Google and Microsoft Get PTAB Wins Over Communications Patents

Google LLC and Microsoft Corp. largely secured victories over patents they were accused of infringing with virtual assistant technology, convincing a Patent and Trademark Office tribunal to invalidate claims.

The PTO’s Patent Trial and Appeal Board said Google proved claims in IPA Technologies Inc.'s 7,036,128 patent were obvious in view of a previous patent and printed publication and therefore invalid. Microsoft proved claims in IPA’s 6,851,115 and 7,069,560 patents were invalid.

The findings came down in seven inter partes review decisions.

The PTAB battle follows lawsuits lobbed by IPA against the companies. IPA sued Google in the U.S. District Court ...