We discussed last month how it has, in Judge Andrews' words, become fairly routine for the Court to grant stays following IPR institution. With the recent increase in granted stays, one can see how a litigant might be tempted to fly even closer to the sun, and extend a stay through an appeal to the Federal Circuit.
Judge Connolly gave those gallant dreamers a bit of hope on Tuesday when he granted just such a motion in DDR Holdings, LLC v. Priceline.com LLC, et al., C.A. No. 17-498-CFC, D.I. 101 (D. Del. Jan 19, 2021). In that case, the parties had stipulated to a stay pending resolution of an IPR. When the IPR concluded, some of the asserted claims had been upheld and others had been invalidated, and the plaintiff was appealing the invalidated claims to the Federal Circuit. Plaintiff wanted to move forward with the remaining claims against some of the defendants, while the defendants argued that the stay should continue.
Judge Connolly granted the motion to continue the stay, citing the usual simplification factors normally discussed in a motion to stay pending IPR, including the likelihood that the Federal Circuit's ultimate opinion on the invalidated claims would "affect in a significant way claim construction, discovery, expert reports, and trial testimony" and noting that the plaintiff was unlikely to be harmed by the stay as they were a non-practicing entity. Id. at 2.
If you enjoyed this post, consider subscribing to receive free e-mail updates about new posts.
