PTAB LEAP Oral Hearing Boot Camp
August 20 to September 17, 2021
Location
Credits
No CLE
Registration
The PTAB’s Legal Experience and Advancement Program (LEAP) is designed to encourage new oral advocacy opportunities for patent attorneys and agents that have three or fewer substantive oral arguments in any federal tribunal (including PTAB) and seven or fewer years of experience as a licensed attorney or agent. The program allows PTAB judges to grant up to 15 minutes additional argument time, upon request for oral hearing participation by a LEAP-eligible practitioner.
In furtherance of the LEAP initiative, the PTAB and AIPLA are jointly organizing an oral hearing virtual boot camp in which practitioners will be able to present an argument before sitting PTAB judges and obtain invaluable feedback post-argument. The boot camp will be held mainly on Fridays beginning August 20. The current schedule is below:
- August 20, 2021, time TBD: Information session for participants, with details regarding mock argument logistics & PTAB oral hearing practice tip
- September 8, 2021, 10am – 11am ET: (Optional) LEAP Office Hours
- September 8, 2021, 12pm – 1pm ET: Panel discussion “The Night Before Argument: Preparing for your AIA argument” (this session will be open to the public)
- September 10, 2021, 1pm – 4pm ET: AIPLA/LEAP AIA Trials Mock Argument
- September 17, 2021, 12pm – 1pm ET: AIA Oral Argument Encore, in which experienced practitioners argue the same case (this session will be open to the public)
News
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Supreme Court Issues Unanimous Decision in Hikma Pharmaceuticals USA Inc. v. Amarin Pharma, Inc.
June 4, 2026
On June 4, 2026, the Supreme Court issued a unanimous decision in Hikma Pharmaceuticals USA Inc. v. Amarin Pharma, Inc. While the Court reaffirmed existing law on pleading standards, it reversed the Federal Circuit’s decision that had focused on how relevant statements could be understood by medical providers as instructions to infringe. The amicus brief filed by AIPLA on March 27, 2026, advocated for affirmance and cautioned the Court not to change the patent infringement pleading standard or adopt any categorical exemption from inducement for a particular industry. -
AIPLA Submits Comments to the USPTO on 2026 Supplemental GUI Guidance
May 15, 2026
Arlington, VA. May 12, 2026 – The American Intellectual Property Law Association (AIPLA) submitted comments to the USPTO on its Supplemental Guidance for Examination of Design Patent Applications Related to Computer-Generated Interfaces and Icons, issued on March 13, 2026. -
AIPLA Comments on the Copyright Office's Proposed Fee Schedule Adjustment
May 8, 2026
Arlington, VA. May 1, 2026 – The American Intellectual Property Law Association (AIPLA) submitted comments in response to the U.S. Copyright Office’s Notice of Proposed Rulemaking on adjustments to its fee schedule. -
AIPLA Submits Comments on the Enlarged Board of Appeal’s 11 Preliminary Opinion in G 1/25
May 1, 2026
Arlington, VA. April 17, 2026 – The American Intellectual Property Law Association (AIPLA) submitted comments on the Enlarged Board of Appeal’s 11 March 2026 preliminary opinion in G 1/25, addressing whether patent descriptions must be adapted following claim amendments. -
AIPLA Files Amicus Brief in Range of Motion Products, LLC v. Armaid Company Inc.
April 20, 2026
Arlington, VA — April 17, 2026 — The American Intellectual Property Law Association (AIPLA) filed an amicus curiae brief with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit in Range of Motion Products, LLC v. Armaid Company Inc., No. 23-2427, supporting rehearing and rehearing en banc. AIPLA urges the Court to restore clarity to design patent law by (1) reaffirming that Gorham v. White (1871) provides the sole governing test for infringement and forecloses any separate “plainly dissimilar” threshold, and (2) confirming that claim construction may not be used to exclude any visual portions of the overall claimed design.