PTAB Decision Upholds Juul’s Patent in Ongoing Dispute with NJOY

The Patent Trial and Appeal Board has recently handed down a decision affecting the e-cigarette industry, particularly impacting the ongoing patent disputes between Altria’s NJOY brand and Juul. Notably, the board has declined NJOY’s attempts to invalidate specific claims in a Juul vape patent. This decision arrives a few months subsequent to NJOY being determined to infringe upon the same patent in a separate ruling by the U.S. International Trade Commission (Law360). The developments in this case are of interest to legal professionals monitoring intellectual property disputes within the rapidly evolving vaping industry.