`571-272-7822
`
`
`
`
`Paper 9
`Entered: June 21, 2018
`
`
`UNITED STATES PATENT AND TRADEMARK OFFICE
`____________
`
`BEFORE THE PATENT TRIAL AND APPEAL BOARD
`____________
`
`
`LOWE’S COMPANIES, INC.,
`LOWE’S HOME CENTERS, LLC, AND L G SOURCING, INC.,
`Petitioners,
`
`v.
`
`NICHIA CORPORATION,
`Patent Owner.
`____________
`
`Case IPR2018-00699
`Patent 9,537,071 B2
`____________
`
`
`
`Before SALLY C. MEDLEY, WILLIAM V. SAINDON, and
`NATHAN A. ENGELS, Administrative Patent Judges.
`
`ENGELS, Administrative Patent Judge.
`
`
`
`
`DECISION
`Termination of the Proceeding Upon Settlement Prior to Institution
`37 C.F.R. §§ 42.71(a), 42.74
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`IPR2018-00699
`Patent 9,537,071 B2
`
`INTRODUCTION
`I.
`The parties filed a Joint Motion to Terminate Proceeding Pursuant to
`35 U.S.C. § 317(a). Paper 7 (“Mot.”). The parties also filed what they
`indicate is a true and correct copy of a Settlement Agreement (Ex. 2027)
`(“Agreement”) and a Joint Request to File Settlement Agreement as
`Business Confidential Information Pursuant to 35 U.S.C. § 317 (Paper 8)
`(“Joint Request”).
`
`II. ANALYSIS
`The parties indicate that they have settled their dispute and have
`reached agreement “to terminate th[is] inter partes review” pursuant to 35
`U.S.C. § 317(a). Mot. 2. Section 317(a), however, relates to termination of
`“[a]n inter partes review instituted under this chapter.” 35 U.S.C. § 317.
`This proceeding is in the preliminary stage, and no decision has been made
`regarding whether to institute an inter partes review. As such, we treat the
`parties’ request as seeking settlement of the proceeding under 37 C.F.R.
`§ 42.74.
`Under these circumstances, we determine that it is appropriate to
`terminate this proceeding. See 37 C.F.R. §§ 42.71(a), 42.74(a). We also
`determine that it is appropriate to treat the Agreements as business
`confidential information to be kept separate from the patent file. See 37
`C.F.R. § 42.74(c).
`
`III. ORDER
`In consideration of the foregoing, it is hereby:
`ORDERED that the proceeding is terminated; and
`
`2
`
`
`
`IPR2018-00699
`Patent 9,537,071 B2
`FURTHER ORDERED that the Joint Request to treat the Agreements
`(Ex. 2027) as business confidential information to be kept separate from the
`patent file is granted.
`
`
`PETITIONER:
`Scott D. Stimpson
`SILLS CUMMIS & GROSS P.C.
`sstimpson@sillscummis.com
`
`B. Todd Patterson
`PATTERSON & SHERIDAN, LLP
`tpatterson@pattersonsheridan.com
`
`Tod Melgar
`Steven Luksenberg
`SILLS CUMMIS & GROSS P.C.
`tmelgar@sillscummis.com
`sluksenberg@sillscummis.com
`
`PATENT OWNER:
`Martin M. Zoltick
`Michael H. Jones
`Mark T. Rawls
`ROTHWELL, FIGG, ERNST & MANBECK, P.C.
`mzoltick@rfem.com
`mjones@rfem.com
`mrawls@rfem.com
`
`3
`
`