DENVER, Feb. 18, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Proppant Express Investments, LLC (“PropX”) today announced that on February 14, 2019 the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (“Patent Office”) invalidated 24 of 26 claims challenged by PropX from two of the four patents previously asserted by SandBox Logistics, LLC (“SandBox”) in litigation. The other two patents remain under review by the Patent Office. The decision clearly underscores the right of PropX to continue to pursue its expanding opportunities without regard to untenable patent claims by SandBox.
For the two claims not invalidated, SandBox previously dropped one from the parallel litigation against PropX. SandBox also recently conceded that PropX does not infringe the other claim based on rulings by the U.S. District Court in the Southern District of Texas. In that case, the court dismissed, with prejudice, all SandBox patent infringement claims against PropX in January 2019. SandBox is a wholly-owned subsidiary of U.S. Silica Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:SLCA).
“We are pleased with our continued success in the intellectual property dispute with SandBox,” said Kevin Fisher, PropX President and Chief Executive Officer. “We have consistently maintained that SandBox’s patent claims are not defensible, and the Patent Office, as well as the U.S. District Court, have now agreed. We will continue to increase our customer base and market share, enhance our competitive advantages and vigorously defend our unique technologies against baseless claims from our competitors.”
PropX has challenged two additional SandBox patents with the Patent Office, both of which have been accepted for reexamination based on a reasonable likelihood that such patents are invalid. The Patent Office is expected to rule on the additional challenges later this year.
About Proppant Express Investments, LLC
PropX provides last mile sand logistics through its innovative mobile container and delivery system design and best-in-class customer service. The PropX last mile delivery system significantly reduces the cost of proppant delivery for each well and reduces the environmental impact of sand injection at the wellhead when compared to traditional and other delivery methods. Founded in 2016, PropX has quickly become a market leader in last mile sand logistics focused on providing the customer with the most efficient method of transporting proppant from transload to well site. Visit PropX at www.propx.com.