Patent Office Chief Defends Powers in First House Appearance (2)

Rep. Darrell Issa (R-Calif.) slammed US Patent and Trademark Office Director John Squires over moves that’ve made it harder for companies accused of infringement to challenge the validity of asserted patents at the agency.

Squires spent much of his first appearance before the House Judiciary subcommittee that oversees intellectual property fielding questions from Issa, the panel’s longtime chair, who took issue with the increased use of a discretionary process to rebuff patent challenges before judges at the Patent Trial and Appeal Board can review them.

It was just one topic in a wide-ranging two-hour hearing Wednesday where Squires received criticism ...