Does the U.S. Need STRONGER Patents?

While many bills pending in Congress would make it easier to challenge U.S. patents, last week Senators Chris Coons (D-Del.) and Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) and Representative Steve Stivers (R-Ohio) and Bill Foster (D-Ill.) reintroduced the STRONGER Patents Act, which would limit the ability of third parties to challenge granted patents in USPTO Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB) proceedings. The proposed law includes several provisions aimed at providing patent owners with “quiet title” to their patents, including provisions that would limit USPTO review to “only once per claim of a patent,” limit Petitioners to only “one petition to challenge a patent, unless they are later charged with infringement of additional claims,” and give priority to Federal Circuit validity determinations.

Read more about the STRONGER Patents Act and the other legislators supporting it in this article on Foley's PTAB Trial Insights blog.