SAS Institute: Two Weeks In

As explained in a prior client alert, two weeks ago the Supreme Court issued its decision in SAS Institute v. Iancu holding that "[w]hen the Patent Office institutes an inter partes review, it must decide the patentability of all of the claims the petitioner has challenged." The primary significance of SAS is its impact on the Patent Trial and Appeal Board's ("PTAB") prior partial institution practice. See e.g., 37 C.F.R. § 42.108(a) ("the Board may authorize the review to proceed on all or some of the challenged claims and on all or some of the grounds of unpatentability asserted for each claim."). Under SAS¸ and specifically as to claims, the PTAB is no longer able to institute on only some of the challenged claims and any final written decision must address each such claim.