Knobbe Martens Obtains Clean Sweep Of Six IPR Denials
Knobbe Martens, one of the leading intellectual property and technology law firms in the United States, has achieved a clean sweep of six Inter Partes Review (IPR) denials on behalf of its client, CellPhone-Mate, Inc. d/b/a SureCall.
Knobbe Martens represents SureCall, a rapidly growing pioneer in the cellphone booster market, in ongoing patent litigation. The Fremont, Calif.-based company’s patented booster products were the industry’s first to simultaneously boost cellphone reception in a single five-band booster for any carrier, including AT&T and Verizon 4G LTE frequencies. SureCall’s patents are directed to electronic circuitry and associated software for boosting cellphone signals in compliance with FCC regulations.
SureCall has asserted three patents against competitor Wilson Electronics. In late 2018, Wilson filed six IPRs challenging SureCall’s three asserted patents covering SureCall’s five-band cell phone boosters. Between March 19, 2019 and April 23, 2019, the Patent Trial and Appeal Board denied institution of all six IPRs.
Notably, in each denial decision, the Board held that SureCall’s patented boosters: (1) satisfied a long-felt but unsatisfied need in the industry for a five-band booster; (2) were highly praised by the industry, and; (3) that Wilson had tried and failed to develop its own five-band booster product prior to SureCall’s introduction of the new technology.
“Our victory at the PTAB is a truly remarkable outcome made possible by Knobbe Martens’ expert guidance and deep knowledge of the technology behind SureCall’s innovation,” said Hongtao Zhan, Chief Executive Officer of SureCall. "It is a pleasure to work with such a world-class team.”
The Knobbe Martens team is led by partners Jon Gurka and Brian Claassen, and includes associates Hans Mayer and Daniel Kiang.
The cases are Wilson Electronics, LLC (WeBoost) v CellPhone-Mate, Inc. d/b/a SureCall et al., 2:17-cv-00305-DB (D. Utah); IPR2018-01771, IPR2018-01772; IPR2018-01774; IPR2018-01776; IPR2018-01778; IPR2018-01779 (Patent Trial and Appeal Board).
