The Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB) saw activity in AIA reviews against a variety of familiar plaintiffs in September, including validity challenges brought in campaigns targeting wireless communications technology and mobile devices. Among the NPEs hit with petitions for inter partes review (IPR) in September were Intellectual Ventures LLC, which continues to pursue its existing litigation as it divests other parts of its portfolio; and entities controlled by Fortress Investment Group LLC and Uniloc Corporation Pty. Limited, both of which have kept up a barrage of new litigation asserting former Pendrell Corporation patents. Also in September, the PTAB instituted trial in IPRs against Quarterhill Inc. and an NPE related to PanOptis Equity Holdings LLC, and issued final decisions against private plaintiffs including General Patent Corporation.

Wi-LAN Inc. (WiLAN) has added new lawsuits against LG Electronics (LGE) (3:17-cv-00358) and Lenovo (3:17-cv-00365) to its long-running wireless networking campaign, accusing the two companies of infringing four patents (8,787,924; 8,867,351; 9,226,320; 9,497,743) through various mobile devices and laptops offering LTE connectivity. These newest complaints come roughly five weeks after WiLAN subsidiary Wireless Protocol Innovations, Inc. dismissed its suit against campaign co-defendant ZTE (6:15-cv-00919) in light of an apparent settlement.