On January 9, 2026, USPTO Director John A. Squires designated four recent discretionary-denial rulings as precedential and nine more as informative, formalizing a developing framework for how and when the Office will exercise...more
1/22/2026
/ America Invents Act ,
Claim Construction ,
Denial of Institution ,
Inter Partes Review (IPR) Proceeding ,
Joinder ,
Parallel Proceedings ,
Patent Trial and Appeal Board ,
Patent Validity ,
Precedential Opinion ,
Time-Barred Claims ,
USPTO
The institution rate for post-grant petitions in FY 2026 through the end of November (the period from Oct. 1, 2025 through November 30, 2025) stands at 37% (118 instituted, 197 denied). As expected, this rate is...more
1/16/2026
/ America Invents Act ,
Denial of Institution ,
Intellectual Property Litigation ,
Inter Partes Review (IPR) Proceeding ,
Patent Invalidity ,
Patent Litigation ,
Patent Trial and Appeal Board ,
Pharmaceutical Industry ,
Post-Grant Review ,
Technology Sector ,
USPTO
The Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB) has designated as precedential a decision that squarely reaffirms the statutory requirement to identify all real parties in interest (RPI) in AIA petitions. By elevating Corning...more
12/1/2025
/ America Invents Act ,
Disclosure Requirements ,
Filing Requirements ,
Intellectual Property Litigation ,
Inter Partes Review (IPR) Proceeding ,
National Security ,
Patent Litigation ,
Patent Trial and Appeal Board ,
PTAB Precedential Opinion Panel (POP) ,
Regulatory Requirements ,
Statutory Interpretation ,
USPTO
On October 29th, Acting Chief Judge Deshpande and Vice Chief Judge Kim discussed Director institution of AIA trials, where the Director will make all institution decisions (on both discretionary, non-discretionary, and...more
10/30/2025
/ Administrative Patent Judges ,
America Invents Act ,
Director of the USPTO ,
Discretionary Functions ,
Intellectual Property Protection ,
Inter Partes Review (IPR) Proceeding ,
Patent Trial and Appeal Board ,
Patents ,
Post-Grant Review ,
Statutory Interpretation ,
Statutory Requirements ,
USPTO
On October 17, Director Squires announced that he will assume responsibility for all post‑grant trial institution decisions. When the Director determines that a petition warrants institution, the matter will be assigned to a...more
10/20/2025
/ Administrative Patent Judges ,
America Invents Act ,
Director of the USPTO ,
Intellectual Property Protection ,
Inter Partes Review (IPR) Proceeding ,
Patent Litigation ,
Patent Trial and Appeal Board ,
Patents ,
Regulatory Reform ,
Statutory Interpretation ,
USPTO
The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) recently issued a memorandum addressing how the Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB) should handle prior findings of fact and conclusions of law when adjudicating patent...more
More than a decade after the enactment of the America Invents Act (AIA), the Federal Circuit has issued its first opinion addressing an AIA derivation proceeding. In Global Health Solutions LLC v. Selner, the court clarified...more
9/26/2025
/ America Invents Act ,
Appeals ,
CAFC ,
Derivation Proceeding ,
Intellectual Property Protection ,
Interference Proceeding ,
Inventions ,
Inventors ,
Patent Applications ,
Patent Litigation ,
Patent Trial and Appeal Board ,
Patents ,
Pharmaceutical Patents
The PTAB recently provided a pre-AIA priority analysis for reference patents in Roku, Inc. v. Anonymous Media Research Holdings, LLC, No. IPR2024-01057, Paper 10 (P.T.A.B. Feb. 10, 2025). This decision highlights the...more
4/9/2025
/ America Invents Act ,
Claim Construction ,
Disclosure Requirements ,
Filing Deadlines ,
Intellectual Property Protection ,
Inter Partes Review (IPR) Proceeding ,
Obviousness ,
Patent Litigation ,
Patent Trial and Appeal Board ,
Patents ,
Prior Art ,
Provisional Applications ,
Roku
After rescinding the June 2022 guidance regarding Fintiv, the PTAB issued updates to how they will consider discretionary denial issues under Section 314(a) on Monday. ...more
On Friday, the USPTO rescinded its June 21, 2022, guidance memorandum entitled “Interim Procedure for Discretionary Denials in AIA Post-Grant Proceedings with Parallel District Court Litigation.” That memorandum discussed...more
Recently, the Patent Trial and Appeals Board (“PTAB”) released a final written decision finding no challenged claims were unpatentable in Duration Media LLC v. Rich Media Club LLC, IPR2023-00953, Paper 74 (August 19, 2024). ...more
On October 10, 2024, the USPTO issued a final rule allowing parties to proceed without backup counsel in AIA proceedings and implementing an automatic admission process for pro hac vice attorneys. Full text of the final rule...more
On September 30, 2024, the USPTO issued a final rule governing the process for Director Review of proceedings under the AIA. This formalized the USPTO’s interim Director Review procedures implemented by the USPTO following...more
On May 6th, 2024, the PTAB declined Ubiquiti Inc.’s (“Petitioner’s”) request to institute inter partes review. Ubiquiti Inc. v. XR Communications LLC D/B/A Vivato Tech., IPR2024-00148, Paper 12 (May 6, 2024). The PTAB...more
The PTO has issued a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking regarding who may represent parties in PTAB post-grant trials. The proposal is part of the USPTO’s wider initiative to expand access to practice before the Office. ...more
5/30/2024
/ America Invents Act ,
Client Services ,
Intellectual Property Protection ,
Inter Partes Review (IPR) Proceeding ,
Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NOPR) ,
Patent Infringement ,
Patent Litigation ,
Patent Trial and Appeal Board ,
Patents ,
Post-Grant Review ,
Pro Hac Vice ,
USPTO
USPTO Director Kathi Vidal recently designated precedential section II.E.3 of Penumbra, Inc. v. RapidPulse, Inc. and clarified that the priority analysis for an AIA reference patent as prior art is different than for a...more
On October 6, 2023, the United States Patent and Trademark Office (“USPTO”) issued a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (“NPR”) making changes to the Patent Trial and Appeal Board’s (“PTAB”) internal circulation and review of...more
11/20/2023
/ Administrative Law Judge (ALJ) ,
America Invents Act ,
Comment Period ,
Intellectual Property Protection ,
Inter Partes Review (IPR) Proceeding ,
Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NOPR) ,
Patent Infringement ,
Patent Litigation ,
Patent Trial and Appeal Board ,
Patents ,
USPTO
Congress implemented the Leahy-Smith America Invents Act (“AIA”) to “establish a more efficient and streamlined patent system that [would] improve patent quality and limit unnecessary and counterproductive litigation costs.” ...more
The USPTO continues to seek public feedback on PTAB procedures and potential rule changes. In addition to soliciting comments on the many proposed rule changes announced on April 21, 2023, the USPTO also recently issued a...more
6/26/2023
/ America Invents Act ,
Comment Period ,
Inter Partes Review (IPR) Proceeding ,
Motion to Amend ,
Patent Infringement ,
Patent Litigation ,
Patent Trial and Appeal Board ,
Patents ,
Proposed Rules ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
Regulatory Reform ,
USPTO
On February 24, 2023, Director Kathi Vidal issued a decision under director review granting rehearing and modifying the final written decision for Nested Bean, Inc. v. Big Beings USA Pty. Ltd. Nested Bean, Inc. (“Nested...more
The PTAB recently hosted a Boardside Chat on effectively presenting technology in AIA proceedings. Patent Trial and Appeal Board Boardside Chat: Presenting Technology in AIA Proceedings, (Nov. 17, 2022) (“Presenting...more
In OpenSky Industries, LLC v. VLSI Technology LLC, Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property, Katherine Vidal, issued a precedential decision regarding OpenSky’s violation of the Director’s express order and...more
In a recent Boardside Chat webinar, a panel made up of PTAB judges and practicing attorneys discussed the use of experts and expert testimony in American Invents Act (AIA) proceedings. The panelists stressed that...more
On June 10, 2022, the PTAB in Apple Inc. v. MemoryWeb LLC denied Apple’s “conditional” IPR petition but instituted review of Apple’s concurrently-filed PGR petition, finding that MemoryWeb’s U.S. Patent No. 11,017,020 (“the...more
Since the passage of the America Invents Act in 2012, both petitioners and patent owners have expressed concerns regarding the procedures and practices of the Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB). In an effort to respond to...more
6/24/2022
/ America Invents Act ,
Intellectual Property Protection ,
Inter Partes Review (IPR) Proceeding ,
Patent Infringement ,
Patent Litigation ,
Patent Trial and Appeal Board ,
Patents ,
Proposed Legislation ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
Regulatory Reform ,
USPTO