On January 16, 2026, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office’s Patent Trial and Appeal Board (“PTAB”) instituted two inter partes review (IPR) proceedings for Brooks Kushman client Ford Motor Company (“Ford”) and denied Patent Owner AutoConnect Holdings, LLC’s request for discretionary denial in a third proceeding. See IPR2025‑01342, ‑01383, and ‑01524, Paper 11 (Jan. 16, 2026).

Ford filed these IPRs challenging patents related to infotainment systems that AutoConnect asserted in district court. These decisions are especially significant given current PTAB conditions, where institution rates have fallen below 20% since October 2025.