Meta Platforms, Inc., the parent company of Facebook, filed a petition with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office’s Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB) on November 10, 2025, seeking to invalidate all claims of SitNet’s U.S. Patent No. 12,256,463 B2.
Basic Details of the Petition:
- Petitioner: Meta Platforms, Inc.
- Patent Owner: SitNet LLC
- Patent at Issue: US12,256,463 B2 (“the 463 patent”)
- Patent Issue Date: Mar 18, 2025
- Type of Action: Inter Partes Review
- Petition Number: IPR2026-00112
- Petition filing Date: Nov 10, 2025
Basic information of the Patent (463)?
The 463 patent claims techniques for creating “situational networks” a subset of social network users who can interact and exchange info about real-world events. Whether it’s a weather emergency, a concert, or a need for services, this network uses standard tech (your phone, computer, the Internet) to connect affected users based on proximity and situation.
Why Meta Platforms Wants to invalidate?
Meta Platforms argues that the patent doesn’t actually offer anything new or innovative. Instead, it uses familiar ideas, like keeping a database of users, tracking location with standard tech, identifying situations, and sending relevant info to those nearby.
Meta Platforms points out:
- These methods were already well-known before the 463 patent was filed.
- Prior art (previous patents and publications) prove these techniques were in use.
- The claims are said to be “obvious” meaning any ordinary expert could combine existing technologies to do what the patent describes.
The Petition’s Core Arguments:
Meta Platforms lists multiple prior art references (like patents Kraft, Altman, Wong, Gogic, Gage) that describe:
- Managing social networks and events
- Group communications based on location and proximity
- Emergency response and notifications through social networks and mobile tech
Meta Platforms’s legal team supported by expert Dr. Jeremy Cooperstock argues that anyone skilled in computer networking could easily build the system using publicly available knowledge.
How the Patent’s Claims are Challenged?
The petition breaks down each claim (1-12) and shows:
- How earlier patents do the same things: create event nodes, connect users based on location, send messages about events, let users interact, show info to people in danger or in need.
- Why combining these old ideas doesn’t meet the threshold for a patent.
What Happens Next?
- The PTAB will review Meta Platform’s evidence and decide whether the patent claims should actually stand or be invalidate for being obvious.
- The result could impact SitNet’s rights over similar network technologies. If invalidated, SitNet loses exclusive ground for pursuing others for infringement.
- The 463 patent is among several at issue in ongoing lawsuits between Meta and SitNet.
Why Should We Care about this interesting development?
If you use social networks, event apps, or mobile alerts, this case could decide which companies can innovate without facing legal threats over common-sense features.
