Who We Are

History

The formation of the PTAB Bar Association traces its roots to the passage of the America Invents Act (“AIA”). The AIA went into effect in 2012 and fundamentally changed patent litigation by providing a new forum, new administrative judges, and new rules to resolve issues of patent validity. From 2012 to 2015, the number of new PTAB cases increased from just 111 new cases in 2012 to nearly 1800 new cases in 2015.

As with any new practice area, PTAB trial practice attracted new practitioners that specialize in this forum. These practitioners began to organically coalesce into an informal community. At the same time, they began to form ideas for further improving and professionalizing the still-emerging PTAB trial practice. The many PTAB practitioners realized that there existed no way to broadly communicate those ideas to the bar, let alone the PTAB itself. Thus, the idea of the PTAB Bar Association was born—to improve the stature of the PTAB legal profession, and to serve as an avenue for constructive dialogue between the bar community, the PTAB, and other stakeholders.

In early 2016, numerous PTAB practitioners, from the nation’s best known firms and industry leaders, joined together to create an organization that would encourage and facilitate the free flow of ideas regarding the evolving PTAB trial practice. On June 17, 2016, the PTAB Bar Association was formally incorporated into a non-profit entity.

Charter

The PTAB Bar Association seeks to preserve and promote the highest professional and ethical standards among lawyers and stakeholders who appear before the PTAB. The Association is dedicated to helping secure the just, speedy, and inexpensive resolution of every PTAB proceeding, and to maintaining or improving the reputation and stature of the legal profession and community associated with the PTAB. The Association will be economically self-sustaining and work to fulfill its vision through education, outreach, collaboration, and advocacy. The Association will serve as an avenue for constructive dialogue between the bar community, the PTAB, and other stakeholders.

The complete Charter of the Association can be viewed here.

The complete Charter of the Industry Committee can be viewed here.