IPR Estoppel Applies to “Subsets” of Prior Art Groups That the Petitioner Raised or Could have Raised During IPR​

The magistrate judge recommended partially granting plaintiff's motion for summary judgment that IPR estoppel barred defendant from asserting certain "subsets" of prior art groups previously asserted as unpatentability grounds in the IPR. "[T]he PTAB instituted IPR . . . under § 103(a) based on the combination of Kenoyer, Briere, and Hurley. [Defendant] should be estopped from asserting Kenoyer and Briere as a basis for obviousness at trial because [defendant] raised or could have raised this combination during IPR proceedings. Similarly, [defendant] should be estopped from asserting Kenoyer alone . . . because Kenoyer is a subset of Kenoyer, Briere, and Hurley. This portion of the recommendation, however, extends only to subsets of invalidity grounds that [defendant] raised or reasonably could have raised during IPR proceedings."

Biscotti Inc. v. Microsoft Corporation, 2-13-cv-01015 (TXED May 11, 2017, Order) (Payne, MJ)