Jackson Walker partners Wasif Qureshi and Blake Dietrich successfully prevented institution of inter partes review (IPR) of Germany-based AS-Schneider’s U.S. Patent No. 9,851,030 pertaining to its innovative stabilized connector assembly to interface between a gas pipeline and a flow measurement instrument. The petition for the IPR was filed with the United States & Patent Trademark Office (USPTO) by RJ Machine Company (IPR2024-00851). RJ Machine requested that the USPTO review and invalidate all claims of the ’030 Patent based on six prior art grounds. After considering RJ Machine’s IPR petition and AS-Schneider’s preliminary response in opposition to the IPR petition, the USPTO concluded that RJ Machine did not demonstrate a reasonable likelihood of prevailing on any of the challenged claims and thereupon denied institution of IPR of the ’030 Patent.
RJ Machine sought IPR of the ’030 Patent after being sued by AS-Schneider in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas (No. 6:23-cv-00680) for patent infringement of the ’030 Patent. After the USPTO’s denial of IPR institution, the parties finalized settlement and the litigation was dismissed.
Today, the family company AS-Schneider is among the world’s leading manufacturers of Instrumentation Valves and Double Block & Bleed Valves with approximately 400 employees. In the niche Industrial Valves for Large-Bore Diesel Engines, such as those used in ship engines and for power generation, AS-Schneider is the market leader worldwide.
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Founded in 1887, Jackson Walker has grown to become the largest law firm in Texas with more than 500 attorneys across six offices. Each year, on average, JW’s Intellectual Property practice group completes about 3,000 transactions per year with the USPTO and files 650 domestic and foreign patent applications and 550 domestic and foreign trademark applications on behalf of its clients. The firm has successfully represented Fortune 500 companies and high-profile clients in infringement lawsuits involving patents, trademarks, trade dress, trade secrets, and copyrights. Additionally, JW’s IP litigators have extensive appellate experience, including representing clients at the Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit and the Supreme Court. Learn more by visiting the Intellectual Property practice page.
