The public interest group Consumer Watchdog doesn’t have standing to challenge the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office’s decision to uphold a patent on human embryonic stem cells, according to a ruling Wednesday by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit.
The decision will affect public interest organizations such as Consumer Watchdog and the Electronic Frontier Foundation, which have challenged patents they oppose on policy grounds. While they can continue to lodge challenges at the Patent Trial and Appeal Board in the PTO, they won’t be able to appeal an adverse decision to the Federal Circuit.
