L&P Wins IPR for ClearOne

The Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB) ruled today against Shure Inc. and in favor of L&P client, ClearOne, Inc., in IPR2017-01785.  Today’s final written decision held that Shure failed to show any claims of ClearOne’s U.S. Patent No. 9,264,553 to be unpatentable.  This contentious inter partes review (IPR) is part of a hard-fought legal battle between the two competitors.  ClearOne has accused Shure of infringing some of its patents relating to beamforming microphone array technology.  The companies sell systems embodying such technology for use in conference rooms, board rooms, and other settings where unobtrusive yet high-quality audio conferencing is desired.  The ’553 Patent claims a combination of a beamforming microphone array, acoustic echo cancellation, and signal selection.

Matt Phillips of Laurence & Phillips IP Law and lead counsel on the case commented, “It is satisfying to secure an important victory for our valued client, ClearOne.  This was a complex case with many issues, a variety of motions, a protective order, confidential documents, over 90 papers, over 260 exhibits, seven witnesses, and at least as many depositions.  We hope that prevailing at the PTAB will help ClearOne achieve its objectives in court.”  

ClearOne’s CEO explained, “Shure narrowly avoided an injunction in federal court last year for infringing the ’186 Patent [a grandchild of the ’553 Patent] due to a question about the ’186 Patent’s validity at the early stage of the litigation. Now, however, a panel of three PTAB judges, after a full inter partesreview, has upheld the validity of the even broader ’553 Patent against the same prior art Shure had relied on in the court.”  For more information, see ClearOne’s new release regarding the case.