The U.S. Supreme Court has blocked federal agencies from challenging patents at the Patent and Trademark Office, in a decision that attorneys say will have a far-reaching impact.
The justices overturned a U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit decision that the U.S. Postal Service could challenge a patent at the agency. The ruling sets a precedent by clarifying that the government isn’t a “person” eligible to use administrative patent challenge proceedings under the America Invents Act (AIA).
The 6-3 decision in Return Mail Inc. v. United States Postal Service “prevents any government agency from trying to go to ...