Vidal to Highlight Patent Trial Transparency Progress on Hill

The US Patent and Trademark Office is trying to offer more visibility into patent validity challenges under the America Invents Act, PTO head Kathi Vidal plans to tell Congress on Thursday morning, highlighting public comment periods and interim guidance intended to address process concerns.

The PTO has made “significant improvements to AIA trial proceedings during the past year for enhanced transparency, fairness, certainty, and predictability,” Vidal said in prepared remarks shared with Bloomberg Law ahead of her appearance before the House Judiciary Subcommittee on Courts, Intellectual Property, and the Internet.

The oversight hearing is the first to examine the PTO’s ...