IPWatchdog: PTAB Masters™ 2026
This high-level, interactive program will feature discussions on all aspects of the PTAB practice led by highly experienced PTAB practitioners and top thought leaders in the industry. Wolf Greenfield is a proud sponsor of this event.
Event Panels
IPWatchdog PTAB Masters™ 2026: The New PTAB Playbook: Using PGR and Reexamination as Alternatives to IPR
January 30, 2026
Scott McKeown will speak on a panel titled “The New PTAB Playbook: Using PGR and Reexamination as Alternatives to IPR” at the Sixth Annual Patent Trial & Appeal Board (PTAB) program, as part of the IPWatchdog Masters™ series at the IPWatchdog Studios.
With IPRs becoming harder to win and increasingly vulnerable to discretionary denial, defendants are being forced to rethink their entire PTAB playbook. This session cuts straight to the emerging alternatives—PGR, ex parte reexamination, and other underutilized tools that are rapidly becoming essential parts of a modern defense strategy.
The panel will break down when PGR truly gives defendants an edge, how reexamination can create meaningful leverage even during active district-court litigation, and where each option fits into a world where the PTAB’s appetite for institution is shrinking. Speakers will have a candid conversation about timing, estoppel, parallel-proceeding interaction, cost profiles, and how defendants should recalibrate risk across multiple forums. The panel will provide a forward-looking assessment of what comes after IPR—and how sophisticated defendants are already shifting their tactics.