
`IPR2015-01047, Patent 7,490,151 B2
`
`
`In IPR2015-01046 (“’46IPR”), the Mangrove Partners Master Fund,
`Ltd. and Apple Inc. (collectively “Petitioner”) requested inter partes review
`of claims 1, 3, 4, 7, 8, 10, and 12 of U.S. Patent No. 6,502,135 B1 (“the ’135
`patent”). 1 The Board instituted reviews, conducted trials, and issued a Final
`Written Decision, holding claims 1, 2, 6–8, and 12–14 of the ’135 patent
`unpatentable. See ’46 IPR, Paper 71.
`In IPR2015-01047 (the “’47IPR”), the Mangrove Partners Master
`Fund, Ltd., Apple Inc., and Black Swamp IP, LLC (collectively “Petitioner”)
`requested inter partes review of claims 1, 2, 6–8, and 12–14 of U.S. Patent
`No. 7,490,151 B2 (“the ’151 patent”).2 The Board instituted reviews,
`conducted trials, and issued a Final Written Decision, holding claims 1, 2, 6–
`8, and 12–14 of the ’151 patent unpatentable. See ’47IPR, Paper 80.
`VirnetX Inc. (“Patent Owner”) appealed the Final Written Decision in
`
`each case. Pursuant to the appeal, the United States Court of Appeals for the
`Federal Circuit issued a decision vacating each Final Written Decision and
`remanding to consider an issue on the merits of unpatentability and to allow
`Patent Owner to file a motion for additional discovery to support its real
`party in interest contentions. See VirnetX Inc. v. The Mangrove Partners
`Master Fund, Ltd., Apple Inc., No 2017-1368, VirnetX Inc. v. The Mangrove
`Partners Master Fund, Ltd., Apple Inc., Black Swamp, No. 2017-1383, 2019
`WL 2912776 (Fed. Cir. July 8, 2019) (the “Remand”).
`
`
`1 Apple Inc. filed a petition in IPR2016-00062, and the Board joined it as a
`Petitioner in IPR2015-01046.
`2 Apple Inc. and Black Swamp IP, LLC respectively filed a petition in
`IPR2016-00063 and IPR2016-00167, and the Board joined each as a
`Petitioner in IPR2015-01047.
`
`2
`
`
`
`IPR2015-01046, Patent 6,502,135 B1
`IPR2015-01047, Patent 7,490,151 B2
`
`
`Pursuant to the Remand, during a teleconference, we instructed the
`parties to file a proposed briefing and discovery schedule and each party
`subsequently filed a respective schedule in each case. See ’46IPR, Papers
`78; ’46IPR, Paper 79; ’46IPR, Ex. 1047 (transcript of teleconference);
`’47IPR, Paper 87; ’47IPR, Paper 88; ’47IPR Ex. 1047 (same transcript).
`“The Board has established a goal to issue decisions on remanded
`cases within six months of the Board’s receipt of the Federal Circuit’s
`mandate. The mandate makes the judgment of the Federal Circuit final and
`releases jurisdiction of the remanded case to the Board.” PTAB Standard
`Operating Procedure 9, Procedure for Decisions Remanded from the Federal
`Circuit for Further Proceedings (Nov. 9, 2017) (“SOP 9”), available at
`https://usptogov.sharepoint.com/sites/bf319f98/Shared%20Documents/Form
`s/AllItems.aspx?FolderCTID=0x012000F14F79D244FFB74496C315D3702
`0EB04.
`The mandate for the Remand issued on August 14, 2019. See ’46IPR,
`Paper 78, 1. Accordingly, after reviewing the parties’ proposed schedules,
`the Board set the following schedule and page/word limits for discovery and
`briefing that shall apply to each case, such that the decision on remand may
`be completed by February 14, 2020 pursuant to SOP 9. Patent Owner bears
`the burden on its motion for discovery. Petitioner bears the ultimate burden
`on the real party in interest and unpatentability issues, and its opening brief
`(“Petitioner’s Brief”) should address both issues if Petitioner seeks
`consideration of each issue.3
`
`
`
`3 The Briefs shall follow the court’s guidance as set forth in the Remand.
`
`3
`
`
`
`IPR2015-01046, Patent 6,502,135 B1
`IPR2015-01047, Patent 7,490,151 B2
`
`
`REMAND SCHEDULING ORDER
`
`REMAND DUE DATE 1.............................................. September 27, 2019
`Patent Owner’s (“PO’s”) Motion for Additional Discovery
`(“Disc. Motion”) (15 pages)
`
`
`REMAND DUE DATE 2 .....................................................October 4, 2019
`Petitioner’s Opposition (“Opp.”) to PO’s Disc. Motion (15 pages)
`
`
`REMAND DUE DATE 3 ...................................................October 11, 2019
`PO’s Reply to Petitioner’s Opp. to PO’s Disc. Motion (5 pages)
`
`
`REMAND DUE DATE 4 .................................................November 8, 2019
`Close of Discovery (if Ordered)
`
`
`REMAND DUE DATE 5 ..................................................December 6, 2019
`Petitioner’s Brief (7,500 words)
`REMAND DUE DATE 6 …............................................December 20, 2019
`Patent Owner’s Opposition Brief (7,500 words)
`REMAND DUE DATE 7…................................................ January 6, 2020
`Petitioner’s Reply Brief (7,500 words)
`REMAND DUE DATE 8.................................................. January 17, 2020
` Patent Owner’s Sur-Reply Brief (7,500 words)
`REMAND DUE DATE 9.................................................. January 24, 2020
`Oral Hearing 10 AM Eastern Time
`U.S. Patent & Trademark Office in Alexandria, Virginia
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`4
`
`
`
`IPR2015-01046, Patent 6,502,135 B1
`IPR2015-01047, Patent 7,490,151 B2
`
`PETITIONER:
`Abraham Kasdan
`WIGGIN AND DANA LLP
`akasdan@wiggin.com
`
`James T. Bailey
`jtb@jtbaileylaw.com
`
`Jeffrey P. Kushan
`Scott M. Border
`SIDLEY AUSTIN LLP
`IPRNotices@sidley.com
`sborder@sidley.com
`
`
`
`PATENT OWNER:
`Joseph E. Palys
`Naveen Modi
`Daniel Zeilberger
`Chetan Bansal
`PAUL HASTINGS LLP
`josephpalys@paulhastings.com
`naveenmodi@paulhastings.com
`danielzeilberger@paulhastings.com
`chetanbansal@paulhastings.com
`
`5
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`