The Supreme Court seemed likely to find that
the judges who oversee patent disputes are
not properly appointed, a case important to
patent holders and inventors including major
technology companies.
The question for the justices has to do with
more than 250 administrative patent judges
who make up the Patent Trial and Appeal
Board, which was created by Congress in 2011.
The court’s decision could be disruptive to the
functioning of the board, which issues hundreds
of decisions a year. The justices’ decision could
also potentially affect more than 100 other
similarly-appointed officials.