Update: The Supreme Court issued a decision on April 20, 2020  holding that the patent statute (35 U.S.C. § 314(d)) bars judicial review of a PTAB decision of whether an inter partes review petition is time-barred pursuant to 35 USC 315(b). As stated by the Court, the PTAB’s “application of §315(b)’s time limit, we hold, is closely related to its decision whether to institute inter partes review and is therefore rendered nonappealable by§314(d).”

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Update: The Supreme Court issued an order on June 24, 2019, granting a petition for a writ of certiorari to review the Federal Circuit’s judgment in Dex Media, Inc. v. Click-to-Call Technologies, LP,  899 F.3d 1321 (Fed. Cir. 2018). The Court will decide “[w]hether 35 U.S.C. § 314(d) permits appeal of the PTAB’s decision to institute an inter partes review upon finding that § 315(b)’s time bar did not apply.” The Court’s docket number for this case is 18-916, and its decision may be expected during the October 2019 term.

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Original Post: The Federal Circuit recently held that the statutory time bar in 35 U.S.C. § 315(b) precludes the PTAB from deciding an IPR petition filed more than one year after any of the petitioners have been served with a complaint alleging patent infringement, even if that complaint was voluntarily dismissed. Click-To-Call Technologies, LP v. Ingenio, Inc., et al., Case no. 2015-1242, 2018 WL 3893119 (Fed. Cir. Aug 16, 2018).
Continue Reading One Year Time Bar Runs from Date of Service, Regardless of Whether Suit is Dismissed