by Sarah Geers | May 4, 2026 | PTAB News, PTAB Trial Basics, Trial Institution
By Sarah Geers – On January 9, the USPTO designated as informational two recent Director decisions involving licensing activities, highlighting the evolving nature of “settled expectations” in discretionary denial determinations. The decisions—Apple Inc. v....
by Sarah Geers | Aug 29, 2025 | PTAB News, PTAB Trial Basics, Request for Reconsideration, Trial Institution
By Adam Cook and Sarah Geers – For the first time under the bifurcated institution procedures, the Acting Director reversed her own prior discretionary denial, citing changed circumstances based on a settlement in the parallel district court litigation. See Arm...
by Sarah Geers | Feb 13, 2025 | PTAB News
By Sarah Geers and Connor Scholes – In the closing weeks of 2024, USPTO Director Kathi Vidal announced her departure in a November LinkedIn post, stating that she would leave the Office during the second week of December to rejoin the partnership of...
by Sarah Geers | Aug 1, 2024 | PTAB News, Trial Institution
By Scott Findley* and Sarah Geers – On July 9, 2024, Director Vidal reversed and remanded a denial of institution of inter partes review (IPR) relating to three Spin Master patents. See Prime Time Toys LLC v. Spin Master, Inc., IPR Nos. 2023-01339, 2023-01348,...
by Sarah Geers | May 1, 2024 | PTAB Trial Basics, Trial Institution
By Sarah Geers and Daniel Sloan – Director Vidal recently vacated three discretionary denials of institution after finding that the three petitioners did not have a “significant relationship” with a prior petitioner. American Honda Motor Co., Inc. v. Neo...
