Inter Partes Review Passes Constitutional Muster
Last week, the US Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit (Federal Circuit) held that a final written decision from the Patent Trial and Appeal Board (Board) does not violate Article III or the Seventh Amendment of the US Constitution. Additionally, the Federal Circuit confirmed once again that it lacks jurisdiction to review inter partes review institution decisions. MCM Portfolio LLC v. Hewlett-Packard Company, Appeal No. 2015-1091 (Dec. 2, 2015). This decision affirms that companies may continue to challenge effectively patents using the post-grant proceedings under the America Invents Act (AIA), such as inter partes review (IPR), post-grant review (PGR) and transitional covered business method review (CBM).
MCM Portfolio represents the third time that the Federal Circuit has made clear "that there is 'no appeal' from the decision to institute inter partes review," regardless of whether the PTAB issues a final written decision. Slip Op. 7. This holding was not instrumental to its final opinion, however, as the Federal Circuit confirmed that it has jurisdiction to review final written decisions from the PTAB.
More important was the Federal Circuit's rejection of Appellant's argument that inter partes review unconstitutionally usurps patentees' Seventh Amendment rights to a jury trial in an Article III court before revoking a patent. The Appellant rested its argument on the US Supreme Court's holding in McCormick Harvesting Machine Col. v. Aultman (McCormick II), 169 U.S. 606 (1898) that only an Article III court may invalidate a patent. McCormick II came before the Supreme Court from a decision by the USPTO on a reissue application, where the USPTO found certain original claims unpatentable, but other original claims...
To continue reading
Request your trialSubscribers can access the reported version of this case.
You can sign up for a trial and make the most of our service including these benefits.
Why Sign-up to vLex?
-
Trusted Globally
Our platform serves over 2 million legal professionals worldwide, including eight of the top ten global law firms. Leading corporations, government organisations, and law schools rely on vLex for their legal research needs.
-
Comprehensive Global Legal Content
Access an extensive collection of legal documents spanning more than 200 jurisdictions. Our content covers everything from case law and legislation to regulations and commentary, continuously updated by our global team of legal experts.
-
AI-Powered Research with Vincent AI
Uses cutting-edge AI to streamline legal research, analyze case law, and review documents, helping you extract key insights and work more efficiently, so you can focus on what matters most.
-
Enhanced Efficiency
Work across borders with instant translations in 14 languages. Track citations with advanced technology, analyse documents efficiently, and customise your research workflow to match your practice needs
-
Accurate Citation with Cert
Cert combines advanced technology and expert editorial review to track case history, analyze treatments, and assess a case's precedential strength. Gain comprehensive insight to streamline your legal research and ensure you stay ahead with reliable case law analysis.
-
Find What You Need, Quickly
Vincent AI transforms legal research by understanding your questions in natural language and delivering precise answers with verified citations. Handle complex research tasks across multiple jurisdictions and automate routine legal work with confidence.
-
Over 2 million registered users
Founded over 20 years ago, vLex provides a first-class and comprehensive service for lawyers, law firms, government departments, and law schools around the world.
Subscribers are able to see a list of all the cited cases and legislation of a document.
You can sign up for a trial and make the most of our service including these benefits.
Why Sign-up to vLex?
-
Trusted Globally
Our platform serves over 2 million legal professionals worldwide, including eight of the top ten global law firms. Leading corporations, government organisations, and law schools rely on vLex for their legal research needs.
-
Comprehensive Global Legal Content
Access an extensive collection of legal documents spanning more than 200 jurisdictions. Our content covers everything from case law and legislation to regulations and commentary, continuously updated by our global team of legal experts.
-
AI-Powered Research with Vincent AI
Uses cutting-edge AI to streamline legal research, analyze case law, and review documents, helping you extract key insights and work more efficiently, so you can focus on what matters most.
-
Enhanced Efficiency
Work across borders with instant translations in 14 languages. Track citations with advanced technology, analyse documents efficiently, and customise your research workflow to match your practice needs
-
Accurate Citation with Cert
Cert combines advanced technology and expert editorial review to track case history, analyze treatments, and assess a case's precedential strength. Gain comprehensive insight to streamline your legal research and ensure you stay ahead with reliable case law analysis.
-
Find What You Need, Quickly
Vincent AI transforms legal research by understanding your questions in natural language and delivering precise answers with verified citations. Handle complex research tasks across multiple jurisdictions and automate routine legal work with confidence.
-
Over 2 million registered users
Founded over 20 years ago, vLex provides a first-class and comprehensive service for lawyers, law firms, government departments, and law schools around the world.
Subscribers are able to see a list of all the documents that have cited the case.
You can sign up for a trial and make the most of our service including these benefits.
Why Sign-up to vLex?
-
Trusted Globally
Our platform serves over 2 million legal professionals worldwide, including eight of the top ten global law firms. Leading corporations, government organisations, and law schools rely on vLex for their legal research needs.
-
Comprehensive Global Legal Content
Access an extensive collection of legal documents spanning more than 200 jurisdictions. Our content covers everything from case law and legislation to regulations and commentary, continuously updated by our global team of legal experts.
-
AI-Powered Research with Vincent AI
Uses cutting-edge AI to streamline legal research, analyze case law, and review documents, helping you extract key insights and work more efficiently, so you can focus on what matters most.
-
Enhanced Efficiency
Work across borders with instant translations in 14 languages. Track citations with advanced technology, analyse documents efficiently, and customise your research workflow to match your practice needs
-
Accurate Citation with Cert
Cert combines advanced technology and expert editorial review to track case history, analyze treatments, and assess a case's precedential strength. Gain comprehensive insight to streamline your legal research and ensure you stay ahead with reliable case law analysis.
-
Find What You Need, Quickly
Vincent AI transforms legal research by understanding your questions in natural language and delivering precise answers with verified citations. Handle complex research tasks across multiple jurisdictions and automate routine legal work with confidence.
-
Over 2 million registered users
Founded over 20 years ago, vLex provides a first-class and comprehensive service for lawyers, law firms, government departments, and law schools around the world.
Subscribers are able to see the revised versions of legislation with amendments.
You can sign up for a trial and make the most of our service including these benefits.
Why Sign-up to vLex?
-
Trusted Globally
Our platform serves over 2 million legal professionals worldwide, including eight of the top ten global law firms. Leading corporations, government organisations, and law schools rely on vLex for their legal research needs.
-
Comprehensive Global Legal Content
Access an extensive collection of legal documents spanning more than 200 jurisdictions. Our content covers everything from case law and legislation to regulations and commentary, continuously updated by our global team of legal experts.
-
AI-Powered Research with Vincent AI
Uses cutting-edge AI to streamline legal research, analyze case law, and review documents, helping you extract key insights and work more efficiently, so you can focus on what matters most.
-
Enhanced Efficiency
Work across borders with instant translations in 14 languages. Track citations with advanced technology, analyse documents efficiently, and customise your research workflow to match your practice needs
-
Accurate Citation with Cert
Cert combines advanced technology and expert editorial review to track case history, analyze treatments, and assess a case's precedential strength. Gain comprehensive insight to streamline your legal research and ensure you stay ahead with reliable case law analysis.
-
Find What You Need, Quickly
Vincent AI transforms legal research by understanding your questions in natural language and delivering precise answers with verified citations. Handle complex research tasks across multiple jurisdictions and automate routine legal work with confidence.
-
Over 2 million registered users
Founded over 20 years ago, vLex provides a first-class and comprehensive service for lawyers, law firms, government departments, and law schools around the world.
Subscribers are able to see any amendments made to the case.
You can sign up for a trial and make the most of our service including these benefits.
Why Sign-up to vLex?
-
Trusted Globally
Our platform serves over 2 million legal professionals worldwide, including eight of the top ten global law firms. Leading corporations, government organisations, and law schools rely on vLex for their legal research needs.
-
Comprehensive Global Legal Content
Access an extensive collection of legal documents spanning more than 200 jurisdictions. Our content covers everything from case law and legislation to regulations and commentary, continuously updated by our global team of legal experts.
-
AI-Powered Research with Vincent AI
Uses cutting-edge AI to streamline legal research, analyze case law, and review documents, helping you extract key insights and work more efficiently, so you can focus on what matters most.
-
Enhanced Efficiency
Work across borders with instant translations in 14 languages. Track citations with advanced technology, analyse documents efficiently, and customise your research workflow to match your practice needs
-
Accurate Citation with Cert
Cert combines advanced technology and expert editorial review to track case history, analyze treatments, and assess a case's precedential strength. Gain comprehensive insight to streamline your legal research and ensure you stay ahead with reliable case law analysis.
-
Find What You Need, Quickly
Vincent AI transforms legal research by understanding your questions in natural language and delivering precise answers with verified citations. Handle complex research tasks across multiple jurisdictions and automate routine legal work with confidence.
-
Over 2 million registered users
Founded over 20 years ago, vLex provides a first-class and comprehensive service for lawyers, law firms, government departments, and law schools around the world.
Subscribers are able to see a visualisation of a case and its relationships to other cases. An alternative to lists of cases, the Precedent Map makes it easier to establish which ones may be of most relevance to your research and prioritise further reading. You also get a useful overview of how the case was received.

Why Sign-up to vLex?
-
Trusted Globally
Our platform serves over 2 million legal professionals worldwide, including eight of the top ten global law firms. Leading corporations, government organisations, and law schools rely on vLex for their legal research needs.
-
Comprehensive Global Legal Content
Access an extensive collection of legal documents spanning more than 200 jurisdictions. Our content covers everything from case law and legislation to regulations and commentary, continuously updated by our global team of legal experts.
-
AI-Powered Research with Vincent AI
Uses cutting-edge AI to streamline legal research, analyze case law, and review documents, helping you extract key insights and work more efficiently, so you can focus on what matters most.
-
Enhanced Efficiency
Work across borders with instant translations in 14 languages. Track citations with advanced technology, analyse documents efficiently, and customise your research workflow to match your practice needs
-
Accurate Citation with Cert
Cert combines advanced technology and expert editorial review to track case history, analyze treatments, and assess a case's precedential strength. Gain comprehensive insight to streamline your legal research and ensure you stay ahead with reliable case law analysis.
-
Find What You Need, Quickly
Vincent AI transforms legal research by understanding your questions in natural language and delivering precise answers with verified citations. Handle complex research tasks across multiple jurisdictions and automate routine legal work with confidence.
-
Over 2 million registered users
Founded over 20 years ago, vLex provides a first-class and comprehensive service for lawyers, law firms, government departments, and law schools around the world.
Subscribers are able to see the list of results connected to your document through the topics and citations Vincent found.
You can sign up for a trial and make the most of our service including these benefits.
Why Sign-up to vLex?
-
Trusted Globally
Our platform serves over 2 million legal professionals worldwide, including eight of the top ten global law firms. Leading corporations, government organisations, and law schools rely on vLex for their legal research needs.
-
Comprehensive Global Legal Content
Access an extensive collection of legal documents spanning more than 200 jurisdictions. Our content covers everything from case law and legislation to regulations and commentary, continuously updated by our global team of legal experts.
-
AI-Powered Research with Vincent AI
Uses cutting-edge AI to streamline legal research, analyze case law, and review documents, helping you extract key insights and work more efficiently, so you can focus on what matters most.
-
Enhanced Efficiency
Work across borders with instant translations in 14 languages. Track citations with advanced technology, analyse documents efficiently, and customise your research workflow to match your practice needs
-
Accurate Citation with Cert
Cert combines advanced technology and expert editorial review to track case history, analyze treatments, and assess a case's precedential strength. Gain comprehensive insight to streamline your legal research and ensure you stay ahead with reliable case law analysis.
-
Find What You Need, Quickly
Vincent AI transforms legal research by understanding your questions in natural language and delivering precise answers with verified citations. Handle complex research tasks across multiple jurisdictions and automate routine legal work with confidence.
-
Over 2 million registered users
Founded over 20 years ago, vLex provides a first-class and comprehensive service for lawyers, law firms, government departments, and law schools around the world.