Overview
Steptoe secured a win for client Continental in an inter partes review (IPR) against patent owner Gates Corporation before the Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB). The IPR involved Gates' U.S. Patent No. 7,254,934, which relates to power transmission belts with a load carrying cord embedded in the rubber belt. Steptoe filed the IPR petition for Continental in response to a patent infringement lawsuit filed by Gates in the District of Delaware. Steptoe obtained a stay of the district court case pending the resolution of the IPR. Then, on July 29, 2022, the PTAB issued its final written decision in favor of Continental finding that every challenged claim was unpatentable.
The Steptoe team that secured this victory for Continental was led by associate Tom Yebernetsky and included partners Boyd Cloern and John Caracappa.
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.
The diversity of the firm is a critical factor in its success. The firm’s Chair is a woman; the majority of Steptoe's nine offices are managed by women; the majority of Steptoe’s practice groups have women as leaders; and the firm’s twelve-person elected compensation committee is headed by a woman and includes five women as members. The firm's business services leadership is equally diverse, with half the c-suite made up of women, including three women of color, and other leaders who openly identify as LGBTQ+.
