Texas Intellectual Property Law Firm Heim, Payne & Chorush Wins Key Federal Appeals Court Ruling Against BMW

WASHINGTON, July 14, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Attorneys from the Houston intellectual property litigation boutique Heim, Payne & Chorush won a key ruling this week on behalf of Ireland-based Arigna Technology Limited against automobile manufacturing giant BMW of North America, LLC.

Firm partner Mike Heim and associate Chris Limbacher scored the victory with a July 12 ruling issued by the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office's Patent Trial and Appeal Board in Washington, D.C. The case before the PTAB is BMW of North America, LLC, Petitioner v. Arigna Technology Ltd., Patent Owner, IPR 2022-00481.

The 12-page decision denied BMW's inter partes review petition on all claims related to Arigna's U.S. Patent No. 7,049,850. The ruling represents a complete victory for Arigna in its attempt to force BMW to face an East Texas jury in a full patent infringement trial.

Arigna sued BMW in 2001 in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas for infringing the '850 patent in components used to build several vehicles sold at authorized BMW dealerships. The '850 patent covers novel detection techniques for high voltage switching devices used in automobiles and other consumer goods.

BMW responded by asking for a review of the patent but was fully denied in the PTAB's recent decision, which found that the company failed to show a reasonable likelihood its arguments would prevail in light of the Preliminary Response filed by Mr. Heim and Mr. Limbacher for Arigna.

Heim, Payne & Chorush, LLP, represents plaintiffs and defendants in litigation across a broad range of technologies and business sectors. With a wide variety of technical and scientific backgrounds, firm attorneys handle all facets of intellectual property litigation for some of the largest energy and technology firms, as well as individuals and smaller companies. Ranked among the most active and top-performing firms in matters before the U.S. Patent Trial and Appeal Board by Patexia Insights, Payne & Chorush takes pride in its ability to partner with other attorneys and firms to bring the best possible trial team together for the benefit of the client. To learn more about the firm and the work it does, visit www.hpcllp.com.

SOURCE Heim, Payne & Chorush