Tesla Says Patent Suit’s Transfer Proves Agency Needs Reining In

Tesla Inc. and an owner of four self-driving car patents traded blows this week over the lawfulness of a new US Patent and Trademark Office policy that makes it harder to challenge the validity of patents, especially those asserted in lawsuits in a single-judge East Texas federal court.

The debate at the US Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit focuses on a specific factor—district court trial schedules—that agency executives have used to prevent validity proceedings before the Patent Trial and Appeal Board for patents that are the subject of ongoing lawsuits. It also spotlights how Trump administration appointees at ...