Patent Probe Can Proceed Despite Judge’s Cisco Stock Ownership

Cybersecurity firm Centripetal Networks LLC can’t halt a US Patent and Trademark Office tribunal’s validity review of a patent that was part of a wiped-out $1.9 billion verdict against Cisco Systems Inc., the Federal Circuit ruled Tuesday.

Although the verdict in the high-profile patent-infringement case was vacated due to Cisco stock owned by the presiding judge’s wife, the Federal Circuit said a parallel challenge to the patent’svalidity lodged against Centripetal can proceed in the face of an administrative patent judge owning a small amount of Cisco stock.

If successful, the administrative case could undermine Centripetal’s district court case against ...