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ARTICLE · 12 JANUARY 2026

PTAB/USPTO Update - January 2026

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On December 29, the USPTO announced launch of a Standard-Essential Patent (SEP) Working Group, reporting directly to USPTO Director John A. Squires.

United StatesIntellectual Property
David L. Cavanaugh
David L. Cavanaugh
Heather M. Petruzzi
Heather M. Petruzzi
Brian Lambson PhD
Brian Lambson PhD
Alexander Nemtzow
Alexander Nemtzow
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USPTO News

  • On December 29, the USPTO announced launch of a Standard-Essential Patent (SEP) Working Group, reporting directly to USPTO Director John A. Squires. According to the announcement, the SEP Working Group will focus on the following three core objectives:
    • Restoring Robust Remedies for Patent Holders–Clarifying that valid patent rights, including SEPs, deserve strong and predictable enforcement;
    • Facilitating Meaningful Participation in Standards Development–Exploring mechanisms to incentivize and enable broader participation in standard developing organizations (SDOs), particularly by small and medium-sized U.S. enterprises; and
    • Engaging Stakeholders and Promoting Transparency Across the Innovation Ecosystem–Creating channels for dialogue with patent holders, implementers, SDOs, and other stakeholders to understand the challenges they face and identify solutions, and supporting these groups by developing resources to increase predictability in

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