Eppenauer Discusses Expectations for the Next USPTO Director in Law360

Seattle Managing Partner Bart Eppenauer talked to Law360 about what he hopes for in the next director of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office to be named by President-elect Donald Trump, in "An Attorney Wish List for the Next USPTO Director." 

Keeping pace with the rising number of inter partes review petitions will be a challenge, Eppenauer said, because the reviews have become "so prevalent that the number of appeals from the PTAB court is even higher than the number from district court. It's a remarkable trend."

"I think that's going to be a key area of focus, ensuring that IPRs remain a successful and effective means of making sure patent quality remains high," he said.