Intellectual Property
Oct. 20, 2026
Supreme Court rejection of Google appeal bolsters patent office's power to deny reviews
The justices declined to review a challenge to the USPTO director's authority to reject patent challenges based on a patent's age, leaving technology companies with fewer options to contest infringement claims outside federal court.
Companies facing patent infringement lawsuits will have to fight the claims in district court instead of relying on the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office to invalidate older patents under inter partes review, based on a Monday ruling by the U.S. Supreme Court.
The justices denied review of a writ of certiorari by Alphabet Inc.-owned Google LLC challenging a ruling by a U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit panel that upheld the patent office director's authority to deny ...
For only $95 a month (the price of 2 article purchases)
Receive unlimited article access and full access to our archives,
Daily Appellate Report, award winning columns, and our
Verdicts and Settlements.
Or
$895, but save $100 when you subscribe today… Just $795 for the first year!
Or access this article for $45
(Purchase provides 7-day access to this article. Printing, posting or downloading is not allowed.)
Already a subscriber?
Sign In