Patent Director Vacates Orders Over Intel Chip Discovery Dispute

US Patent and Trademark Office Acting Director Coke Morgan Stewart vacated decisions invalidating two semiconductor patents, finding a tribunal improperly denied discovery into Intel Corp.’s relationship with the challenger.

The Patent Trial and Appeal Board erred in denying patent owner Greenthread LLC’s discovery request into Semiconductor Components Industries LLC, then citing lack of evidence to reject a privity link between Intel and Semiconductor Components, Stewart wrote in an order issued Thursday. She ordered the board to allow discovery, then determine whether the validity challenges are time-barred because of a link to Intel.

Greenthread sued ON Semiconductor Corp. and its subsidiary …