Supreme Court Grants Review in Key Patent Law Case Handled by Covington

WASHINGTON—Covington's patent litigation team successfully petitioned the U.S. Supreme Court to hear a case on behalf of its client, Return Mail, Inc., which saw its patent on a system for handling undeliverable mail invalidated in 2015 after the U.S. Postal Service petitioned for Covered Business Method Review.

The case, which will involve interpretation of key America Invents Act provisions, has attracted significant attention in the patent space, including among companies and industries that do business with government agencies.

Covington expects that the Court will hear oral argument in early 2019, and will issue its decision by June 2019. It is one of only two patent cases granted review thus far by the Court this Term. 

Richard Rainey, Mike Sawyer, and Nick Evoy handled the case in the Federal Circuit, with Kevin King playing a key role in connection with the certiorari phase. Beth Brinkmann and Richard Rainey will lead the team at the merits stage.