Federal Circuit Affirmed: Institutions Decisions Are Not Appealable and Broadest Reasonable Interpretation Is Reasonable
On June 20, 2016, the Supreme Court issued its ruling in Cuozzo Speed Technologies, LLC v. Lee. There were two issues presented in Cuozzo: (1) whether the Board’s institution decision of an IPR is appealable, and (2) whether the broadest reasonable construction standard is appropriate to apply in patent office proceedings. For both of these issues, the Court affirmed the Federal Circuit’s previous ruling.
Obviousness of Chemical Compounds: Navigating the Lead Compound Test at the Patent Office
The outcomes of inter partes review petitions and final written decisions have differed dramatically for claims in pharmaceutical patents, compared to other technologies, particularly for obviousness challenges of claims to chemical compounds. In its final written decisions of Orange Book-listed patents, the Patent Trial and Appeal Board (“PTAB”) has found claims unpatentable 35% of the time, in contrast to a 73% unpatentability rate in final written decisions across all technologies. Likewise, in its institution decisions, the PTAB has granted 70% of petitions for inter partes review, but only 57% of petitions concerning pharmaceutical patents, and only 30% of petitions raising obviousness challenges of chemical compounds.
