Left to right, Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher partner Mark Perry, Deputy Solicitor General Malcolm Stewart, and MoloLamken partner Jeffrey Lamken will argue before the high court Monday. Photos: Diego M. Radzinschi/ALM

To its proponents, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office's Patent Trial and Appeal Board is an inexpensive and efficient venue for weeding out bad patents and curbing abusive "trolling" behavior. To its critics, the PTAB is "a death squad" for patents, bulldozing property rights and discouraging investment in innovative technologies.