The Patent Trial and Appeal Board
Advocacy and Practice, Fourth Edition
A procedural manual and guide for trials and appeals at the PTAB
by Joel Miller
Published Aug. 25, 2021, 454 pp., 7 x 10 softcover. ISBN: 978‑1‑936543‑05‑2.
To purchase the book, please go to Purchasing Details.

This book presents the procedural requirements for practice before the USPTO Patent Trial and Appeal Board, and covers appeals from patent examination and the America Invents Act trial proceedings: inter partes review, post‑grant review, covered business method patent review, and derivation. The book draws from statutes, legislative history, final rules and rulemaking notices, the USPTO Manual of Patent Examining Procedure (MPEP), and case law, as well as principles of appellate and trial advocacy tailored to practice before the Board.
The fourth edition incorporates U.S. Supreme Court, Federal Circuit, and PTAB opinions rendered since the publication of the 2019 third edition. The book also provides references to the most recent PTO and PTAB practice manuals. Top of Page
Chapter Overview
Part I — The Board
1 Jurisdiction and precedent
2 The Board – structure and operation
Part II — Appeals
3 Overview of the appeal process
4 Matters from which an appeal may be taken
5 Laying the groundwork for appeal
6 Pre-appeal brief requests for review
7 The notice of appeal
8 Amendments, affidavits, and evidence
9 The appeal brief
10 The examiner’s answer
11 Reply and rebuttal briefs
12 Jurisdiction over the appeal
Part III — Trials
13 Overview of the trial process
14 Grounds and eligibility
15 Preparing and filing trial documents
16 Petitions and motions
17 Protective orders and motions to seal
18 Institution of a trial proceeding
19 Responding to the petition
20 Discovery, testimony, and evidence
21 Settlement, estoppel, and intervening rights
Part IV — Decision making and judicial review
22 Oral hearings and arguments
23 The Board’s decision-making process
24 Judicial review Top of Page
Organization of the book
The book is divided into four parts: the Board, appeals, trials, and decision making and judicial review. Part I covers the legal, structural, and operational background of the Board. The second and third parts provide overviews of the respective appellate and trial processes at the Board and discuss the legal and procedural requirements for each. Part II focuses on the appeal process, from the application stage through briefing, offering advice on drafting persuasive and compliant appeal briefs, while Part III discusses eligibility requirements, petitions, motion practice, discovery, and estoppel in trial proceedings. The fourth and final part covers oral argument, the Board’s decision-making process, judicial review, and standards of review.
The reader should have a thorough understanding of patent prosecution practice. Part III, trials, was written with the assumption that the reader possesses the skills for conducting oral and written discovery and motion practice in the courts.
Periodically, new developments, rule changes, and other resources will be posted on this website at Current Developments at the PTAB.
To purchase the book, please go to Purchasing Details. Top of Page