GaN Semiconductor Rivals Clash Over Patent Validity in High-Stakes Dispute
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| (Source: https://epc-co.com/epc/) |
InnoScience has initiated inter partes review (IPR) proceedings with the U.S. Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB) against four U.S. patents held by Efficient Power Conversion Corporation (EPC).
The PTAB instituted the reviews in late March 2024, setting the stage for a significant battle over the validity of EPC's intellectual property, which lies at the heart of ongoing litigation between the two competitors in the gallium nitride (GaN) power semiconductor market.
The four patents under review include U.S. Patent Nos. 8,350,294 ("Compensated gate MISFET and method for fabricating the same"), 8,404,508 ("Enhancement mode GaN HEMT device and method for fabricating the same"), 9,748,347 ("Gate with self-aligned ledge for enhancement mode GaN transistors"), and 10,312,335 ("Gate with self-aligned ledge for enhancement mode GaN transistors").
These patents were also cited by EPC in two lawsuits filed in May 2023 in the Central District of California, as well as in a concurrent complaint before the U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC), accusing InnoScience of infringing its GaN power semiconductor technology. In September 2023, approximately four months after EPC filed its lawsuits, InnoScience responded by filing petitions for IPR challenging the validity of the four contested patents.
The PTAB's decision to institute the IPRs came approximately six months after InnoScience's challenge, signaling that at least one of the claims in EPC's patents could be at risk. The outcome of the IPRs is likely to have significant implications for parallel litigation in the California federal court and the ITC, which are expected to monitor the PTAB's findings closely.
InnoScience and EPC are fierce competitors in the rapidly growing GaN power semiconductor sector, where another key player, Infineon, has also targeted InnoScience with legal action. Infineon has filed patent infringement suits in both the U.S. and Germany over similar GaN technology. In response, InnoScience has filed an IPR against one of Infineon's U.S. patents (No. 9,899,481), and the PTAB is expected to decide on whether to institute that review.
Infineon initially brought suit against InnoScience in the Northern District of California in March 2024, accusing the Chinese firm of infringing at least one patent—U.S. Patent No. 9,899,481. In July 2024, Infineon added three more patents to the California lawsuit—U.S. Patents 8,686,562, 9,070,755, and 8,264,003—and filed a separate complaint with the ITC, seeking an investigation into the same four patents. On August 27, 2024, the ITC announced it would institute a patent infringement investigation.
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