U.S. Patent and Trademark Office Director John Squires has informed administrative patent judges at the Patent Trial and Appeal Board that he will personally decide whether to institute inter partes review (IPR) proceedings. The memo, issued last Friday to all PTAB judges, centralizes institution decisions under the Director's authority.
The change applies to all IPR institution decisions, according to the report. Squires, who was recently confirmed as Director, is taking direct control of a stage that determines whether a patent challenge proceeds to trial. The memo did not indicate any change to how judges handle other PTAB matters.
The move signals a more hands-on approach to patent validity disputes at the agency level. Because this report is based on a single source, there is no independent confirmation or contrasting account of the memo's scope or rationale.