Through December 15, 2017, the Federal Circuit decided 289 PTAB appeals from IPRs and CBMs.  The Federal Circuit affirmed the PTAB on every issue in 216 (74.74%) cases, and reversed or vacated the PTAB on every issue in 32 (11.07%) cases.  A mixed outcome on appeal, where at least one issue was affirmed and at least one issue was vacated or reversed, occurred in 29 (10.03%) cases. 

The court dismissed 12 (4.15%) appeals without rendering a decision on the merits.  Dismissals may occur, for example, where the Federal Circuit determines that it does not have jurisdiction to hear an appeal, such as in an appeal from a PTAB institution decision.  As the Supreme Court established in Cuozzo Speed Techs., LLC v. Lee, the Federal Circuit is barred from considering appeals from at least certain aspects of institution decisions under 35 U.S.C. § 314(d).  Dismissals may also result from settlements among the parties to the appeal, or where the court determines that a prior decision renders an appeal moot.

An important tool that helps the Federal Circuit manage its significant docket of PTAB appeals is the Rule 36 affirmance, whereby the court affirms the PTAB without rendering a full, written opinion.  Of the 289 PTAB appeals it has considered thus far, the Federal Circuit has issued Rule 36 affirmances in 135 (46.71%) cases.  The court issued written opinions, including affirmances, reversals, dismissals, and mixed decisions, in 154 (53.29%) cases.

Breaking down the numbers further, in its appeals from IPRs, the Federal Circuit affirmed the PTAB on every issue in 195 (74.71%) cases, reversed or vacated the PTAB on every issue in 30 (11.49%) cases, issued a mixed outcome in 27 (10.34%) cases, and dismissed 9 (3.45%) cases. 

In CBM appeals, the Federal Circuit affirmed the PTAB on every issue in 21 (75%) cases, issued a mixed outcome in 2 (7.14%) cases, dismissed 3 (10.71%) cases, and reversed or vacated the PTAB on every issue in 2 (7.14%) cases.

With the Federal Circuit’s recent en banc opinion in Wi-Fi One, LLC v. Broadcom Corp. determining that decisions regarding the IPR time bar under 35 U.S.C. § 315(b) are reviewable on appeal, the number of PTAB appeals to the Federal Circuit may increase over time.

Stay tuned to the AIA Blog for the latest updates, analysis, and statistics on all aspects of PTAB and Federal Circuit practice.  Subscribe to the AIA Blog to receive notifications of new posts via email.