Patent Director’s Sanctions ‘Backtrack’ Sparks Attorney Concerns (Correct)

US Patent and Trademark Office Director Kathi Vidal’s reinstatement of two companies she’d removed from high-profile patent challenges has led to renewed criticism over what some view as Intel Corp.'s third shot at challenging the patents underlying a $2 billion trial loss.

Vidal on Feb. 3 rescinded a sanction that removed OpenSky Industries LLC from the challenge it brought at the Patent Trial and Appeal Board against a VLSI Technology LLC patent, and ordered OpenSky to pay VLSI reasonable attorney’s fees. Days earlier, she made similar moves in Patent Quality Assurance LLC’s challenge against another VLSI patent.

The fees mark ...