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USPTO targets ex parte workload in echoes of IPR changes

By Nick Robertson ( April 16, 2026, 18:01 GMT | Comment) -- An extra filing opportunity for patent owners before a determination of a substantial new question of patentability during an ex parte reexamination is supposed to tamp down the spike of new reexam requests. But the process could tip the balance toward patent owners and may spur impacts similar to those seen after recent changes to inter partes review.The US Patent and Trademark Office is responding to a recent surge in ex parte reexamination (EPR) requests by allowing patent owners an opportunity to present their arguments against reexamination before an examiner determines whether there's a substantial new question of patentability....

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