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Business Method/E-Commerce Patent Trolls Pronounced Dead
Troll Assertions to be Stayed Instantly Upon Filing of CBM
The new post grant patentability trials of the America Invents Act (AIA) are designed to serve as alternatives to costly patent litigation. One of the new post grant options is the very specialized, Transitional Program for Covered Business Method Patents, or “CBM” proceeding. This proceeding, like Inter Partes Review (IPR), is conducted before the administrative patent judges of the USPTO’s Patent Trial & Appeal Board.
The CBM option is noteworthy in several respects, but perhaps of greatest interest to patent challengers is the degree to which courts must defer to the USPTO. That is to say, when faced with the decision to stay or proceed to trial on a qualifying business method/e-commerce patent, the court is left with little choice but to halt proceedings.
As recently demonstrated by the district court in Markets-Alert Pty Ltd. v. Bloomberg Finance LP, et. al (DED), a stay is even warranted for CBM petitions still awaiting initial disposition by the PTAB. (here) Read the rest of this entry »
