PTAB considers allowing claim amendments during IPR proceedings

The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office is seeking comments on proposed changes that would allow patent holders to amend the scope of inter partes claims based on a preliminary non-binding decision by the Patent Trials and Appeals Board (PTAB).

In remarks delivered last week at the American Intellectual Property Law Association Annual Meeting, Director of the USPTO Andrei Iancu said that under current legislation, PTAB has only granted 10% of motions to amend claims, and that it is a provision of the American Invents Act (AIA) to provide a feasible and meaningful amendment system...