The America Invents Act (AIA) changed the landscape in the United States for those seeking to challenge the validity of an issued patent outside of litigation.  On September 16, 2012 Inter Partes review (IPR) will replace the current Inter Partes reexamination (IPX) procedures.

Final Rules relating to these and other AIA procedures will be issued by the USPTO by August 16, 2012 and thus although planning should start now, flexibility will be important during the transition.

A comparison of each procedure and a detailed comparison of the impending changes is included in this update.

Click Here for Inter Partes Comparison

The content of this article is intended to provide a general guide to the subject matter. Specialist advice should be sought about your specific circumstances.