On July 2, 2020, the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) launched the Fast-Track Appeals Pilot Program to speed up patent examination and ex parte appeals. The USPTO expects the average ex parte appeal to be decided within six months from the date a petition to request the fast-track appeal is granted.  

On August 4, 2020, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit (CAFC) affirmed a district court's infringement finding and its rulings regarding owed royalties, concerning the infringement of two patents directed to LTE technology owned by Godo Kaisha IP Bridge 1 (IP Bridge). In an apparent issue of first impression, the CAFC held that comparing the asserted claims of a patent against an industry standard to determine whether the claims are essential to the standard, is akin to an infringement analysis, and therefore is a fact issue decidable by a jury, and not a question of law that must be decided by the court.

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit”™s decision in American Axle & Manufacturing, Inc. v. Neapco Holdings LLC, invalidated claims for a patent directed to a driveshaft. This case is of interest, because the court used the Alice/Mayo analysis to invalidate a mechanical patent.

On July 16, 2020, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit (CAFC) affirmed a district court's grant of summary judgment against Akeva's footwear patents where the district court (1) construed the claim term “rear sole secured” to exclude conventional fixed rear soles (the accused products) and (2) concluded that Akeva's Continuation Patents are not entitled to claim priority to an earlier patent.

On July 16, 2020, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit (CAFC) affirmed a district court's grant of summary judgment against Akeva's footwear patents where the district court (1) construed the claim term “rear sole secured” to exclude conventional fixed rear soles (the accused products) and (2) concluded that Akeva's Continuation Patents are not entitled to claim priority to an earlier patent.