Overview
(October 8, 2020, Washington, DC) — On October 1, the International Trade Commission (ITC) terminated its investigation into a patent dispute involving LEDs and LED lighting fixtures. The decision brought to an end a series of cases Steptoe successfully handled on behalf of Leedarson Lighting.
Steptoe represented Leedarson against claims of patent infringement in three ITC investigations (337-TA-1163, -1164, and -1168). The complainants, Lighting Science Group, Healthe, and Global Value Lighting, also accused Leedarson of falsely advertising its Energy Star-certified products.
The 1163 investigation was set for a very early evidentiary hearing. The complainants could not keep up with the aggressive discovery schedule, and they were forced to withdraw their complaint in October 2019.
In the 1164 investigation, the complainants dropped their false advertising allegations in favor of solely pursuing infringement of two patents. The complainants contended that Leedarson was subject to IPR patent estoppel and filed a motion to strike Leedarson's invalidity contentions. Steptoe successfully opposed the motion, and the complainants withdrew their complaint shortly before the March 2020 evidentiary hearing.
In the 1168 investigation, Steptoe secured a broad victory for Leedarson after a five-day evidentiary hearing. On June 26, the ITC administrative law judge found that Leedarson’s accused products did not infringe, the complainants had failed to meet the technical prong of the domestic industry requirement, and the asserted claims were invalid under 35 U.S.C. §§ 102, 103 and 112. On October 1, the ITC terminated the probe, permitting Leedarson to freely import and sell its products in the United States.
The Steptoe patent litigation team representing Leedarson in these matters is led by partners John Caracappa and Matt Bathon, with special counsel Stanley Kuo, and associates Kate Cappaert, Nigel Ray and Tom Yebernetsky.
About Steptoe
In more than 100 years of practice, Steptoe has earned an international reputation for vigorous representation of clients before governmental agencies, successful advocacy in litigation and arbitration, and creative and practical advice in structuring business transactions. Steptoe has more than 500 lawyers and other professional staff across offices in Beijing, Brussels, Chicago, Hong Kong, London, Los Angeles, New York, San Francisco, and Washington. For more information, visit www.steptoe.com.
