June 19th marked the 5th anniversary of the Supreme Court’s impactful decision in Alice Corp. v. CLS Bank, which some argue shifted the landscape in an anti-patent direction. As discussed here at length, a bipartisan group of Congressional members are working this summer to revise Section 101 and 112 of
The SCOTUS has shown an affinity for disputes of the Patent Trial & Appeal Board (PTAB). Today, the Court took up its 5th PTAB dispute in three years granting cert in Dex Media Inc. v. Click-To-Call Technologies, LP.
The underlying dispute in Dex relates to the one-year window of 35 U.S.C. § 315(b). As is well-known, this window precludes AIA trial petitions from a party more than one year after service of a complaint of infringement. Prior to the Federal Circuit’s reversal in Dex (more familiar to practitioners as “Click-to-Call”), the Board had consistently held that where a first-filed complaint (outside the window) was dismissed without prejudice, that the original window trigger becomes a nullity. The Federal Circuit disagreed, holding that the voluntary dismissal of a civil action does not nullify an administrative time bar that is triggered by service of that complaint.
In granting cert, the Court will consider only the the threshold issue of whether 315(b) disputes are even reviewable by the Federal Circuit in view of the appeal bar of 35 U.S.C. § 314(d). That is, the Court will have an opportunity to expand upon the “shenanigans” discussed in Cuozzo Speed Techs. v. Lee that are outside of the 314(d) appeal bar.
Continue Reading SCOTUS Review of PTAB Appeal Bar Unlikely to Change 315(b) Time Bar Realities
The AIA statutes provide that a person who is not the owner of a patent, can challenge the patent at the Patent Trial & Appeal Board (PTAB). Pursuant to the bright lines drawn by the statute, the PTAB has accepted AIA challenges from non-owners where traditional defenses may have prevented such challenges in other fora. For example, while assignor estoppel might preclude a patent validity challenge in a district court, the PTAB accepts such challenges. In affirming this practice, the Federal Circuit explained that common-law doctrines are subject to abrogation of the AIA statutes.
A more recent argument has been that private agreement, such as a forum selection clause, can divest the PTAB of jurisdiction of a patent validity dispute. For its part, the PTAB has disagreed to date…..the District court on the other hand, has attempted to enjoin petitioners from continuing that the PTAB in such circumstances. Today, the Federal Circuit has backed the injunction strategy, effectively shutting down the PTAB.
Continue Reading Shutting Down the PTAB with Forum Selection Clauses
In Momenta Pharmaceuticals, Inc. v. Bristol-Myers Squibb Co. (here), the Federal Circuit was poised to explore the level of biosimilar legwork that could satisfy Article III standing for appeal from an adverse Patent Trial & Appeal Board (PTAB) decision. But, business developments of Momenta since the 2017 oral argument have now spoiled all of the fun.
The question as to how much investment/business exploration is enough in the biosimilar context for Article III standing remains an open question.Continue Reading BPCIA & FDA Steps as Article III Standing from the PTAB?
In Mylan Pharmaceuticals Inc. v. Research Corp. Technologies, Inc., (here) the Federal Circuit held that parties joined to an IPR petition have a statutory right of appeal under 35 U.S.C. § 319 as “parties”, even if the original petitioner lacks Article III standing for appeal.
Continue Reading Joined PTAB Parties & CAFC Appeal Rights
Some months back the Patent Trial & Appeal Board (PTAB) proposed dropping the broadest reasonable interpretation (BRI) in favor of the so-called “Phillips construction” of the courts. That final rule package, while expected to have been issued by now, is hung up in the Office of Management & Budget (OMB) for regulatory review. (While described in the proposed rule as a change that was not deemed “significant,” should OMB disagree, the final rules will be delayed until the necessary regulatory hoops can be navigated). Nevertheless, whether in 2018 or 2019, it is clear that the agency intends to move PTAB trial proceedings away from BRI to the Phillips standard.
While this change may not move the needle very much for PTAB trials, it should provide enhanced appellate opportunity.
Continue Reading What a Phillips Construction Could Mean for PTAB Appeals
The impact of the Supreme Court’s decision in SAS Institute has been immediate and far-reaching. As explained last week, the courts have quickly realized the import of this Patent Trial & Appeal Board (PTAB) practice change on motions to stay. As for the PTAB itself, the agency is currently grappling with the unexpected expansion of roughly 50% of its current caseload. With a significant number of PTAB trial appeals on the docket of the Federal Circuit, questions remained as to how the Court might resolve the SAS questions in the cases pending before it.
Today, the court issued a precedential decision in PGS Geophysical AS v. Iancu in which the Court found outstanding SAS issues did not deprive it of appellate jurisdiction.
Continue Reading CAFC Clarifies SAS Impact on Pending Appeals
A successful appeal to the Federal Circuit from the Patent Trial & Appeal Board (PTAB) typically ends in vacatur and remand. As explained a few weeks back, surprisingly, the Board is not simply correcting the record on remand to maintain its earlier decision. Rather, in most cases a remand results in an eventual victory for the appealing party.
This practice gives hope to Patent Owners who may have been assuming that absent reversal, a remand was just a longer, more painful loss.
Continue Reading PTAB Remands Looking More Like Eventual Wins for Patentees
The Patent Trial & Appeal Board (PTAB) will host its next “Boardside Chat” webinar this Thursday, April 5 from noon to 1 p.m. ET. The chat will discuss “Petitionable Matters, Objectionable Matters, and New Grounds of Rejections in Ex Parte Appeals.” PTAB Judges Adriene Lepiane Hanlon, Bruce Wieder, and
Today, the Federal Circuit issued a stay of further Patent Trial & Appeal Board (PTAB) proceedings pending the St. Regis Mohawk Tribe’s sovereign immunity appeal. The appeal challenges the Board’s determination that the Tribe is not immune from its proceedings as a sovereign entity. As a reminder, the tribe is alleged to be the new owner of Allergan patents relating to the ophthalmic Restasis®
Continue Reading CAFC Shuts Down PTAB Pending St. Regis Mohawk Tribe Appeal