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2659 - 2600 Optional Inter Partes Reexamination
2659 Res Judicata and Collateral Estoppel in Reexamination Proceedings [Added R-2]
MPEP § 2642 and § 2686.04 relate to the Office policy controlling the determination on a request for reexamination and the subsequent examination phase of the reexamination, where there has been a Federal Court decision on the merits as to the patent for which reexamination is requested.
Since claims finally held invalid by a Federal Court, after all appeals, will be withdrawn from consideration and not reexamined during a reexamination proceeding, a rejection on the grounds of res judicata will not be appropriate in reexamination. In situations, where the issue decided in Court did not invalidate claims, but applies in one or more respects to the claims being reexamined, the doctrine of collateral estoppel may be applied in reexamination to resolve the issue. Thus, for example, where a finding that reference X meets a limitation of a claim was necessary to the final decision of the Court invalidation of claim 5, collateral estoppel would attach to the same limitation in claim 2, which was not invalidated (e.g., because claim 2 contained additional limitations not found in claim 5).
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