Robins Kaplan LLP is pleased to announce that the United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit has affirmed a complete defense verdict previously secured for clients ionLake, LLC (now known as MyRepChat LLC) and its founders in a patent infringement action brought by its competitor, CellTrust Corp. The appellate decision upholds a 2023 federal jury verdict finding that ionLake did not infringe CellTrust’s asserted patent claims and that the patent claims were invalid.
The case originated in 2019, when CellTrust sued ionLake alleging patent infringement related to ionLake’s MyRepChat product—a SMS communication platform designed to address security and regulatory compliance issues in client communications for financial advisors. Following an eight-day jury trial in May 2023, the jury returned a unanimous defense verdict after only two hours of deliberation, finding no infringement and invalidating all asserted patent claims.
CellTrust appealed the verdict. In its decision, the appellate court rejected CellTrust’s arguments and affirmed the judgment over all asserted claims, bringing the litigation to a close and preserving ionLake’s trial victory.
“We are pleased that the appellate court affirmed what the jury decisively concluded after trial—that the asserted claims in CellTrust’s patents are invalid and not infringed by ionLake,” said Patrick Arenz, lead trial counsel. “This decision brings finality for ionLake and confirms the strength of both the trial record and the jury’s verdict.”
Partner Emily Niles added, “ionLake innovatively developed MyRepChat to meet real-world compliance needs for financial advisors. It was gratifying to see that innovation recognized at trial, and even more so to have that result upheld on appeal.”
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