Patent Office Chief Expands Grounds to Deny Validity Challenges

US Patent and Trademark Office Director John Squires, in an agency memo released Wednesday, added to the list of scenarios under which his office can strike down patent validity challenges in order to “protect American manufacturers and small business.”

Squires adds a trio of considerations to his office’s review, including whether the products made or licensed by the patent owner compete with American goods, whether they were manufactured in the US, or are related to investments in American manufacturing operations, according to the memo.

Many of the “most frequent” petitioners who challenge patents are “large companies that have stated ...