“In the third quarter of 2026, July through September, only 97 IPR petitions were filed at the PTAB, compared to 327 petitions during the same period in 2025.”
Patents didn’t get better. The Patent Office just stopped listening. Institution rates fell from about two thirds to 41%, so challengers gave up before filing. Patent trolls win, and every small company that gets a demand letter now has to pay for federal court or settle.