Edited by Paul Devinsky and Rita Weeks
Ford Motor Co. v. Paice LLC
Addressing whether it has the authority to decide a contractual
dispute in the context of a post issuance proceeding under the
America Invents Act (AIA), the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office
Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB or Board) denied a patent
owner's argument that the petitioner lacked standing by virtue
of a provision in an arbitration agreement with the petitioner that
purportedly limits the petitioner's ability to challenge the
validity of the patent, finding that the issue was one of contract
law that fell outside the PTAB's authority under the AIA.
Ford Motor Co. v. Paice LLC, Case No. IPR2014-00570 (PTAB, Sept.
30, 2014) (DeFranco, APJ).
