After a year of conducting U.S. Supreme Court-mandated director reviews of patent board decisions through an interim process, the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) indicated on Monday that it has developed some proposed rules for how it plans to officially conduct those reviews. These proposed rules are a critical step in formalizing the previously temporary procedure.
The interim process was implemented following a mandate from the U.S. Supreme Court. The new proposals by the USPTO represent a significant shift, striving to bring a degree of finality and officiality to the director review processes.
Interested readers are encouraged to follow the ongoing developments in this important area of patent law, which can have substantial implications for corporations and law firms.