BOSTON, March 12, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Worlds Inc.’s (OTCQB:WDDD) oral argument in its appeal of three Inter Partes Review (IPR) decisions issued in 2016 from the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office Patent Trial & Appeal Board (USPTO PTAB), was held before U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit (CAFC) on Friday, March 9, 2018. All three of the judges handling Worlds’ appeal, Chief Judge Prost, Judge O’Malley, and Judge Taranto, were in the majority opinion in an earlier case, Wi-Fi One, LLC v. Broadcom Corp., in which the CAFC confirmed that patent owners could appeal whether an IPR petition was filed too late under the law and therefore had to be vacated. CAFC decisions usually take three to four months to issue after oral argument, and a ruling on World’s appeal could issue by early- to mid-summer of 2018.
Since Wi-Fi One’s significant, precedent-setting ruling on January 8, 2018, Worlds’ appeal is the first case before the CAFC to seek the federal court’s oversight of the PTAB’s handling of the time-bar question.
“We are pleased with the CAFC selection of the judiciary panel which heard and will determine the outcome of our appeal,” stated Thom Kidrin, CEO of Worlds Inc. “The Court allotted extra time during the oral arguments, indicating the Judges’ keen interest in the Related Party of Interest (RPI) issues pertaining to Bungie’s relationship with Activision in our case, and whether Bungie’s IPR Petitions were filed too late under the law as a result of that relationship. Thanks to the Wi-Fi One ruling, which established the CAFC’s right to review how the PTAB is handling RPI questions, the CAFC panel was very prepared and engaged.”
“The probing and pointed questions of the Judges indicated a firm grasp of the details and nuances of Worlds’ case, and a desire for equity as well as a proper application of the law in their inquiry,” added Mr. Kidrin.
The oral arguments can be heard at: http://oralarguments.cafc.uscourts.gov/Audiomp3/2017-1481.mp3
The CAFC has the authority to vacate the PTAB ruling or remand the matter of the appealed IPRs back to the PTAB for reconsideration with guidance from the CAFC.
Worlds was represented before the Federal Circuit by Wayne M. Helge of Davidson, Berquist, Jackson & Gowdey, LLP, who handled the IPRs before the PTAB, and is represented in the federal district court litigation by Susman Godfrey L.L.P.
More information on the lawsuit and Worlds’ patents can be found on the Worlds.com website.
About Worlds Inc.:
Worlds Inc. is a leading intellectual property developer and licensee of patents related to 3D online virtual worlds. The Company has a portfolio of 10 US patents for multi-server technology for 3D applications. The earliest of these patents issued on an application filed November 12, 1996. A provisional patent application, serial number 60/020,296, was filed on November 13, 1995. These patents are related to each other and disclose and claim systems and methods for enabling users to interact in a virtual space. Visit www.Worlds.com.
About Davidson, Berquist, Jackson & Gowdey, LLP
DBJ+G ranked as one of the top 15 law firms or corporate legal departments measured by the number of representations in IPR, Covered Business Method, and Post-Grant Review proceedings before PTAB in 2015. Docket Navigator's 2015 Year in Review identified DBJ + G’s Wayne Helge as a top 10 attorney in the PTAB.
Forward Looking Statements
This release contains certain forward-looking statements and information relating to Worlds Inc. that are based on the beliefs of Worlds' management, as well as assumptions made by and information currently available to the Company. Such statements reflect the current views of the Company with respect to future events including estimates and projections about its business based on certain assumptions of its management, including those described in this Release. These statements are not guarantees of future performance and involve risk and uncertainties that are difficult to predict. Additional risk factors are included in the Company’s public filings with the SEC. Should one or more of these underlying assumptions prove incorrect, actual results may vary materially from those described herein as “hoped,” “anticipated,” “believed,” “estimated,” “should,” “preparing,” “expected” or words of a similar nature. The Company does not intend to update these forward-looking statements.
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