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16 January 2017Patents

Ameranth has patent stay against Apple and Pizza Hut lifted

Internet-based solutions provider Ameranth has obtained an order lifting the stay of more than 30 patent infringement cases, including claims against Apple and Pizza Hut.

Ameranth obtained the order from the US District Court for the Southern District of California. The court granted the stay more than three years ago.

According to a statement from the company, released Friday, January 13, the order establishes that the trials will now begin within 12 months.

Ameranth will attempt to enforce US patent number 8,146,077, called “Information management and synchronous communications system with menu generation, and handwriting and voice modification of orders”.

Every claim of the ‘077 patent has survived challenges in multiple covered business method (CBM) petition challenges, including nearly every possible asserted invalidity ground, and remained fully valid, claimed Ameranth.

“To the best of Ameranth’s knowledge, the ‘077 patent is the only patent that has survived such multiple CBM challenges with 100% success,” said the statement.

Ameranth is asserting claims against Apple, Pizza Hut, Domino’s Pizza and Starbucks, among others.

“Ameranth is very pleased that the court has lifted the stay of our patent infringement cases and set a 12-month timeline to begin the infringement trials,” said Vern Yates, Ameranth’s chairman and CEO.

He added that the defendants have been able to “unfairly exploit” Ameranth’s inventions “for too long” without licence.

“We intend to seek full damages for their unauthorised use of our intellectual property. We look forward to promptly proceeding to trial in the court and winning there and then,” said Yates.

In November last year, WIPR reported that the US Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit handed down a mixed patent ruling, in what was a successful outcome for Apple and Domino’s Pizza against Ameranth.

The court affirmed in part and reversed in part decisions by the Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB) in three CBM reviews addressing the subject matter eligibility of certain claims of US patent numbers 6,384,850; 6,871,325; and 6,982,733, owned by Ameranth.

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