Patent Decision May Not Spell End of Blue Origin-SpaceX Dispute

摘要

A decision by Blue Origin to withdraw most of the claims in a contested patent represents a near-term victory for SpaceX, but might not be the end of a dispute between the two companies regarding reusable launch vehicle technology. In a "Final Judgment and Decision" issued by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office Aug. 27, the Patent Trial and Appeal Board approved a request by Blue Origin to cancel 13 claims in a patent covering the landing of rocket stages on oceangoing vessels. The board had agreed in March to a SpaceX petition for an "inter partes" review of those claims by the board.