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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.

PTAB Finds Claims “Obvious,” Undermining Maxell’s Case

The PTAB didn’t mince words in its findings. For the ’086 patent, Administrative Patent Judges Neil T. Powell, Terrence W. McMillin, and Kevin C. Trock ruled that every single challenged claim was invalid as obvious.

In the ’815 patent, Judges Jameson Lee, Terrence W. McMillin, and Kevin C. Trock reached a similar conclusion, scrapping the majority of challenged claims on the same basis.

Notably, Judge Schroeder had previously invalidated four claims that the jury found infringed; the PTAB agreed with three of those rulings, as the remaining claim was outside the scope of the inter partes review. Still, several other claims addressed by the PTAB had not been previously considered by the district court — broadening Samsung’s legal triumph.

Judge’s Criticism of Maxell’s Experts Strengthened Samsung’s Case

Judge Schroeder’s earlier decision had also undercut Maxell’s expert testimony, calling it “too conclusory” to uphold the jury’s infringement findings. That critique proved pivotal, laying the groundwork for the PTAB’s subsequent invalidation and further reinforcing Samsung’s arguments that Maxell’s patents lacked technical rigor and legal support.