Luminara's Request to Challenge Liown's Flameless Candle Patents Denied by U.S. Patent Appeals Board

MINNEAPOLIS, July 11, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Liown Electronics Co. Ltd., one of the world's largest suppliers of light-emitting diode (LED) flameless candles and lighting, today announced that the United States Patent Office's Patent Trial & Appeal Board (PTAB) has refused Luminara's request to review Liown's U.S. Patent No. 8,926,137.

"From the start of our patent disputes with Luminara, we have steadfastly maintained that Liown is the original innovator in the flameless candle industry," said Johnny Yang, Liown CEO. "This ruling from the PTAB helps confirm that our IP is as strong as we have always maintained."

Luminara had requested that the PTAB institute a so-called inter partes review (IPR) of Liown's '137 patent.  To institute such a review, the PTAB would have needed to find that Liown's '137 patent was likely invalid.  And, by refusing to institute, the PTAB showed its faith in the validity of '137 patent. In Luminara's petition, it argued that the patents Luminara licenses from Disney invalidated Liown's '137 patent.  But the PTAB squarely rejected those arguments. The PTAB's decision is available online at https://ptab.uspto.gov/#/login.

The PTAB's IPR ruling marks the third time that the U.S. Patent Office has denied Luminara's efforts to attack Liown patents using the patents Luminara licenses from Disney. When Liown's '137 patent was still just an application at the USPTO, Luminara submitted arguments that Disney's patents and other references invalidated Liown's application, but the USPTO examiner granted Liown the '137 patent after considering Luminara's submission. Luminara made similar arguments when Liown's '986 patent was still just an application at the USPTO, but the USPTO examiner also granted Liown the '986 patent.

About Liown

Since 1999, Liown Electronics Co. Ltd. has been the leader in LED lighting technologies. Liown is a fully integrated business enterprise with a special focus in product development, turn-key manufacturing, and global distribution services. With over 250 patents and patents pending worldwide, Liown is one of the world's largest suppliers of LED electronic candles and LED lighting products.

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SOURCE Liown Electronics Co. Ltd.