Network-1 Technologies (NYSEMKT:NTIP), a developer of intellectual property and proprietary technologies, said the U.S. District Judge Robert Schroeder III of the Eastern District of Texas issued "a significant" order in the patent infringement suit filed by Mirror Worlds Technologies, a wholly owned unit of Network-1, against Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL).
In granting Mirror Worlds' motion for summary judgement on preclusion, Judge Schroeder ruled that Apple will not be able to argue that U.S. Patent No. 6,006,227 is invalid under Sections 102 (anticipation) or 103 (obviousness) of the U.S. Patent Act, based on the outcome of an earlier case brought by the previous owner of the Mirror Worlds patent portfolio against Apple.
Based on the Judge's order, the only invalidity defenses Apple will be able to raise will be limited to Sections 101 (patentable subject matter) and 112 (indefiniteness).
As previously announced, earlier this year Judge Schroeder rejected Apple's attempt to invalidate Mirror World's patent claims under Section 101 at the pleading stage of the case.
Judge Schroeder's decision also affirms that Mirror Worlds is not precluded, based on the outcome of the earlier case, from pursuing its patent infringement claims against Apple for its continued willful infringement of the '227 patent.
Mirror Worlds said it successfully argued that claim preclusion does not bar its infringement claims because the claims are based on acts of infringement that occurred after the trial of the earlier case.
"We are very pleased with the Judge's well-reasoned and thoughtful order on the respective summary judgment motions brought by Mirror Worlds and Apple," Network-1 CEO Corey Horowitz said in the statement.
"We are looking forward to trial next summer so that we can finally resolve the outstanding issues relating to Apple's continued infringement of the Mirror Worlds intellectual property," he added.