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ARTICLE · 19 FEBRUARY 2025

USPTO/PTAB: Changes Are On The Horizon

Jones Day
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In the closing weeks of 2024, USPTO Director Kathi Vidal announced her departure in a November LinkedIn post, stating that she would leave the Office during the second week of December...

United StatesIntellectual Property
Sarah A. Geers
Sarah A. Geers
Connor G. Scholes
Connor G. Scholes
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In the closing weeks of 2024, USPTO Director Kathi Vidal announced her departure in a November LinkedIn post, stating that she would leave the Office during the second week of December to rejoin the partnership of Chicago-based law firm Winston & Strawn LLP. Now, as incumbent President Trump's January inauguration approaches, many practitioners are wondering who will step into former Director Vidal's shoes and when, and what to expect from the new Trump administration.

Vidal's tenure was marked by significant changes to the USPTO, including new initiatives to support inclusive innovation, sweeping changes to the USPTO's director review process after United States v. Arthrex, Inc., 141 S.Ct. 1970 (2021), and new rules for the discretionary denial of AIA post-grant petitions after Apple Inc. v. Fintiv Inc., IPR2020-00019 (PTAB 2020). It also brought attempts to curtail the rights of patent owners in certain respects, including through a May 2024 notice of proposed

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