Patent Office Targets This Year for New Design Bar, PTAB Rules

The US Patent and Trademark Office aims to pitch new rules governing an administrative patent tribunal this summer, and to finalize a proposed design patent bar by the end of the year.

The initiatives are new additions to the PTO’s list of priorities in the Biden administration’s Spring 2023 regulatory agenda released Tuesday.

The office plans to issue a notice of proposed rulemaking on Patent Trial and Appeal Board operations by August, according to the agenda. An advance NPRM seeking feedback on early-stage proposals was published in April. The PTO is considering limiting who can bring patent validity ...