PTAB Trial Statistics as of February 29, 2016

This page gives Patent Trial and Appeal Board trial figures as of February 29, 2016, which falls in fiscal year 2016 (October 1, 2015 to September 30, 2016). The cumulative figures run from September 16, 2012, when AIA trials began. The full year is covered on the FY2016 statistics page.

Cumulative Figures as of February 29, 2016

Events from September 16, 2012 to February 29, 2016, by trial type:

Measure	IPR	PGR	CBM	DER	Total
Petitions filed	4,181	21	423	12	4,637
Institution decisions: instituted	2,053	10	230	0	2,293
Institution decisions: denied	1,347	3	145	3	1,498
Institution rate (by petition)	60.4%	76.9%	61.3%	0.0%	60.5%
Final written decisions	870	0	102	0	972

Terminations without a final written decision	Count
Settlements	528
Adverse judgment	0
Dismissed	0
Other terminations	48

Fiscal Year 2016 to Date

Events from October 1, 2015 to February 29, 2016:

Measure	IPR	PGR	CBM	DER	Total
Petitions filed	603	8	41	4	656
Institution decisions: instituted	414	7	19	0	440
Institution decisions: denied	305	1	35	0	341
Institution rate (by petition)	57.6%	87.5%	35.2%	—	56.3%
Final written decisions	262	0	20	0	282

Terminations without a final written decision	Count
Settlements	104
Adverse judgment	0
Dismissed	0
Other terminations	7

Change Since September 30, 2015

Between the previous dated page (September 30, 2015) and February 29, 2016, 656 petitions were filed, 440 trials were instituted, 341 petitions were denied institution and 282 final written decisions issued. The cumulative institution rate moved from 61.6% to 60.5%.

Trial Types Covered

4,181 of the 4,637 petitions (90.2%) were for inter partes review, which challenges patent claims on prior-art grounds under 35 U.S.C. chapter 31. The remainder were for covered business method review (423), post-grant review under chapter 32 (21) and derivation proceedings (12). Institution standards differ by proceeding; see the threshold standards.

How These Figures Were Compiled

The figures are counted from USPTO Open Data Portal records retrieved on October 31, 2026, keeping only events dated on or before February 29, 2016: a petition by its filing date, an institution decision by its decision date, and a final written decision or termination by its date. They are a reconstruction from the current records, not the USPTO’s report of that date, and may differ from statistics the USPTO published at the time. Final written decision outcomes are not reported because the records state them for too few decisions. The methodology gives the counting rules in full.

Related Statistics

• PTAB statistics for fiscal year 2016
• PTAB trial statistics as of September 30, 2015 (previous date)
• PTAB trial statistics as of July 31, 2016 (next date)
• PTAB statistics by fiscal year, with charts
• Reading PTAB trial outcomes
• USPTO PTAB statistics (official reports)