Vidal Defends Patent Validity Improvement Effort to Lawmakers

The head of the US Patent and Trademark office grappled with tough questions Thursday regarding her agency’s reviews challenges to a patent’s validity, batting down accusations that it’s on the brink of exceeding its authority.

Members from both sides of the aisle specifically pressed PTO Director Kathi Vidal on the scope and purpose of the agency’s recently launched preview of potential rules addressing the way the Patent Trial and Appeal Board initiates or declines to launch validity inquiries. Those challenges often target patents underlying potentially high-damages infringement litigation against companies across technology, pharmaceutical, manufacturing, and other industries.

Rep. Thomas Massie ...