Google has faced another legal setback in the US, with the country’s Supreme Court refusing to hear its challenge against a patent review policy. The decision is a blow to the tech giant, which wanted the court to question a rule that makes it more difficult to challenge older patents.
According to Reuters, the US Supreme Court to hear Google’s appeal against a decision involving the US Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). The case is linked to a patent held by software company VirtaMove, which accused Google of infringing its patent. The tech giant had tried to challenge the patent’s validity through the US patent office, but its request was rejected.
Why Did Google Challenge The Patent Policy?
The dispute centres on a policy known as “settled expectations”. Under this rule, the US Patent and Trademark Office’s Patent Trial and Appeal Board is more likely to reject requests to review patents that have been in force for more than six years.
Big tech companies often use this review process to challenge patents they are accused of infringing. If a patent is found invalid, it can help a company defend itself against related legal claims.
Google argued that the patent office did not have the authority to introduce such a restriction when Congress had not created a similar time limit. The company also said the rule could expand patent protections beyond what the law allows.
However, the Supreme Court refused to take up Google’s appeal, leaving the earlier decision against the company in place.
What Does This Mean For Google?
The decision means Google has failed to get the country’s highest court to reconsider the policy through this case. It also leaves the patent office’s rejection of Google’s request to review the VirtaMove patent unchanged.
The ruling does not mean that Google has been found guilty of patent infringement by the Supreme Court. Instead, the court has refused to hear its challenge to the patent review policy.
