Judge Profile

Michael A. Valek

41 IP cases indexed. Covers patent matters.

Cases Presided Over

41 cases indexed | Page 1 of 2

patent all challenged claims upheld · Aug 15, 2025

Tempus AI, Inc. v.Guardant Health Inc.

· IPR2025-01435

The PTAB affirmed Guardant Health’s patent on cfDNA tagging methods, finding none of the 29 challenged claims unpatentable after rejecting Tempus AI’s obviousness arguments.

patent all challenged claims upheld · Aug 15, 2025

Tempus AI, Inc. v.Guardant Health Inc.

· IPR2025-01434

The PTAB affirmed Guardant Health's U.S. Patent 11,149,306 covering cell‑free DNA tagging and counting, finding none of the 29 challenged claims unpatentable after Tempus AI's IPR challenge.

patent instituted · Jul 3, 2025

Merck Sharp & Dohme LLC v.Halozyme, Inc. et al.

· PGR2025-00033

Merck Sharp & Dohme LLC successfully challenged Halozyme, Inc.'s patent claims on grounds of enablement and obviousness. The Board ruled that the claimed modified polypeptides must exhibit hyaluronidase activity, narrowing the scope of the genus. This decision sets a precedent for interpreting functional limitations in polypeptide patents.

patent instituted · Jun 27, 2025

Merck Sharp & Dohme LLC v.Halozyme, Inc. et al.

· PGR2025-00052

Merck Sharp & Dohme LLC successfully petitioned the PTAB to invalidate Halozyme, Inc.'s claims covering a genus of modified PH20 polypeptides. The Board found that the broad scope of the claimed variants lacked adequate written description and enablement support in the original patent disclosure. This decision significantly challenges the breadth of the patented technology in hyaluronidase drug development.

patent instituted · Apr 29, 2025

Merck Sharp & Dohme LLC v.Halozyme, Inc. et al.

· PGR2025-00046

Merck Sharp & Dohme LLC challenged Halozyme, Inc.'s patent on hyaluronidase polypeptides under grounds of enablement and obviousness. The PTAB granted institution, finding the claims cover a vast genus that requires undue experimentation to fully enable.

patent instituted · Apr 15, 2025

Merck Sharp & Dohme LLC v.Halozyme, Inc. et al.

· PGR2025-00042

Merck Sharp & Dohme LLC successfully challenged Halozyme, Inc.'s '618 patent on grounds of enablement and obviousness regarding modified PH20 polypeptides. The PTAB adopted a functional claim construction requiring hyaluronidase activity for the claimed genus.

patent instituted · Apr 2, 2025

Merck Sharp & Dohme LLC v.Halozyme, Inc. et al.

· PGR2025-00030

Merck Sharp & Dohme LLC successfully petitioned for institution in a PGR proceeding against Halozyme, Inc., challenging the '758 patent on grounds of enablement and obviousness. The Board adopted a broad claim construction for 'modified PH20 polypeptide,' which significantly broadened the scope of the challenged claims.

patent instituted · Mar 28, 2025

Merck Sharp & Dohme LLC v.Halozyme, Inc. et al.

· PGR2025-00039

Merck Sharp & Dohme successfully challenged Halozyme's patent claims in a PGR proceeding, focusing on enablement and obviousness. The Board adopted a functional claim construction requiring 'modified PH20 polypeptide' to exhibit hyaluronidase activity.

patent instituted · Feb 21, 2025

Merck Sharp & Dohme LLC v.Halozyme, Inc. et al.

· PGR2025-00024

Merck Sharp & Dohme LLC successfully challenged Halozyme, Inc.'s '590 patent on grounds of enablement and obviousness. The PTAB found the claims were overly broad regarding polypeptide scope, requiring undue experimentation for a skilled artisan.

patent instituted · Jan 23, 2025

Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. et al. v.Ouraring, Inc. et al.

· IPR2025-00147

The PTAB has instituted the IPR against Ouraring, Inc. et al., finding a reasonable likelihood of prevailing for Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. et al. on multiple grounds of obviousness (103). The institution decision targets 17 claims related to smart rings and biometric monitoring technology.

patent denied · Nov 20, 2024

Samsung Bioepis Co., Ltd. v.Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc.

· IPR2025-00176

Samsung Bioepis sought to invalidate numerous claims of Regeneron Pharmaceuticals' ophthalmic formulations using grounds of obviousness (103). The PTAB denied institution based on a holistic Fintiv analysis, citing significant overlap with ongoing district court and MDL proceedings.

patent instituted · Oct 30, 2024

LifeScan, Inc. et al. v.Cellspin Soft, Inc.

· IPR2025-00104

LifeScan successfully petitioned the PTAB to institute an IPR against Cellspin Soft's patent, asserting that the claimed wireless data transmission methods are obvious over various combinations of prior art. The Board found a reasonable likelihood of prevailing on multiple grounds, moving the dispute into active review proceedings.

patent instituted · Oct 30, 2024

LifeScan, Inc. et al. v.Cellspin Soft, Inc.

· IPR2025-00103

LifeScan and co-petitioners successfully convinced the PTAB to institute trial on all 15 claims of patent 9900766 against Cellspin Soft, Inc. The Board found sufficient evidence that the claimed multimedia content distribution methods were obvious over various combinations of prior art references, including Singh906, Kahn, and Bluetooth specifications.

patent instituted · Oct 30, 2024

LifeScan, Inc. et al. v.Cellspin Soft, Inc.

· IPR2025-00102

The PTAB granted institution for an IPR challenge against Cellspin Soft's patent (11234121), asserting obviousness over multiple prior art references. Petitioners, including LifeScan and Senseonics, successfully argued that the claims were rendered obvious by combinations of existing wireless technology standards and academic publications.

patent denied · Oct 28, 2024

Cipla Limited v.Gilead Sciences, Inc.

· IPR2025-00033

The PTAB denied Cipla Limited's IPR petition against Gilead Sciences regarding patent 11,744,802, citing the advanced stage of parallel district court litigation and lack of compelling merits.

patent denied · Oct 18, 2024

Arthrex, Inc. et al. v.Medshape, Inc.

· IPR2025-00053

The PTAB denied Arthrex's IPR petition against Medshape's patent (7985222), citing the complex and overlapping nature of co-pending district court litigation.

patent instituted · Sep 20, 2024

Axion Biosystems, Inc. v.Agilent Technologies, Inc.

· IPR2024-01467

Axion Biosystems successfully navigated the Institution Decision phase in its IPR against Agilent Technologies, leading to the trial of key claims. The Board declined to deny institution, allowing the dispute over cell monitoring and impedance analysis technology to proceed to litigation.

patent final · Sep 20, 2024

Axion Biosystems, Inc. v.Agilent Technologies, Inc.

· IPR2024-01467

The PTAB issued a final decision finding the challenged claims unpatentable over Xu-752 and Jones. The Board concluded that the Petitioner failed to demonstrate non-hindsight motivation for combining the references or making the necessary technical modifications, citing lack of support for millisecond time resolution.

patent instituted · Jul 10, 2024

PreOmics GmbH et al. v.The Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Inc.

· IPR2024-01473

PreOmics GmbH et al. successfully petitioned for institution in the IPR against The Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Inc., challenging claims related to sensor arrays for protein corona analysis. The Board found a reasonable likelihood of unpatentability based on grounds of anticipation (102) and obviousness (103).

patent final · Jul 10, 2024

PreOmics GmbH et al. v.The Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Inc.

· IPR2024-01473

The Board found that six claims (1, 4, 6, 17, 22, and 25) of the patent were unpatentable based on anticipation by prior art Cai. The decision hinged on a broad interpretation of key terms like 'biological sample' and 'subset of particles,' which favored the Petitioner's arguments regarding the scope of the claims.

patent all challenged claims upheld · Jun 28, 2024

Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. et al. v.Oura Health Oy et al.

· PGR2024-00039

Samsung’s post‑grant review of Oura’s smart‑ring patent (U.S. 11,874,702) was denied. The Board held that none of the 17 claims were obvious over the cited prior art, affirming the patent’s validity.

patent instituted · Jun 28, 2024

Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. et al. v.Oura Health Oy et al.

· PGR2024-00039

Samsung Electronics successfully petitioned to challenge Ouraring's patent (11874702) in a PGR proceeding, leading the PTAB to grant institution. The Board determined that the challenges based on prior art met the institutional threshold for trial.

patent denied · Jun 28, 2024

Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. et al. v.Oura Health Oy et al.

· PGR2024-00038

The PTAB denied a Post-Grant Review filed by Samsung against Oura Health's patent '701 because the Patent Owner had disclaimed all challenged claims.

patent instituted · Jun 28, 2024

Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. et al. v.Oura Health Oy et al.

· IPR2024-01078

The PTAB granted institution for a high-stakes IPR concerning wearable biosensor technology, specifically smart rings. The Board found sufficient evidence of obviousness (103) and anticipation (102) to proceed with trial on 17 claims.

patent denied · Jun 28, 2024

Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. et al. v.Oura Health Oy et al.

· IPR2024-01080

The PTAB denied an IPR petition filed by Samsung against Oura Health because the patent owner had disclaimed all challenged claims.

patent denied · Jun 28, 2024

Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. et al. v.Oura Health Oy et al.

· IPR2024-01079

The PTAB denied an IPR petition filed by Samsung against Oura Health because the patent owner had disclaimed all challenged claims. This denial was based on procedural rules regarding pre-institution claim disclaimer.

patent instituted · Jun 28, 2024

Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. et al. v.Oura Health Oy et al.

· IPR2024-01077

Samsung Electronics successfully pushed through the institution phase of its IPR challenge against Oura Health's '859 Patent. The Board found that the second challenge, based on prior art including Schröder and Mestas, met the threshold for obviousness (103).

patent final · Jun 28, 2024

Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. et al. v.Oura Health Oy et al.

· IPR2024-01078

The Board upheld the validity of Oura Health's smart ring patent against Samsung Electronics in a Final Written Decision. The Panel found that the Petitioner failed to demonstrate obviousness over prior art combining physical activity monitoring and wearable input devices.

patent final · Jun 28, 2024

Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. et al. v.Oura Health Oy et al.

· IPR2024-01077

The PTAB issued a Final Written Decision rejecting all grounds of obviousness (35 U.S.C. § 103) against the smart ring patent. The Board upheld the validity of the claims, finding that the combination of prior art references required non-obvious structural overhauls and lacked proper nexus to the claimed invention.

patent denied · May 31, 2024

Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. et al. v.Oura Health Oy et al.

· PGR2024-00031

The PTAB denied Samsung's Post-Grant Review petition against Ouraing because the patent owner had statutorily disclaimed all 16 challenged claims.

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