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`Filed on behalf of: Arkema Inc. and Arkema France
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`UNITED STATES PATENT AND TRADEMARK OFFICE
`______________________
`
`BEFORE THE PATENT TRIAL AND APPEAL BOARD
`______________________
`
`ARKEMA INC. AND ARKEMA FRANCE,
`Petitioner,
`v.
`HONEYWELL INTERNATIONAL INC.,
`Patent Owner.
`______________________
`
`PGR2016-00011
`Patent No. 9,157,017
`______________________
`
`PETITIONER’S SUR-REPLY IN OPPOSITION TO
`PATENT OWNER’S MOTION FOR LEAVE TO REQUEST A
`CERTIFICATE OF CORRECTION
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`TABLE OF ABBREVIATIONS
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`U.S. Patent No. 9,157,017
`PGR2016-00011
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`Abbreviation
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`Definition
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`’017 patent
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`U.S. Patent No. 9,157,017 (Ex. 1001)
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`’605 application
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`U.S. Patent Application No. 11/475,605 (Ex. 2170), which
`issued as U.S. Patent No. 9,005,467
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`AAC
`Bold Italics
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`COC
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`HWBr
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`HWRBr
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`Minor
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`Motion
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`Opp.
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`Reply
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`automobile air conditioning
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`emphasis added
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`certificate of correction
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`Honeywell Int’l Inc. v. Arkema Inc., Appeal Nos. 18-1151,
`-1153, D.I. 25 (Fed. Cir. May 9, 2018)
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`Honeywell Int’l Inc. v. Arkema Inc., Appeal Nos. 18-1151,
`-1153, D.I. 37 (Fed. Cir. Oct. 10, 2018)
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`U.S. Pat. App. Pub. No. 2008/0230738
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`Paper 61, Patent Owner’s Motion for Leave to Request a
`Certificate of Correction
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`Paper 71, Petitioner’s Opposition to Patent Owner’s
`Motion for Leave to Request a Certificate of Correction
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`Paper 74, Patent Owner’s Reply in Support of its Motion
`for Leave to Request a Certificate of Correction
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`WO ’625
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`WO 2007/02625 (PGR2016-00012, Ex. 1011)
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`
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`i
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`U.S. Patent No. 9,157,017
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`TABLE OF AUTHORITIES
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` Page(s)
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`Cases
`ASM IP Holding B.V. v. Kokusai Elec. Corp., IPR2019-00378, Paper 17
`(PTAB July 5, 2019) (“ASM”) ............................................................................. 2
`Emerson Elec. Co. v. SIPCO, LLC, IPR2016-00984, Paper 52 (PTAB Jan.
`24, 2020) .............................................................................................................. 5
`Emerson Elec. Co. v. SIPCO, LLC, IPR2017-00001, Paper 37, 2 (PTAB
`Nov. 22, 2017) (“Emerson”) ............................................................................... 1
`Honeywell Int’l Inc. v. Arkema Inc., 939 F.3d 1345 (Fed. Cir. 2019)
`(“Honeywell”) .......................................................................................... 1, 2, 4, 5
`In re Giacomini, 612 F.3d 1380 (Fed. Cir. 2010) ..................................................... 3
`In re Slayter, 276 F.2d 408 (CCPA 1960) ................................................................ 4
`Inline Packaging, LLC v. Graphic Packaging Int’l, Inc., IPR2015-01609,
`Paper 19 (PTAB Mar. 31, 2016) ......................................................................... 5
`Pfizer, Inc. v. Teva Pharm. USA, Inc., 518 F.3d 1353 (Fed. Cir. 2008) ................... 4
`Prime Focus Creative Servs. Can. Inc. v. Legend3D, Inc., IPR2016-01491,
`Paper 21 (PTAB Mar. 1, 2017) (“Prime Focus”) ................................................ 2
`SPTS Tech. Ltd. v. Plasma-Therm LLC, IPR2018-00618, Paper 7, 2 (PTAB
`May 1, 2018) (“SPTS Tech.”) .............................................................................. 1
`Sw. Software, Inc. v. Harlequin Inc., 226 F.3d 1280 (Fed. Cir. 2000) ..................... 5
`United Servs. Auto Ass’n v. Asghari-Kamrani, CBM2016-00063, Paper 10, 5
`(PTAB Aug. 4, 2016) (“USAA”) ......................................................................... 1
`Statutes
`35 U.S.C. § 102(b) .................................................................................................... 3
`35 U.S.C. § 102(e) .................................................................................................... 3
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`ii
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`U.S. Patent No. 9,157,017
`PGR2016-00011
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`35 U.S.C. § 112 ........................................................................................................ 4
`35 U.S.C. § 255 ................................................................................................ 1, 3, 5
`35 U.S.C. § 303(a) .................................................................................................... 3
`35 U.S.C. § 304 ........................................................................................................ 3
`Other Authorities
`MPEP § 1481.03 ....................................................................................................... 3
`MPEP § 1485 ............................................................................................................ 4
`MPEP § 2133.01 ....................................................................................................... 4
`MPEP § 2242 ............................................................................................................ 3
`Regulations
`37 C.F.R. § 1.56(e) ................................................................................................... 4
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`iii
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`U.S. Patent No. 9,157,017
`PGR2016-00011
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`Honeywell seeks a COC to establish an entirely new priority date
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`via applications never identified in the ’017 patent record. But, as admitted by
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`Honeywell’s prosecution counsel, “it was never Honeywell’s intent during the
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`lifetime of the ’017 patent prosecution to make a claim to [an] additional priority
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`chain” and “[t]here was no error that was made during the prosecution itself.” Ex.
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`1197, 25:3-26:16, 70:11-18, 72:4-9. No precedent, much less Honeywell’s alleged
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`“40+ years of precedent,” supports this misuse of a COC. Indeed, it is precluded by
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`statute, regulation, and Office practice. Honeywell’s Motion thus fails to establish a
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`“sufficient basis” for issuance of a COC. See Honeywell at 1349.
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`A. Honeywell has not shown “mistake” or “unintentional delay”
`Honeywell’s citations to “at least 10 cases” allowing COCs for priority claims
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`(Reply, 1) are irrelevant given that Honeywell’s deliberate actions preclude issuance
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`of a COC. See Opp., 3-5. That COCs were allowed for other patents under other
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`circumstances does not support Honeywell’s burden to establish a sufficient basis
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`that its litigation strategy here is a § 255 “mistake” or “unintentional delay.”
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`Unlike USAA, Honeywell’s proposed change is not based on a clerical error.
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`Ex. 2041, 9:24-10:5, 22:20-24. Honeywell’s admission that “[t]here was no error
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`that was made during the prosecution itself” (Ex. 1197, 72:4-9) distinguishes
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`Emerson (change of “and is a continuation” to “which is a continuation” said to be
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`consistent with file history) and SPTS Tech. (priority claimed in ADS but not
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`1
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`underlined as information being changed). Honeywell’s further admission that “it
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`was never Honeywell’s intent during the lifetime of the ’017 patent prosecution to
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`make a claim to [an] additional priority chain” (Ex. 1197, 25:3-26:16, 71:8-20) also
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`distinguishes ASM, where the correction was based on “a mistake in the claim of
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`priority made in connection with the filing of the” application, which “should have
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`claimed priority” to another application. ASM, Paper 12, 2; Ex. 2001, ¶¶ 7, 9.
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`Honeywell’s argument that its Motion should be granted because “Arkema
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`does not cite” precedent precluding its COC request (Reply, 1, 3, 4) ignores
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`Honeywell’s burden and is wrong. Honeywell at 1349 (the Board should have
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`“determine[d] if Honeywell had demonstrated a ‘sufficient basis’ that the mistake
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`‘may’ be correctable”); Opp., § I.A. Rather than distinguish Prime Focus—which
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`denied authorization to file a motion for a COC to change portions of the
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`specification relied on in the institution decision—Honeywell misrepresents that
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`“the Federal Circuit declined to endorse” Prime Focus. Reply, 7. In fact, the Court
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`made no mention of, and certainly did not reject, Prime Focus.
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`B. Honeywell’s proposed new priority date is not a “minor” change
`and would require reexamination
`Honeywell is seeking a priority claim three years later than the 2002 date
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`relied upon during prosecution and eight years earlier than its March 26, 2014,
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`effective filing date. Rather than showing this to be a “minor” change, Honeywell
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`2
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`admitted that “seeking to push [priority] back beyond the originally-claimed
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`priority[] perhaps… would not have been minor.” Ex. 2041, 21:18-21.
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`Honeywell also does not dispute that its COC would expand the universe of
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`prior art by at least three years relative to original prosecution. See Opp., 10-11. That
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`the reexamination expressly prohibited by § 255 would be required is not
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`hypothetical. Indeed, Minor meets the MPEP § 2242 “substantial likelihood that a
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`reasonable examiner would consider the prior art… important” reexamination test
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`for the reasons found by the ’605 application examiner when examining claims with
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`AAC limitations. Ex. 1194, 534; Opp., 10-11; In re Giacomini, 612 F.3d 1380, 1383-
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`84 (Fed. Cir. 2010) (applicant waived argument that provisional failed to support
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`§ 102(e) reference). Reexamination also would be required over other 2002-2005
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`prior art, considered in addition to or in combination with Minor. For example,
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`Honeywell’s U.S. Pat. App. Pub. No. 2004/0089839 is § 102(b) prior art to the ’605
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`application and contains the same “Example 1” that Honeywell relied upon to argue
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`possession of the ’017 claims. E.g., Paper 12 at 20, 26, 57. Honeywell’s assertion
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`that reexamination under § 303(a) is discretionary (Reply, 5) is irrelevant under
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`§ 255. See MPEP § 1481.03. It is also inaccurate as reexamination “will” be ordered
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`where “a substantial new question of patentability affecting any claim of a patent is
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`raised[.]” 35 U.S.C. § 304.
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`Not claiming CIP priority to the ’605 application clearly benefited Honeywell
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`3
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`U.S. Patent No. 9,157,017
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`during original prosecution of the ’017 patent, which further demonstrates that the
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`omission was intentional. See, e.g., Ex. 2041, 13:11-14; Ex. 1197, 65:20-70:6,
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`108:10-110:14. To have claimed CIP priority would have signaled new matter,
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`requiring disclosure and consideration of known intervening art. Pfizer, Inc. v. Teva
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`Pharm. USA, Inc., 518 F.3d 1353, 1359 (Fed. Cir. 2008) (CIP implies new matter
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`added); 37 C.F.R. § 1.56(e) (duty to disclose intervening prior art); Ex. 1197, 99:14-
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`100:21. Claiming CIP priority now will require examination of § 112 support and
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`intervening prior art Honeywell previously evaded. See Opp. 11; MPEP § 2133.01.
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`Ignoring the express requirements of Rule 56(e), Honeywell asserts it can
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`withhold intervening prior art because Example 6 in the applications it seeks to add
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`via COC provides full § 112 support. Reply, 5. But even with a COC, Honeywell is
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`not entitled to and has not established such support (HWRBr, 28-29). Specifically,
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`while Example 6 in WO ’625 anticipates, this does not equate to § 112 support. See
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`In re Slayter, 276 F.2d 408, 411 (CCPA 1960) (single species anticipated generic
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`claims); cf. Motion, 12-13. Thus, further demonstrating that reexamination would
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`be required, the Office would have to consider both § 112 issues and intervening art.
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`Honeywell’s COC is also precluded by the MPEP § 1485 “clear from the
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`record” requirement. See Honeywell at 1351. As Honeywell concedes, there is no
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`reference to the alternate ’605 priority chain in the ’017 file history. See Reply, 3.
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`4
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`C. Honeywell fails to dispute or accommodate Arkema’s prejudice
`Unable to meet its burden to establish the absence of prejudice to Arkema,
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`U.S. Patent No. 9,157,017
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`Honeywell makes a fallacious argument that its untimely, litigation driven COC is
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`not prejudicial because “§255 permits corrections of good faith mistakes.” Reply, 9-
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`10. This is nonsensical. Even permitted COCs—this one is not—may be prejudicial.
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`E.g., Honeywell at 1351 (“Board should then review Honeywell’s motion… to
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`evaluate whether prejudice to Arkema requires accommodation”); see Inline
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`Packaging, LLC v. Graphic Packaging Int’l, Inc., IPR2015-01609, Paper 19, 3-4
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`(PTAB Mar. 31, 2016) (holding COC in abeyance due to prejudice). Honeywell
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`further deflects that “Arkema also has not identified any potential prejudice that
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`defies ‘accommodation’” (Reply, 9), but provides no means to accommodate the
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`previously identified prejudices or the continued prejudicial delay. See Opp., 14-15.
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`The absence of any retroactive COC effect per Emerson Elec. Co. v. SIPCO,
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`LLC, IPR2016-00984, Paper 52 (PTAB Jan. 24, 2020), and therefore the futility of
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`Honeywell’s COC, was not disputed in Honeywell’s Reply and should therefore be
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`taken as conceded. This is not changed by Honeywell’s misrepresentation of Sw.
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`Software, Inc. v. Harlequin Inc., which held that a COC can only effect “cause[s] of
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`action arising after… the date the certificate of correction issued.” 226 F.3d 1280,
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`1297 (Fed. Cir. 2000). The ultimate futility of Honeywell’s COC does not, however,
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`alleviate the prejudice to Arkema of further drawing out the proceeding.
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`5
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`Respectfully submitted,
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`Date: March 2, 2020
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`U.S. Patent No. 9,157,017
`PGR2016-00011
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`
`
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`By: /Mark J. Feldstein/
`Mark D. Sweet, Reg. No. 41,469
`Mark J. Feldstein, Reg. No. 46,693
`Erin M. Sommers, Reg. No. 60,974
`Charles W. Mitchell, Reg. No. 73,228
`FINNEGAN, HENDERSON, FARABOW,
`
`GARRETT & DUNNER, L.L.P.
`901 New York Avenue, N.W.
`Washington, D.C. 20001-4413
`Telephone: 202-408-4000
`Facsimile: 202-408-4400
`
`Counsel for Petitioner
`Arkema Inc. and Arkema France
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`6
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`U.S. Patent No. 9,157,017
`PGR2016-00011
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`CERTIFICATE OF SERVICE
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`The undersigned hereby certifies that a copy of the foregoing Petitioner’s
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`Sur-Reply in Opposition to Patent Owner’s Motion for Leave to Request a
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`Certificate of Correction was served electronically via email on March 2, 2020, in
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`its entirety on the following:
`
`Gregg F. LoCascio
`Noah Frank
`KIRKLAND & ELLIS LLP
`1301 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W.
`Washington, D.C. 20004
`glocascio@kirkland.com
`noah.frank@kirkland.com
`HON_PTAB_Service@kirkland.com
`
`
`Patent Owner has consented to electronic service by email.
`
`By: /William Esper/
`William Esper
`FINNEGAN, HENDERSON, FARABOW,
`GARRETT & DUNNER, LLP
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`
`
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`Date: March 2, 2020
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