About Us

This blog was created to provide frequent updates, insightful commentary, and useful practice tips for those with an interest in post-grant trials before the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB). At the time the America Invents Act (AIA) was signed into law, many predicted that the new post-grant challenges that it created – Inter Partes Review (IPR), Covered Business Methods (CBM), and Post-Grant Review (PGR) – would significantly alter U.S. patent practice. But few could foresee just how dramatic this impact would turn out to be. Incredibly, these new post-grant challenges are now instituted so frequently that the PTAB has become one of the most popular forums for patent validity litigation within the United States.

It is absolutely critical for the modern patent practitioner to have mastery over all aspects of PTAB practice, whether representing patent owners, patent challengers, or both. At the same time, given the fast-paced nature of this new field and the sheer volume of important information that comes out every day, it is incredibly challenging for the modern practitioner to stay abreast of PTAB-related developments, and to absorb how these new PTAB proceedings might be used to advance the interests of their clients.

With these points in mind, this blog aims to report on and summarize important PTAB-related developments as they occur, so that busy patent practitioners can stay current on these important topics with little time spent and minimal inconvenience. Our contributors are Drinker Biddle attorneys – including a number of former USPTO patent examiners – having extensive experience before the PTAB (including its predecessor tribunal, the Board of Patent Appeals and Interferences), before the courts in patent litigation matters, and before the USPTO in matters relating to patent prosecution.

Drinker Biddle is a national law firm representing prestigious clients from all over the world in matters relating to patents and other important areas of law.