Andrew Zappia, a partner in Troutman Pepper Locke’s Intellectual Property Practice Group, was quoted in the January 2, 2026 Law360 article, “Patent Policy to Watch in 2026.”

The USPTO’s current leadership is “taking a much more skeptical approach on instituting these proceedings,” so “I think what you’re going to see in 2026 is probably fewer petitions being filed. You’re going to see some parties decide to not even go down the route of filing a petition,” said Andrew Zappia of Troutman Pepper Locke LLP.

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