As more patent dispute resolution moves to the Patent Trial and Appeal Board, it's crucial that attorneys integrate PTAB findings into litigation and patent portfolio management strategies to get a complete picture of patent litigation activity. The PTAB is charged with deciding post-issuance challenges to patents.

Lex Machina, a data analytics software-as-a-service provider, now analyzes PTAB data, enabling attorneys to get a full view of patent litigation in cases before the PTAB, federal district courts and the U.S. International Trade Commission. The new PTAB offering brings efficiencies that were previously unheard of, saving litigators and patent owners and licensees time and money. With Lex Machina's SaaS, attorneys can search and view PTAB documents and exhibits, create a case list and run reports that will provide a complete litigation history for a patent or portfolio.

Owen Byrd, general counsel and chef evangelist for Lex Machina, said that patent dispute resolution in the U.S. has become a “three-dimensional chess game.” Patent litigators need to evaluate cases from district courts, the PTAB and the ITC when choosing how and where to resolve disputes. Each forum offers different advantages, depending on the parties and patents involved, he said.