BLD Services Prevails In Patent Fight with LMK Technologies
Kenner, Louisiana (PRWEB) December 19, 2015 -- BLD Services, LLC (BLD) announced that the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) decided that all challenged claims of three patents owned by LMK Technologies, LLC (LMK), directed toward invertible Cured-In-Place-Pipe (CIPP), are invalid as issued by the USPTO's Final Written Decisions. The USPTO made the decisions in multiple contested inter partes review proceedings filed by BLD after LMK brought a 2014 Illinois federal court suit accusing BLD of making and selling pipeline rehabilitation products that infringed LMK's patents.
The inter partes review proceedings were Case No. IPR 2014-00768, Case No. IPR 2014-00770, and Case No. 2014-00772.
The USPTO's Final Written Decisions declared that all of the challenged claims in U.S. Patent Nos. 7,975,726, 8,667,991, and 8,667,992 were obvious. The USPTO concluded the claims covering these so-called inventions were so well-known that the concepts could not be covered by a valid patent.
Jacob Trapani, Vice President of BLD Services, LLC, said that "the decision is a big win for BLD, its customers, and the CIPP industry. The CIPP industry can now avoid unnecessary tie-ups and serve the public by concentrating on effective pipe repairs, instead of dealing with obstacles related to litigation." He went on to say that, "LMK's patents claimed nothing other than things we all knew in the industry for years. The USPTO carefully reviewed the evidence presented and correctly ruled the patents were invalid regarding all challenged claims."
BLD is a full-service construction general contracting firm based in Kenner, Louisiana. BLD is the world leader in cured in place lateral lining as well as performing and managing a wide range of construction services, which include projects in the following general areas:
• Municipal infrastructure
• Transportation infrastructure
• Cured-in-place lateral lining
• Vertical infrastructure/buildings
• Disaster recovery
For more information regarding BLD, visit http://www.bldllc.net.
BLD was represented before the USPTO by Scott A.M. Chambers, Ph.D. and Matthew Zapadka of Porzio, Bromberg & Newman P.C.'s Washington, DC office.
Jacob Trapani, BLD Services, LLC, +1 985-222-4888, [email protected]
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