On Tuesday, the House Judiciary Committee's Subcommittee on
Courts, Intellectual Property, and the Internet conducted a hearing
to discuss recent court decisions, namely the Federal Circuit's
decision in Arthrex.
Previously discussed here, the Federal Circuit in
Arthrex held the appointment of Administrative Patent
Judges (APJs) was an unconstitutional violation of the Appointments
Clause, and severed a portion of the Patent Act regarding removal
restrictions to cure the unconstitutionality.
Witnesses at the hearing were John F. Duffy (University of
Virginia School of Law Professor), Robert A. Armitage (IP Strategy
& Policy Consultant), John M. Whealan (George Washington
University Law School Professor), and Arti K. Rai (Duke University
School of Law Professor). Among the topics discussed were the
adequacy of the Federal Circuit's remedy in Arthrex,
alternate avenues to rectify the Appointments Clause issue, and the
overall functioning of the PTAB.