throbber
UNITED STATES PATENT AND TRADEMARK OFFICE
`___________________
`
`BEFORE THE PATENT TRIAL AND APPEAL BOARD
`___________________
`
`SIRIUS XM RADIO INC.,
`Petitioner,
`
`v.
`
`FRAUNHOFER-GESELLSCHAFT ZUR FÖRDERUNG DER
`ANGEWANDTEN FORSCHUNG E.V.,
`Patent Owner.
`___________________
`
`Case IPR2018-00690
`Patent No. 6,314,289
`___________________
`
`FRAUNHOFER’S PATENT OWNER PRELIMINARY RESPONSE
`
`Mail Stop “PATENT BOARD”
`Patent Trial and Appeal Board
`U.S. Patent and Trademark Office
`P.O. Box 1450
`Alexandria, VA 22313-1450
`
`10535920
`
`

`

`IPR2018-00690
`Patent No. 6,314,289
`
`TABLE OF CONTENTS
`
`III.
`
`I.
`II.
`
`Page
`INTRODUCTION ........................................................................................ 1
`THE PETITION IS DEFECTIVE BECAUSE IT FAILS TO
`NAME ALL REAL PARTIES-IN-INTEREST ........................................... 2
`Legal Standard .................................................................................... 4
`A.
`B.
`Factual and Procedural Background .................................................. 6
`C.
`SXM Holdings Is A Real Party-In-Interest ........................................ 7
`D.
`Liberty Is A Real Party-In-Interest .................................................. 23
`E.
`The Petition Must be Dismissed as Sirius XM Failed to
`Disclose All Real Parties-In-Interest Within the One-Year
`Bar Date ............................................................................................ 24
`THE PETITION IS DEFECTIVE BECAUSE IT WAS FILED
`OUTSIDE THE STATUTORY BAR PERIOD ......................................... 27
`IV. BACKGROUND OF THE ’289 PATENT ................................................ 33
`V.
`LEVEL OF ORDINARY SKILL ............................................................... 38
`VI. CLAIM CONSTRUCTION ....................................................................... 38
`Claim Construction Standard ........................................................... 38
`A.
`Petitioner Applied the Wrong Claim Construction Standard .......... 38
`B.
`C.
`Preambles are Limiting for Claims 10, 13, 27 and 31 ..................... 39
`VII. PRIOR ART ................................................................................................ 41
`A.
`Ground 1 Should Be Denied ............................................................ 41
`1.
`Chen and Campanella do not Disclose “the Second
`Number of Output Bits Includes Two Portions of
`
`10535920
`
`- i -
`
`

`

`IPR2018-00690
`Patent No. 6,314,289
`
`Page
`
`B.
`
`Output Bits, Each Portion of Output Bits Individually
`Allowing the Retrieval of Information Represented by
`the First Number of Input Bits” ............................................. 43
`The Petition Fails to Articulate Adequate Objective
`Rationale to Modify or Combine the References .................. 46
`Grounds 2 and 3 Should Be Denied ................................................. 50
`1.
`Petitioner Failed to Meet its Burden to Show
`Smallcomb Qualifies as Prior Art .......................................... 50
`Smallcomb is not Entitled to Claim Priority to its
`Provisional and, thus, is not Prior Art to the ’289
`Patent ...................................................................................... 53
`VIII. CONCLUSION ........................................................................................... 54
`
`2.
`
`2.
`
`10535920
`
`- ii -
`
`

`

`IPR2018-00690
`Patent No. 6,314,289
`
`TABLE OF AUTHORITIES
`
`Page(s)
`
`Cases
`Apple Inc. v. OpenTV, Inc.,
`IPR2015-00969, Paper No. 8 (Sep. 23, 2015) .................................................... 52
`Atlanta Gas Light Co. v. Bennett Regulator Guards, Inc.,
`IPR2013-00453, Paper No. 88 (Jan. 6, 2015) ......................................... 14, 15, 23
`Belden Inc. v. Berk-Tek LLC,
`805 F.3d 1064 (Fed. Cir. 2015) .......................................................................... 49
`Catalina Marketing International, Inc. v. Coolsavings.com, Inc.,
`289 F.3d 801 (Fed. Cir. 2002) ............................................................................ 41
`Cisco Sys., Inc. v. C-Cation Techs., LLC,
`IPR2014-00454, Paper No. 12 (Aug. 29, 2014) ................................................. 42
`Cordelia Lighting, Inc. v. Cooper Lighting, LLC,
`IPR2017-01860, Paper No. 15 (Feb. 14, 2018) .................................................. 53
`Cultec, Inc. v. Stormtech LLC,
`IPR2017-00526, Paper No. 14 (Jul. 17, 2017) ........................... 29, 30, 31, 32 , 33
`Daifuku Co., Ltd. et al. v. Murata Machinery, Ltd.,
`IPR2015-01538, Paper No. 11 (Jan. 19, 2016) ....................................... ......11, 22
`Dynamic Drinkware, LLC v. National Graphics, Inc.,
`800 F.3d 1375 (Fed. Cir. 2015) .............................................................. 51, 52, 54
`Eaton Corp. v. Rockwell Int’l Corp.,
`323 F.3d 1332 (Fed. Cir. 2003) .......................................................................... 39
`Fidelity Nat’l Info. Servs., Inc. v. Datatreasury Corp.,
`IPR2014-00489, Paper No. 9 (Aug. 13, 2014) ................................................... 42
`Galderma S.A. v. Allergan Industrie,
`IPR2014-01422, Paper No. 14 (Mar. 5, 2015) ............................................passim
`
`10535920
`
`- iii -
`
`

`

`IPR2018-00690
`Patent No. 6,314,289
`
`Intelligent Bio-Sys, Inc. v. Illumina Cambridge Ltd.,
`821 F.3d 1359 (Fed. Cir. 2016) .......................................................................... 47
`In re Kahn,
`441 F.3d 977 (Fed. Cir. 2006) ................................................................ 47, 48, 50
`Kingbright Elecs. Co. Ltd. v. Cree, Inc.,
`IPR2015-00751, Paper No. 8 (Aug. 10, 2015) ................................................... 49
`KSR Int’l Co. v. Teleflex Inc.,
`550 U.S. 398 (2007) ...................................................................................... 46, 47
`Marrin v. Griffin,
`599 F.3d 1290 (Fed. Cir. 2010) .......................................................................... 40
`Masterimage 3D, Inc. v. RealD Inc.,
`IPR2015-00035, Paper No. 79 (Apr. 20, 2016) ...................................... 51, 52, 53
`In re Nuvasive, Inc.,
`842 F.3d 1376 (Fed. Cir. 2016) .......................................................................... 47
`Panasonic Corp. v. Optical Devices, LLC,
`IPR2014-00302, Paper No. 9 (Jul. 11, 2014) ..................................................... 48
`Personal Web Techs., LLC v. Apple, Inc.,
`848 F.3d 987 (Fed. Cir. 2017) ............................................................................ 49
`Phillips v. AWH Corp.,
`415 F.3d 1303 (Fed. Cir. 2005) (en banc) .................................................... 38, 39
`Pitney Bowes, Inc. v. Hewlett-Packard Co.,
`182 F.3d 1298 (Fed. Cir. 1999) .......................................................................... 39
`Radware, Inc. v. F5 Networks, Inc.,
`IPR2017-01185, Paper No. 9 (Oct. 11, 2017) ........................................ 3, 4, 7, 18
`Samsung Elecs. Co., Ltd. v. Black Hills Media, LLC,
`IPR2014-00737, Paper No. 16 (Nov. 4, 2014) ................................................... 48
`Terremark North America LLC v. Joao Control & Monitoring Sys.,
`LLC,
`IPR2015-01482, Paper No. 10 (Dec. 28, 2015) ............................................ 27, 33
`
`10535920
`
`- iv -
`
`

`

`IPR2018-00690
`Patent No. 6,314,289
`
`Teva Pharms. USA Inc. v. Monosol RX, LLC,
`IPR2016-00281, Paper No. 21 (May 23, 2016) ............................................ 26, 33
`Zerto, Inc. v. EMC Corp.,
`IPR2014-01254, Paper No. 35 .......................................................................... 5, 7
`Zoll Lifecor Corp. v. Philips Elec. N. Am. Corp.,
`IPR2013-00606, Paper No. 13 (Mar. 10, 2014) ..........................................passim
`Statutes
`35 U.S.C. § 42.15(a) ................................................................................................ 31
`35 U.S.C. § 102(e) ................................................................................................ 1, 51
`35 U.S.C. § 103 .......................................................................................................... 1
`35 U.S.C. § 112 ........................................................................................................ 52
`35 U.S.C. § 312(a) ............................................................................................... 4, 25
`35 U.S.C. § 314(a) ................................................................................................... 54
`35 U.S.C. § 315(b) ............................................................................................passim
`Rules and Regulations
`37 C.F.R. § 42 ...................................................................................................passim
`Other Authorities
`77 Fed. Reg. 48,680, 48,689 (Aug. 14, 2012) ......................................................... 24
`Office Patent Trial Practice Guide, 77 Fed. Reg. 48,756
`(Aug. 14, 2012) ..................................................................................... 4, 5, 48, 50
`
`10535920
`
`- v -
`
`

`

`IPR2018-00690
`Patent No. 6,314,289
`
`EXHIBIT LIST
`
`Fraunhofer Ex.
`2001
`
`Fraunhofer Ex.
`2002
`Fraunhofer Ex.
`2003
`
`Fraunhofer Ex.
`2004
`
`Fraunhofer Ex.
`2005
`Fraunhofer Ex.
`2006
`Fraunhofer Ex.
`2007
`Fraunhofer Ex.
`2008
`Fraunhofer Ex.
`2009
`Fraunhofer Ex.
`2010
`Fraunhofer Ex.
`2011
`Fraunhofer Ex.
`2012
`Fraunhofer Ex.
`2013
`
`Executed Summons to Sirius XM Radio Inc., attaching
`Complaint for Patent Infringement, Dated February 22,
`2017
`Fraunhofer Complaint for Patent Infringement against
`Defendant Sirius XM Radio Inc., Filed February 22, 2017
`PTAB E2E Search Result for AIA Review Number:
`IPR2016-00690, https://ptab.uspto.gov/#/login (search
`“AIA Review #” for “IPR2016-00690”) (retrieved June 6,
`2018)
`PTAB E2E Search Result for AIA Review Number:
`IPR2016-00690, https://ptab.uspto.gov/#/login (search
`“AIA Review #” for “IPR2016-00690”) (retrieved April 18,
`2018)
`Sirius XM Holdings Inc., SEC Form 10-K for the year
`ended December 31, 2017, Filed January 31, 2018
`Sirius XM Holdings Inc., SEC Form 8-K, November 14,
`2013
`Pandora Media, Inc., SEC Schedule 13D, September 22,
`2017
`Pandora Media, Inc., SEC Joint Filing Agreement (Exhibit
`A) to Schedule 13D, September 22, 2017
`Sirius XM Holdings Inc., SEC Form 8-K, January 11, 2018
`
`Sirius XM Holdings Inc., Exhibit 10.1 to SEC Form 8-K,
`January 10, 2018 (Meyer Employment Agreement)
`Sirius XM Holdings Inc., SEC Form 8-K, January 14, 2014
`
`Sirius XM Holdings Inc., Exhibit 10.1 to SEC Form 8-K,
`January 10, 2014 (Donnelly Employment Agreement)
`Sirius XM Holdings Inc., SEC Form 10-K for the year
`ended December 31, 2016, Filed February 2, 2017
`
`10535920
`
`- vi -
`
`

`

`IPR2018-00690
` Patent No. 6,314,289
`
`Fraunhofer Ex.
`2014
`
`Fraunhofer Ex.
`2015
`
`Fraunhofer Ex.
`2016
`Fraunhofer Ex.
`2017
`
`Fraunhofer Ex.
`2018
`
`Fraunhofer Ex.
`2019
`
`Fraunhofer Ex.
`2020
`
`Fraunhofer Ex.
`2021
`
`Fraunhofer Ex.
`2022
`Fraunhofer Ex.
`2023
`
`Fraunhofer Ex.
`2024
`
`Fraunhofer Ex.
`2025
`
`Defendant Sirius XM Radio Inc.’s Corporate Disclosure
`Statement Pursuant to Rule 7.1 of the Federal Rules of
`Civil Procedure, April 25, 2017
`Erik Knutson v. Sirius XM Radio Inc., No. 12-cv-0418-
`AJB (S.D. Cal.), First Amended Class Action Complaint
`for Damages, Filed May 29, 2015
`Francis W. Hooker v. Sirius XM Radio Inc., No. 4:13-cv-3
`(E.D. Va.), Class Complaint, Filed January 4, 2013
`Yefim Elikman v. Sirius XM Radio Inc. and Career
`Horizons, Inc., No. 1:15-cv-02093 (N.D. Ill.), Second
`Amended Class Action Complaint, Filed April 1, 2015
`Anthony Parker v. Sirius XM Radio Inc., No. 8:15-cv-
`01710-JSM-EAJ (M.D. Fla), Class Action Complaint, Filed
`July 22, 2015
`Francis W. Hooker et al. v. Sirius XM Radio Inc., No. 4:13-
`cv-3 (E.D. Va.), Final Order Approving Settlement and
`Certifying the Settlement Class, Filed December 22, 2016
`Corporate Overview for Sirius XM Satellite Radio,
`retrieved from https://www.siriusxm.com/corporate?
`intcmp=GN_FOOTER_NEW_AboutSiriusXM_Corp on
`June 29, 2018
`Sirius XM Holdings Inc. Common Stock (SIRI) Real-Time
`Stock Quote, NASDAQ.com, retrieved from
`https://www.nasdaq.com/symbol/siri/real-time on June 29,
`2018
`Sirius XM Holdings Wikipedia Page, retrieved from
`https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sirius_XM_Holdings
`SIRI – Sirius XM Holdings Inc. Company Profile –
`CNNMoney.com, retrieved from https://money.cnn.com/
`quote/profile/profile.html?symb=SIRI on July 2, 2018
`Sirius XM Holdings Inc. (SIRI) Stock is Still Slipping,
`May 2, 2017, retrieved from https://investorplace.com
`/2017/05/sirius-xm-siri-stock-slipping/ on July 2, 2018
`Verizon to Buy Gogo? ‘Not so Fast,’ Macquarie Says,
`August 27, 2014, retrieved from https://finance.yahoo.com
`/news/verizon-buy-gogo-not-fast-151154614.html on July
`2, 2018
`
`10535920.11 05
`
`- vii -
`
`

`

`IPR2018-00690
`Patent No. 6,314,289
`
`Fraunhofer Ex.
`2026
`
`Fraunhofer Ex.
`2027
`
`Fraunhofer Ex.
`2028
`
`Fraunhofer Ex.
`2029
`
`Fraunhofer Ex.
`2030
`Fraunhofer Ex.
`2031
`
`Fraunhofer Ex.
`2032
`
`Fraunhofer Ex.
`2033
`
`Global Interactive Media, Inc. v. Sirius XM Holdings Inc.,
`1:16-cv-06379-JGK (N.D. of Ill.), Complaint Filed June 30,
`2016
`Aug. 31, 2016 Letter from Mark A. Baghdassarian to Court
`in Global Interactive Media, Inc. v. Sirius XM Holdings
`Inc., 1:16-cv-06379-JGK (N.D. of Ill.)
`December 8, 2016 Stipulated Dismissal With Prejudice in
`Global Interactive Media, Inc. v. Sirius XM Holdings Inc.,
`1:16-cv-06379-JGK (N.D. of Ill.)
`Written Statement of David J. Frear, Chief Financial
`Officer, Sirius XM Holdings Inc. Before the U.S. House of
`Representatives Committee on the Judiciary Subcommittee
`on Courts, Intellectual Property, and the Internet, Hearing
`on Music Licensing Under Title 17, June 25, 2014
`Patrick Donnelly Emails
`
`Sirius XM Holdings Inc. (SIRI) Company Profile, Reuters,
`retrieved from https://www.reuters.com/finance/
`stocks/company-profile/SIRI.OQ on July 5, 2018
`LinkedIn Profile for Sirius XM Holdings Inc., retrieved
`from https://www.linkedin.com/company/sirius-xm-radio-
`inc./ on July 5, 2018
`Revised Joint Claim Construction Chart, Fraunhofer-
`Gesellschaft zur Förderung der Angewandten Forschung
`E.V. v. Sirius XM Radio Inc., Case No. 17-cv-184-JFB-
`SRF, Dkt. 112 (D. Del. Feb. 9, 2018).
`
`10535920.11 05
`
`- viii -
`
`

`

`IPR2018-00690
` Patent No. 6,314,289
`
`STATEMENT OF MATERIAL FACTS IN DISPUTE
`Petitioner Sirius XM Radio Inc. did not submit a statement of material facts
`
`in this Petition. Accordingly, no response is due pursuant to 37 C.F.R. § 42.23(a),
`
`and no facts are admitted.
`
`10535920
`
`- ix -
`
`

`

`IPR2018-00690
`Patent No. 6,314,289
`
`I.
`
`INTRODUCTION
`The Patent Trial and Appeal Board (“Board”) should decline to institute trial
`
`because the Petition fails to establish a reasonable likelihood that Sirius XM Radio
`
`Inc. (“Sirius XM” or “Petitioner”) would carry its burden to show that any claim of
`
`U.S. Patent No. 6,314,289 (Ex. 1002, “the ’289 Patent”) is not patentable.
`
`The Petition asserts three separate grounds: Ground 1, alleging that claims 1-
`
`15, 17-33, and 35 are obvious under 35 U.S.C. § 103 over Chen (Ex. 1004) in view
`
`of Campanella (Ex. 1005); Ground 2, alleging claims 1-6, 8-14, 17-23, 25-32, and
`
`35 are anticipated under 35 U.S.C. § 102(e) over Smallcomb (Ex. 1003); and
`
`Ground 3, alleging claims 1-15, 17-33, and 35 are obvious under 35 U.S.C. § 103
`
`over Smallcomb in view of Campanella.
`
`The Petition fails to demonstrate a reasonable likelihood of success in
`
`prevailing to prove invalidity of any of the claims of the ’289 patent due to a
`
`number of serious procedural and substantive defects. By way of example, the
`
`Petition:
`
`• fails to name all real parties-in-interest in the proceeding;
`
`• is time-barred for failure to timely file a petition accompanied by the
`
`required fees within the statutory one-year period;
`
`• fails to prove that at least one reference (Ex. 1003 [Smallcomb],
`
`underlying Grounds 2 and 3) qualifies as prior art;
`
`10535920
`
`- 1 -
`
`

`

`IPR2018-00690
`Patent No. 6,314,289
`
`• advances allegations of obviousness based on improper expert
`
`testimony and attorney arguments that are conclusory and
`
`unsupported by underlying facts or evidence.
`
`To the extent that the Board even finds it necessary to reach the merits of
`
`Petitioner’s arguments, these arguments are based on conclusory statements
`
`focused on superficial similarities of the cited art and alleged advantages of Patent
`
`Owner’s invention, without any articulated reasoning as to why a person having
`
`ordinary skill in the art would recognize the proposed modifications and
`
`combinations as obvious. Accordingly, the Petition should be dismissed on the
`
`merits because the Petition has failed to make a prima facie showing that the
`
`challenged claims are anticipated or rendered obvious under any of the asserted
`
`grounds. To be clear, this is not a situation in which there is proper evidence
`
`presented by the Petition that Patent Owner simply disputes. The Petition fails to
`
`present anything other than conclusory assertions on key elements of its theories.
`
`II.
`
`THE PETITION IS DEFECTIVE BECAUSE IT FAILS TO NAME
`ALL REAL PARTIES-IN-INTEREST
`As an initial matter, the Petition should be dismissed because it fails to
`
`disclose all real parties-in-interest, including two entities closely related to
`
`Petitioner: Sirius XM Holdings Inc. (“SXM Holdings”) and Liberty Media Inc.
`
`(“Liberty”). As demonstrated below, the serious blurring of corporate boundaries
`
`10535920
`
`- 2 -
`
`

`

`IPR2018-00690
`Patent No. 6,314,289
`
`between SXM Holdings and Liberty and Petitioner reflects a high degree of control
`
`over disputes involving Petitioner, which is more than enough in this case to
`
`qualify each of these parties as a real party-in-interest (“RPI”).
`
`Moreover, Petitioner’s failure to disclose these parties was hardly an
`
`inadvertent mistake. In the concurrent district court proceedings, Petitioner duly
`
`identified both SXM Holdings and Liberty in its corporate disclosure statement.
`
`However, Petitioner later filed inter partes review petitions against the asserted
`
`patents that did not disclose these two entities to the Board. When confronted with
`
`this omission in an earlier one of those proceedings, Petitioner did not move to
`
`correct, but rather insisted that the omission was intentional, as the two undisclosed
`
`entities would not be subject to any“§ 315(e) estoppel concerns.” IPR2018-00682,
`
`Petitioner’s Reply to POPR (Paper No. 9) at 4. In other words, Petitioner
`
`deliberately withheld a full and complete RPI disclosure as part of an improper
`
`attempt to keep SXM Holdings and Liberty free to file a subsequent petition if the
`
`first one proved unsuccessful. This is not right. Radware, Inc. v. F5 Networks,
`
`Inc., IPR2017-01185, Paper No. 9, at 17 (Oct. 11, 2017) (disclosure requirement
`
`designed to protect patent owners “from harassment via successive petition[s] by
`
`the same or related parties”).
`
`The Board should reject Petitioner’s approach and dismiss the Petition for
`
`failure to satisfy the statutory RPI requirement.
`
`10535920
`
`- 3 -
`
`

`

`IPR2018-00690
`Patent No. 6,314,289
`
`Legal Standard
`A.
`A petition for inter partes review “may be considered only if … the petition
`
`identifies all real parties-in-interest.” 35 U.S.C. § 312(a)(2).1 This requirement
`
`serves a number of important purposes, including assisting the Board in identifying
`
`potential conflicts, assuring proper application of statutory bar and estoppel
`
`provisions, and assessing the credibility of evidence presented in a proceeding.
`
`See Office Patent Trial Practice Guide, 77 Fed. Reg. 48,756, 48,759 (Aug. 14,
`
`2012); Zoll Lifecor Corp. v. Philips Elec. N. Am. Corp., IPR2013-00606, Paper No.
`
`13, at 12 (Mar. 10, 2014). Full and timely disclosure of all real parties-in-interest
`
`is necessary “to protect the integrity of both the USPTO and Federal Courts by
`
`assuring that all issues are promptly raised and vetted.” 77 Fed. Reg. at 48,759.
`
`The petitioner is the party that bears the “burden … to establish that it has
`
`complied with the statutory requirement to identify all the real parties-in-interest.”
`
`Galderma S.A. v. Allergan Industrie, SAS, IPR2014-01422, Paper No. 14, at 5
`
`(Mar. 5, 2015). Once a patent owner “reasonably brings into question” the
`
`accuracy of an RPI disclosure, the petitioner must present evidence sufficient to
`
`satisfy its “burden of persuasion” on this point. Radware, Inc. v. F5 Networks,
`
`1 All emphasis in quoted material in this paper has been added except where
`
`expressly noted otherwise.
`
`10535920
`
`- 4 -
`
`

`

`IPR2018-00690
`Patent No. 6,314,289
`
`Inc., IPR2017-01185, Paper No. 9, at 17 (Oct. 11, 2017). This evidentiary
`
`requirement has teeth; for example, “uncorroborated testimonial evidence” has
`
`been found inadequate to satisfy this burden, especially because a petitioner “is far
`
`more likely to be in possession of, or have access to, relevant evidence than is a
`
`patent owner.” Id. at 18-19.
`
`The question of whether an entity is a real party-in-interest is a “highly fact
`
`dependent question.” 77 Fed. Reg. at 48,759. “A common consideration [in this
`
`analysis] is whether the non-party exercised or could have exercised control over
`
`a party’s participation in a proceeding.” Id. From a practical standpoint, this
`
`inquiry often involves examination of “shared corporate leadership” and whether
`
`the entities involved have become “so intertwined that it is difficult … to
`
`determine precisely where one ends and another begins.” Galderma, IPR2014-
`
`01422, Paper No. 14, at 8. Thus, a company may be deemed a real party-in-
`
`interest where its relationship with the petitioner is sufficiently blurred that the two
`
`companies “effectively operate as a single entity.” Zerto, Inc. v. EMC Corp.,
`
`IPR2014-01254, Paper No. 35, at 14.
`
`The statutory requirement to disclose all real parties-in-interest is a
`
`“threshold issue” that must be satisfied as a predicate to any substantive review of
`
`the merits of any challenges presented in a petition. See Zoll Lifecor, IPR2013-
`
`00606, Paper No. 13, at 8; Galderma, IPR2014-01422, Paper No. 14, at 5.
`
`10535920
`
`- 5 -
`
`

`

`IPR2018-00690
`Patent No. 6,314,289
`
`Factual and Procedural Background
`B.
`Patent Owner filed an infringement suit against Petitioner on February 22,
`
`2017, asserting four patents including the ’289 patent. Ex. 2002-10 to -12
`
`(complaint alleging infringement of the ’289 patent). In that litigation, Petitioner
`
`filed a corporate disclosure with the district court stating that Sirius XM Holdings
`
`Inc. “owns 100% of the common stock of Sirius XM Radio Inc.” Ex. 2014-1; see
`
`also 2005-4, 2017 SEC Form 10-K for SXM Holdings (acknowledging that Sirius
`
`XM is a “wholly-owned subsidiary” of Sirius XM Holdings Inc.).2 This corporate
`
`disclosure further identified Liberty Media Corporation as a substantial owner of
`
`SXM Holdings. Ex. 2014-1; see also Ex. 2005-4, -28 (acknowledging that Liberty
`
`is the beneficial owner of “approximately 70% of the outstanding shares of [SXM]
`
`Holdings’ common stock”).
`
`Petitioner subsequently filed petitions for inter partes review on all four
`
`asserted patents. See Pet. at 1; see also IPR2018-00681, IPR2018-00682,
`
`IPR2018-00689. In all of these petitions, Sirius XM is the sole Petitioner and only
`
`real party-in-interest identified to the Board. Pet. at 6. None of the petitions
`
`2 Retrievable from: https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/908937/
`
`000090893718000014/siri-20171231x10k.htm. See also Ex. 2006-2, 2013 SEC
`
`Form 8-K for SXM Holdings.
`
`10535920
`
`- 6 -
`
`

`

`IPR2018-00690
`Patent No. 6,314,289
`
`disclose or mention SXM Holdings or Liberty.
`
`Patent Owner submitted a preliminary response in IPR2018-00681 and
`
`IPR2018-00682 on June 8, 2018, and raised Petitioner’s failure to fully disclose all
`
`real parties-in-interest (among other deficiencies). See, e.g., IPR2018-00682,
`
`Paper No. 8, at 4-20. Petitioner sought leave to submit a reply in both cases to
`
`address the RPI issue, and filed its replies on June 28, 2018. See, e.g., IPR2018-
`
`00682, Paper No. 9, at 1-4. Patent Owner has been authorized to submit a sur-
`
`reply in these cases no later than July 6, 2018.
`
`Notably, Petitioner has not filed any motion to amend its RPI disclosure in
`
`any of its cases against Patent Owner (including this one). Petitioner instead
`
`persists in arguing that its original disclosure listing only Sirius XM is entirely
`
`correct. See, e.g., IPR2018-00682, Paper No. 9, at 1-4.
`
`SXM Holdings Is A Real Party-In-Interest
`C.
`SXM Holdings is clearly a real party-in-interest in this case, as it is so
`
`“intertwined” with Petitioner that the two “effectively operate as a single entity.”
`
`Zerto, IPR2014-01254, Paper No. 35, at 14. Such a relationship tends to show that
`
`“an actual measure of control or opportunity to control the filing of and
`
`participation in an IPR might reasonably be expected”—a factor that weighs
`
`strongly in favor of real party-in-interest status. See, e.g., Radware, IPR2017-
`
`01185, Paper No. 9, at 7.
`
`10535920
`
`- 7 -
`
`

`

`IPR2018-00690
`Patent No. 6,314,289
`
`There is ample evidence that SXM Holdings is (and presents itself as) an
`
`operating entity whose functions overlap so extensively with Petitioner that it is
`
`difficult to discern where one entity ends and the other begins. For example, SXM
`
`Holdings submits regular filings to the SEC that jointly provide required
`
`information and financial disclosures for itself and Sirius XM in a single,
`
`consolidated fashion. Ex. 2005-4 (“‘[W]e,’ “us,” “our,” and “our company” as
`
`used herein . . . refer to Sirius XM Holdings Inc. and its subsidiaries.”). Notably,
`
`Petitioner does not make available any public reports with this information and
`
`does not make any financial disclosures to the SEC, other than those submitted by
`
`SXM Holdings.3
`
`These filings from SXM Holdings include a section entitled “Management’s
`
`Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations,” which
`
`provides a description of their satellite radio business and operations: “[w]e
`
`transmit music, sports entertainment, comedy, talk, news, traffic and weather
`
`channels, as well as infotainment services, in the United States on a subscription
`
`3 Sirius XM Holdings, Inc. is a publicly traded company whose shares are
`
`listed on the NASDAQ exchange under the ticker SIRI. Petitioner does not have
`
`publicly traded shares and is not listed on any exchange. Ex. 2021,
`
`https://www.nasdaq.com/symbol/siri/real-time
`
`10535920
`
`- 8 -
`
`

`

`
`fee basis through our two proprietary satellite radio systems,” “[w]e also acquire
`
`IPR2018-00690
`Patent No. 6,314,289
`
`subscribers through marketing,” “[w]e have agreements with every major
`
`automaker,” and “[o]ur primary source of revenue is subscription fees.” Ex. 2005-
`
`4.; see Zoll Lifecor, IPR2013-00606, Paper No. 13, at 15 (corporate parent deemed
`
`real party-in-interest where parent and subsidiary “repeatedly held themselves out
`
`… as a single entity”).
`
`SXM Holdings and Petitioner are also jointly involved in legal matters,
`
`including lawsuits that name only Sirius XM (and not SXM Holdings) as a
`
`defendant. For example, SXM Holdings states in its SEC filings that “we are a
`
`defendant” in a variety of legal proceedings:
`
`ITEM 3. LEGAL PROCEEDINGS
`
`In the ordinary course of business, we are a defendant
`
`or party to various claims and lawsuits, including the
`
`following discussed below. …
`
`This matter is captioned SoundExchange, Inc. v. Sirius
`
`XM Radio, Inc., No.13-cv-1290-RJL (D.D.C.) …
`
`This matter is titled SoundExchange, Inc. v. Sirius XM
`
`Radio, Inc., No.17-cv-02666-RJL (D.D.C.) …
`
`Ex. 2005-31 to -33. As another example, SXM Holdings reports that “we were a
`
`defendant in several purported class action suits.” Ex. 2013-19, Securities and
`
`10535920
`
`
`
`- 9 -
`
`
`
`

`

`
`Exchange Commission Form 10-K, Sirius XM Holdings Inc. (Feb. 2, 2017) (citing
`
`IPR2018-00690
`Patent No. 6,314,289
`
`cases).4 Exhibit 2013 lists the cases. Id. Again, all of these cited cases identify
`
`Sirius XM as the nominal defendant, not SXM Holdings. Id.; see also Ex. 2015-1
`
`(Erik Knutson v. Sirius XM Radio Inc., No. 12-cv-0418-AJB (S.D. Cal.), class
`
`action complaint listing only Sirius XM as defendant); Ex. 2016-1 (Francis W.
`
`Hooker v. Sirius XM Radio Inc., No. 4:13-cv-3 (E.D. Va.), class complaint listing
`
`only Sirius XM as defendant); Ex. 2017-1 (Yefim Elikman v. Sirius XM Radio Inc.
`
`and Career Horizons, Inc., No. 1:15-cv-02093 (N.D. Ill.), Second Amended Class
`
`Action Complaint listing Sirius XM as defendant); Ex. 2018-1 (Anthony Parker v.
`
`Sirius XM Radio Inc., No. 8:15-cv-01710-JSM-EAJ (M.D. Fla), Class Action
`
`Complaint listing only Sirius XM as defendant). SXM Holdings goes on to admit
`
`that its legal involvement extends to other cases involving intellectual property:
`
`“[W]e are a defendant in various other lawsuits and arbitration proceedings,
`
`including … actions filed by … owners of patents, trademarks, copyrights or
`
`other intellectual property matters.” Ex. 2013-19.
`
`With statements such as these, SXM Holdings demonstrates itself to be “an
`
`involved and controlling parent corporation representing the unified interests of
`
`
`4 Retrieved from: https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/908937/
`
`000090893717000009/siri-20161231x10k.htm
`
`10535920
`
`
`
`- 10 -
`
`
`
`

`

`IPR2018-00690
`Patent No. 6,314,289
`
`itself and Petitioner,” or at least that it “exercised or could have exercised control
`
`over a party’s participation” with regard to intellectual property challenges such as
`
`the instant IPR proceeding. See Zoll Lifecor, IPR2013-00606, Paper No. 13, at 10;
`
`Galderma, IPR2014-01422, Paper No. 14, at 5. The Board has specifically stated
`
`that an entity may be deemed a real party-in-interest when it “assumes control of
`
`litigation brought against” another company. Daifuku Co., Ltd. et al. v. Murata
`
`Machinery, Ltd., IPR2015-01538, Paper No. 11, at 12 (Jan. 19, 2016) (cited by
`
`Petitioner).
`
`Beyond these general representations about its involvement in legal matters
`
`impacting Petitioner, SXM Holdings also specifically admits that it participates in
`
`settlement negotiations and payment of settlement amounts—even where the suits
`
`name only its wholly-owned subsidiary Sirius XM as a defendant: “We have
`
`entered into an agreement to settle these purported class action suits. … As part
`
`of this settlement, we made a $35 million payment to a settlement fund ….” Ex.
`
`2013-19. Despite the fact that SXM Holdings admits to entering into and funding
`
`the settlements, the final order approving the settlements lists only Sirius XM as
`
`the sole defendant. See Ex. 2019-1, Final Order Approving Settlement and
`
`Certifying the Settlement Class, December 22, 2016. And there is little question
`
`that SXM Holdings has the same ability to control the disposition of patent cases
`
`involving Sirius XM, as SXM Holdings has affirmatively noted that “[o]ther
`
`10535920
`
`- 11 -
`
`

`

`
`parties may have patents or pending patent applications, which will later mature
`
`IPR2018-00690
`Patent No. 6,314,289
`
`into patents or inventions that may block or put limits on our ability to operate our
`
`system” and that “[w]e may have to resort to litigation to enforce our rights . . . .”
`
`Ex 2005-29. Thus, SXM Holdings has unequivocally demonstrated that it has
`
`substantial control over legal disputes involving its subsidiary Sirius XM—
`
`including the ability to affirmatively settle cases involving Sirius XM such as this
`
`IPR proceeding.
`
`SXM Holdings and Petitioner also have a shared corporate structure that
`
`further facilitates a level of control over Petitioner far beyond what would be
`
`possible in a typical parent-subsidiary relationship. Indeed, the level of overlap is
`
`striking: at least nine of the executive officers of SXM Holdings and Sirius XM
`
`are identical. The following is a list of executive officers of Petitioner Sirius XM:
`
`
`
`
`
`10535920
`
`
`
`- 12 -
`
`
`
`

`

`
`Ex. 2008-2, Joint Filing Agreement to Schedule 13D (Sept. 22, 2017).5 The names
`
`IPR2018-00690
`Patent No. 6,314,289
`
`and titles are exactly the same for all nine officers of SXM Holdings:
`
`
`
`
`
`Ex. 2008-3; see also Ex. 2007-6, -11, Schedule 13D (Sept. 22, 2017).6
`
`
`5 Retrievable from: https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1230276/
`
`000119312517301078/d458882dex99a.htm. Exhibit 2004 is listed as Exhibit A to
`

This document is available on Docket Alarm but you must sign up to view it.


Or .

Accessing this document will incur an additional charge of $.

After purchase, you can access this document again without charge.

Accept $ Charge
throbber

Still Working On It

This document is taking longer than usual to download. This can happen if we need to contact the court directly to obtain the document and their servers are running slowly.

Give it another minute or two to complete, and then try the refresh button.

throbber

A few More Minutes ... Still Working

It can take up to 5 minutes for us to download a document if the court servers are running slowly.

Thank you for your continued patience.

This document could not be displayed.

We could not find this document within its docket. Please go back to the docket page and check the link. If that does not work, go back to the docket and refresh it to pull the newest information.

Your account does not support viewing this document.

You need a Paid Account to view this document. Click here to change your account type.

Your account does not support viewing this document.

Set your membership status to view this document.

With a Docket Alarm membership, you'll get a whole lot more, including:

  • Up-to-date information for this case.
  • Email alerts whenever there is an update.
  • Full text search for other cases.
  • Get email alerts whenever a new case matches your search.

Become a Member

One Moment Please

The filing “” is large (MB) and is being downloaded.

Please refresh this page in a few minutes to see if the filing has been downloaded. The filing will also be emailed to you when the download completes.

Your document is on its way!

If you do not receive the document in five minutes, contact support at support@docketalarm.com.

Sealed Document

We are unable to display this document, it may be under a court ordered seal.

If you have proper credentials to access the file, you may proceed directly to the court's system using your government issued username and password.


Access Government Site

We are redirecting you
to a mobile optimized page.





Document Unreadable or Corrupt

Refresh this Document
Go to the Docket

We are unable to display this document.

Refresh this Document
Go to the Docket