PTAB to Broadcast First Ever CBM Oral Hearing

On April 17, 2013, the Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB) will hold its very first Oral Hearing for a Post Grant Review proceeding under the Transitional Program for Covered Business Method (CBM) Patents in Case CBM2012-00001 (SAP America, Inc. et al. v. Versata Development Group, Inc.). On September 16, 2012, SAP filed the first ever petition for a CBM review challenging the validity of claims 17 and 26-29 of U.S. Patent No. 6,553,350 (“the ’350 patent) owned by Versata Development Group. The Oral Hearing will address the instituted ground of unpatentability for claims 17 and 26-29 of the ’350 patent under 35 U.S.C. § 101. The Oral Hearing will proceed at 2 p.m. Eastern at the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office and be publicly broadcast via teleconference. Access details to the teleconference number are available in the Notice of Oral Hearing.