US Patent and Trademark Office Director John Squires marked as precedential his decision vacating four validity challenges aimed at claims from two patents relating to mercury removal at coal-combustion facilities, saying that parallel attacks on the same patent claims shouldn’t both proceed.
PacifiCorp and MidAmerican Engergy Co. challenged the validity of the patents, which are owned by Texas-based environmental tech firm Birchtech Corp. A panel of judges on the Patent Trial and Appeal Board in the fall granted petitions for trials, and Birchtech appealed to Squires, arguing the overlapping institutions were an inefficient use of agency resources.
Squires agreed. “The ...
Learn more about Bloomberg Law or Log In to keep reading:
See Breaking News in Context
Bloomberg Law provides trusted coverage of current events enhanced with legal analysis.
Already a subscriber?
Log in to keep reading or access research tools and resources.