Basically, when UOIP filed the Patent Infringement lawsuit. Cisco tried to claim that UOIPs patents were not valid by filing a petition for an IPR (a review of the patent) with the Patent board.
When this happens the Patent board looks over the information and decide if they will institute the IPR. Since Cisco's complaints were so weak the Patent board denied the review. When this happens it is a final decision and no appeal to the Patent board can be made. If the Patent board had instituted the IPRs, their would have been a hearing and a decision made. In that case they would have been able to appeal to the Patent board. (Even then appeals to the Patent board are very seldom successful.)
Keep in mind the IPRs with the Patent board are NOT the same thing as the court case. If Cisco and RPX were successful with the IPRs the patents would have been declared invalid and the actual lawsuit would have had to be dropped.
GREAT NEWS for us we won against CISCO and RPX and the Patent board has deemed our patents valid.
On top of that all the information from the Patent board is now admissible in court. I don't know about anyone else but if I'm on a Jury and see that the experts at the Patent board have made a decision in favor of UOIP/Chanbond I would definitely be swayed by that.
For that reason Cisco and the Cable companies are now in a sticky situation. These patents are vital to their business. Going to trial and losing could be devastating to them. It is only logical that they will try to settle now.
I hope that makes sense and clears up some confusion that I think people have.
All of my posts are my opinion only and are not meant to be investment advice.
