patent – Page 2 – Duane Morris Green IP

December 18, 2018February 28, 2019 by Justus Getty

Vestas Challenge to Invalidate GE Wind Tech Patent is Denied

The Patent Trial and Appeal Board denied a challenge brought by Vestas Wind Systems A/S against a General Electric patent directed to technology for connecting wind turbines to the electric grid.
GE and Vestas remain locked in a long-running patent battle over “Zero Voltage Ride Through” or “ZVRT” technology. Each party has brought challenges against the validity of the other party’s patents to the Patent Trial and Appeal Board, which is expected to hear those challenges over roughly the next 12 months.

The Patent Trial and Appeal Board denied a challenge brought by Vestas Wind Systems A/S in the year-long patent feud with General Electric. The Board, an adjudicatory body within the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, determined that the challenge brought by Vestas against GE’s U.S. Patent No. 6,921,985 was nearly identical to an earlier challenge heard by the Patent Office. Since re-hearing similar challenges is considered an inefficient use of the limited resources of the Patent Office, the Board decided to deny the Vestas challenge. Continue reading “Vestas Challenge to Invalidate GE Wind Tech Patent is Denied”

November 15, 2018 by Justus Getty

Transatomic Power to Open Source IP Regarding Advanced Molten Salt Reactors

Advanced nuclear reactor design firm Transatomic Power announced that it will suspend operations and open-source its intellectual property.
Transatomic’s intellectual property portfolio includes three patent applications and, presumably, reactor designs and specifications that have been held until now as trade secrets.

Transatomic Power, a company that once aimed to repurpose spent nuclear fuel as an energy source for advanced reactors, announced recently that it will suspend operations and open source its intellectual property. Transatomic cited its inability to “scale up the company rapidly enough to build our reactor in a reasonable timeframe” as the reason for closing shop. Continue reading “Transatomic Power to Open Source IP Regarding Advanced Molten Salt Reactors”

September 12, 2018 by Justus Getty

Vestas Files New Challenge Against GE Wind Turbine Patent

After filing a first challenge against GE’s U.S. Patent No. 6,921, 985 in May, Vestas has filed a second challenge in August to expand its attack on that patent. GE had previously asserted the ’985 Patent against Vestas in a federal patent infringement lawsuit.

Last month Vestas Wind added yet another proceeding to its year-long patent battle against General Electric Company, filing a new challenge against GE’s U.S. Patent No. 6,921,985 at the Patent Trial and Appeal Board. Vestas had already filed one challenge against the ’985 Patent in May, and appears to have filed a second challenge to attack additional claims of the ’985 Patent. Continue reading “Vestas Files New Challenge Against GE Wind Turbine Patent”

August 5, 2018 by Justus Getty

Solar Panel Mounting Patents Found Invalid, Potentially Saving Defendants EcoFasten and SunModo

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit found three patents directed to solar panel mounting technology to have defective priority claims. As a result, the allegedly-infringing products sold by EcoFasten and SunModo pre-date the patents, rendering the patents invalid.

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit recently affirmed the invalidity of three patents directed to solar panel mounting technology. The patents are owned by solar installer D Three Enterprises LLC, and were asserted in federal court against SunModo Corporation and Rillito River Solar LLC, which does business under the name EcoFasten Solar. Now that the three patents have been affirmed as invalid, D Three’s lawsuit against SunModo and EcoFasten will potentially be dismissed. Continue reading “Solar Panel Mounting Patents Found Invalid, Potentially Saving Defendants EcoFasten and SunModo”

July 30, 2018 by Justus Getty

GE, Vestas Battling in a Technological Field They Dominate

GE and Vestas are now one year into patent litigation that has the potential to impact the U.S. wind turbine market. The parties reportedly control more than 80% of the market between them.
The patents at issue claim inventions in the field of controlling wind turbine generators. GE and Vestas are the preeminent patent owners in this field.

This week marks one year since GE filed a patent lawsuit against its main rival in the U.S. wind turbine industry, the Danish company Vestas A/S. In the past year, GE has modified its patent infringement allegations; Vestas has denied infringement, alleged inequitable conduct by GE when obtaining the patents, and counter-sued GE for infringing Vestas’ patents; and both parties have filed challenges to each other’s asserted patents with the Patent Trial and Appeal Board (see here and here). The litigation in federal court was also recently put on hold to await the outcome of those challenges at the PTAB. Continue reading “GE, Vestas Battling in a Technological Field They Dominate”

June 15, 2018 by Justus Getty

Wind Turbine Litigation: Judge Orders Stay of GE v. Vestas

The patent litigation between GE and Vestas was put on hold pending the outcome of several challenges to the disputed patents brought at the Patent Trial and Appeal Board.
The patents at issue include both GE and Vestas patents directed to wind turbine technology, and specifically to ensuring safe and reliable connections between wind turbines and the power grid.
Based on scheduling at the PTAB, the patent litigation will likely be suspended for a minimum of six months and a maximum of eighteen months.

The U.S. District Court judge hearing a dispute over wind turbine patents between GE and Vestas put the case on hold last week, electing to await developments in a series of challenges brought against the patents at the Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB). In an order signed June 7, 2018, Judge Andre Birotte Jr. indicated that the litigation is stayed (suspended) until the PTAB has issued Institution Decisions in each of the validity challenges filed by GE and Vestas (for a recap of those challenges, see our earlier posts regarding GE’s challenges against Vestas and Vestas’s challenges against GE). Continue reading “Wind Turbine Litigation: Judge Orders Stay of GE v. Vestas”

May 21, 2018May 21, 2018 by Justus Getty

GE v. Vestas Litigation Update: GE Moves to Sever Counterclaims, Vestas Brings Invalidity Challenge

GE asked a federal court to split its patent litigation with Vestas into two parts, which would allow the litigation to proceed with respect to GE’s claims against Vestas while delaying a trial on Vestas’ counterclaims against GE.
Vestas filed invalidity challenges at the Patent Trial and Appeal Board against the two GE patents asserted in the litigation.

The patent litigation between two titans of the wind turbine industry continues to heat up as the parties fight over the validity of each other’s patents and the scope of the dispute itself. GE and Vestas, reported to control more than 80% of the US wind turbine market, have been engaged in patent litigation since last summer. Recent developments in the case have the potential to greatly impact the number of claims heard at trial and the relative bargaining power between the parties. Continue reading “GE v. Vestas Litigation Update: GE Moves to Sever Counterclaims, Vestas Brings Invalidity Challenge”

May 14, 2018 by Justus Getty

Solar Tracking Patent Disputed: ArcelorMittal v. Array Technologies

ArcelorMittal has challenged the validity of a solar tracking patent owned by Array Technologies in a petition filed with the Patent Trial and Appeal Board
Array Technologies had previously brought infringement claims against a solar tracking company called Exosun. ArcelorMittal later bought assets from Exosun, which may have prompted ArcelorMittal’s challenge to the Array Technolgies patent.

International steel and manufacturing giant ArcelorMittal filed a petition in March at the Patent Trial and Appeal Board challenging the validity of a solar tracking patent owned by Array Technologies, Inc. If successful, ArcelorMittal’s challenge could result in the cancellation of a significant portion of Array Technologies’ U.S. Patent No. 8,459,249. Continue reading “Solar Tracking Patent Disputed: ArcelorMittal v. Array Technologies”

April 25, 2018 by Justus Getty

Design of Solar-Powered Lightbulbs at Issue in New Litigation

A pair of manufacturers are engaged in litigation over the specific design of a solar lightbulb.
Design patents are used to protect the appearance of a product rather than the product’s functionality.

The Gerson Companies, a home décor products importer based in Olathe, Kansas, has sued Quanxin Lighting and Electrical (USA) Inc. in federal court in Delaware last month for infringement of a design patent. The patent is directed to the design of a solar-powered lightbulb. In the lawsuit, Gerson has requested monetary damages and an injunction preventing Quanxin USA’s continued sale of the allegedly infringing products. Continue reading “Design of Solar-Powered Lightbulbs at Issue in New Litigation”

Tag: patent