A Cautionary Tale: Paying IPR Filing Fees Via Wire Transfer, PTAB Litigation Blog
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A June 25, 2021 decision by the PTAB has clarified that when paying the filing fee via wire transfer, the inter partes review (“IPR”) petition filing date is based upon when the funds are made available to the USPTO. Toshiba America Electronic Components, Inc. v. Monument Peak Ventures, LLC, IPR2021-00330 (PTAB June 25, 2021). In a 2-1 decision, the panel majority held that Toshiba’s filing fee was not received by the USPTO until the wire transfer funds were in the USPTO account, therefore its IPR petition was time-barred because it was not filed with the accompanying filing fee within one year of service of the complaint alleging infringement. The Board clarified that a filing fee paid via wire transfer is not considered received until it has been transferred into the USPTO’s bank account.
