Key facts
- Supreme Court rejected Google's challenge to USPTO patent review policy.
- Google argued the "settled expectations" rule creates an artificial time limit for patent petitions.
- The policy makes it harder to review patents in force for more than six years.
- The USPTO's review acceptance rate fell to 37% in 2026 from 65% previously.
The US Supreme Court on Monday declined to hear a challenge by Alphabet's Google to a US Patent and Trademark Office rule that the company argued has insulated older patents from validity reviews and fueled patent litigation. The justices turned away Google's appeal of a lower court's decision not to force the agency to reconsider its "settled expectations" policy. This policy makes the patent office more likely to reject requests to review patents that have been in force for more than six years. Google contended the Patent and Trademark Office lacks the authority to create such a limitations period. The Trump administration had urged the court not to hear the appeal.