WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – Two separate challenges to silicon carbide semiconductor patents held by the Purdue Research Foundation have been denied, according to a release, the latest earlier this month.
The Patent Trial and Appeal Board at the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office issued the decision Nov. 8, filed by STMicroelectronics and Wolfspeed in response to Purdue’s patent infringement lawsuits.
STMicroelectronics and Wolfspeed attempted to invalidate the patent, according to the Purdue Research Foundation, and stop the litigation.
The patent, US 7,498,633, involves technology invented by James Cooper, professor emeritus of electrical and computer engineering in Purdue University’s College of Engineering, and his graduate student/postdoc Asmita Saha, according to the release.
All pending challenges on this patent before the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office have been rejected, the Purdue Research Foundation stated, following a previous challenge denied in June 2022.
“This is another great victory for Purdue,” said Ken Waite, chief patent counsel and director of intellectual property at the Purdue Research Foundation Office of Technology Commercialization. “As with the previous action, the USPTO has once again affirmed the validity of the patent on Cooper’s and Saha’s work. These actions just underscore the strength of this patent and the value of the technology.
“Protecting Purdue University intellectual property and bringing that technology to the world is at the heart of our mission at OTC. We take our role as steward of these great inventions very seriously. As we have stated before, we follow the law throughout the process, and hold ourselves and others accountable.”
According to the release, the Purdue Research Foundation received 169 patents from the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office in 2021, placing it sixth among all international institutions of higher education.
Purdue Research Foundation's silicon carbide semiconductors patents upheld – Journal & Courier
