`____________
`
`BEFORE THE
`PATENT TRIAL AND APPEAL BOARD
`____________
`
`GENERAL ORDER IN CASES INVOLVING
`REQUESTS FOR REHEARING UNDER
`ARTHREX, INC. V. SMITH & NEPHEW, INC.,
`941 F.3D 1320 (FED. CIR. 2019)
`
`
`GENERAL ORDER
`
`
`Before SCOTT R. BOALICK, Chief Administrative Patent Judge.
`
`BOALICK, Chief Administrative Patent Judge.
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`The United States Patent and Trademark Office (“Office”) has
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`received from the United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit
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`(“Federal Circuit”) numerous Orders that rely on the Federal Circuit’s
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`decision in Arthrex, Inc. v. Smith & Nephew, Inc., 941 F.3d 1320 (Fed. Cir.
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`2019). Those Orders instruct the Patent Trial and Appeal Board (“Board”)
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`to conduct further proceedings on remand before newly-designated Board
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`panels. The Office also has received several timely requests for rehearing of
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`Board decisions citing Arthrex and seeking a decision by a newly-designated
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`Board panel.
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`Several parties in Board matters that have been subject to such
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`Federal Circuit Orders have informed the Office that they intend to seek
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`review of the pertinent Order by the Supreme Court of the United States
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`(“Supreme Court”). To avoid burdening the Office and the parties until all
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`
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`General Order Regarding Arthrex-Related Requests for Rehearing
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`appellate rights of those challenging the Arthrex decision or related
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`decisions have been exhausted, I exercise my discretion to hold all cases
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`with timely-filed rehearing requests citing Arthrex and seeking a decision by
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`a newly-designated Board panel in administrative abeyance until the
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`Supreme Court acts on a petition for certiorari or the time for filing such
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`petitions expires.
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`ORDER
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`It is therefore ORDERED that the following matters are held in
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`abeyance:
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`1. CBM2018-00020
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`2. CBM2018-00021
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`3. CBM2018-00029
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`4. CBM2018-00030
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`5. CBM2018-00031
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`6. CBM2018-00032
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`7. IPR2018-00577
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`8. IPR2018-00653
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`9. IPR2018-00655
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`~ Scott R. Boalick
`
`Chief Administrative Patent Judge
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`2
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