As access to inter partes review (IPR) becomes less predictable, accused infringers and other potential challengers are taking a fresh look at ex parte reexamination, which has become known as EPR. Although reexamination can provide an important alternative for challenging patentability, proceedings before the Central Reexamination Unit (CRU) present different procedural constraints, strategic tradeoffs, and potential traps for the unwary – particularly for patent owners.

Join us on Wednesday, November 11, at 1 PM ET for a substantive conversation about the renewed importance of patent reexamination and what current CRU data reveals about timing, outcomes, and effective strategy. Kevin Greenleaf, who has handled hundreds of post-grant proceedings during nearly two decades of practice and leads Dentons’ Post-Grant Group, will join Sarah Garber (Juristat) and Gene Quinn (IPWatchdog) for a practical examination of how reexamination fits within today’s post-grant landscape.

The conversation will address:

• Current CRU trends: What recent data reveals about the time required to obtain a reexamination order, first Office action, and notice of intent to issue a reexamination certificate;
• Pre-assertion and licensing diligence: Why counsel should investigate a patent’s reexamination history before asserting, licensing, acquiring, or valuing the asset – and how the outcome of a prior proceeding may affect that analysis;
• Examiner and art unit intelligence: How examiner-level data and prior reexamination outcomes can help counsel understand which arguments have proved persuasive and develop a more informed response strategy;
• Procedural strategy and example filings: How practitioners can locate relevant papers addressing recurring procedural issues, including requests for extensions and efforts to introduce additional evidence later in prosecution;
• Discretionary denial at the CRU: What practitioners should understand about the CRU’s evolving discretionary-denial procedures and how those developments may affect the availability of reexamination; and
• AI-assisted reexamination analysis: How AI and structured reexamination data can help practitioners identify relevant proceedings, evaluate trends, locate persuasive arguments, and find useful example filings without substituting automated output for experienced legal judgment.

The goal of this webinar is to provide a clearer understanding of when reexamination may provide a viable strategic option, how CRU practices and trends should influence that decision, and how data-driven analysis can support more informed post-grant, enforcement, licensing, and diligence strategies.