Samsung has narrowly escaped a $112 million intellectual property verdict, as the U.S. Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB) invalidated the majority of claims in two Maxell Ltd. smart device patents — the same ones that had underpinned a blockbuster jury award earlier this year.
In a decision Thursday, the PTAB declared all claims Samsung had challenged in one patent invalid as “obvious,” and struck down most of the challenged claims in the second patent on the same grounds — a sweeping win for the South Korean tech titan.
The ruling marks yet another twist in a high-stakes legal saga that’s unfolded across Texas courtrooms and patent offices, shaking up what once appeared to be a decisive victory for Maxell.
Texas Jury’s $112M Verdict Reversed
Back in May, a Texas federal jury found that Samsung had infringed on three of Maxell’s smartphone and device patents, awarding the Japanese electronics company $112 million in damages.
But in September, U.S. District Judge Robert Schroeder III reversed that victory, granting post-trial judgment in Samsung’s favor. The judge determined that two of the patents—representing $38 million and $46 million of the total verdict—were invalid for lacking proper written descriptions, undercutting the foundation of Maxell’s claims.
Those same two patents—U.S. Patent Nos. 8,982,086 and 11,017,815—were the subject of Thursday’s PTAB decisions, which effectively delivered the final blow to Maxell’s infringement assertions.
