Patent Tribunal Rule Marks Push to Curb Political Influence (1)

The US Patent Office’s proposal to eliminate senior leadership’s involvement in administrative tribunal decisions before they’re issued is the latest move to address criticism that officials were manipulating judge panels.

The proposal would codify interim procedures in place since last year that govern the circulation and review of decisions by judges at the Patent Trial and Appeal Board, which hears challenges to patents’ validity and appeals of patent examiners’ determinations. The effort builds new public guardrails around patent judges’ decisions, more clearly isolating them from the office’s politically appointed leadership after a government watchdog report and a high-profile whistleblower incident ...