美国专利贸易组织于2025年9月16日发布新规则,要求为不一致的专利决定提供详细的理由,并在知识产权中采用更严格的证据标准,从而增加了质疑专利的障碍。 The USPTO issued new rules on September 16, 2025, requiring detailed justifications for inconsistent patent decisions and stricter evidence standards in IPRs, raising the bar to challenge patents.

9月16日, 2025年9月16日, USPTO发布新指南, 要求PTAB提供详细的书面解释, 特别是当证据和论点相似时, On September 16, 2025, the USPTO issued new guidance requiring the PTAB to provide detailed written explanations when its rulings on patent claims differ from prior decisions in federal courts, the ITC, or earlier USPTO proceedings, especially when evidence and arguments are similar. 这样做的目的是提高一致性和透明度,使请愿者更难在不提出新的证据或法律论据的情况下质疑以前维护的专利。 This aims to improve consistency and transparency, making it harder for petitioners to challenge patents previously upheld without introducing new evidence or legal arguments. 该规则既适用于机构决定,也适用于最后决定。 The rule applies to both institution and final decisions. 另外,一项自2025年9月1日起生效的新政策规定,知识产权请愿书中的所有权利要求限制都必须有前科专利或印刷出版物的支持,从而消除了对一般知识的依赖以填补空白。 Separately, a new policy effective September 1, 2025, mandates that all claim limitations in IPR petitions be supported by prior art patents or printed publications, eliminating reliance on general knowledge to fill gaps. 这就增加了对专利提出质疑的障碍,增加了成本,并可能导致知识产权减少和在联邦法院进行更多的诉讼。 This raises the bar for challenging patents, increases costs, and may lead to fewer IPRs and more litigation in federal courts.