Supreme Court Upholds Patent Office Power to Invalidate Bad Patents

In one of the most important patent decisions in years, the Supreme Court has upheld the power of the Patent Office to review and cancel issued patents. This power to take a “second look”is important because, compared to courts, administrative avenues provide a much faster and more efficient means for challenging bad patents. If the court had ruled the other way, the ruling would have struck down various patent office procedures and might even have resurrected many bad patents.

Today’s decision [PDF] in Oil States Energy Services, LLC v. Greene’s Energy Group, LLCis a big win for those that want a more sensible patent system.

Source: eff.org