Feb. 19 at 5:19 PM
$VPLM Many of VPLM’s core patents have been held for years and have survived numerous prior challenges.
The Squires Rule: Squires has reinforced the "settled expectations" doctrine, which favors denying challenges to patents that are more than six years old or have been heavily invested in.
VPLM Impact: Since VPLM has successfully defeated 16 IPR challenges already, this doctrine makes their patents increasingly "un-touchable" at the PTAB, forcing the legal battle to stay in district court where VPLM’s
$268 billion damages claims are pending.
Increases Discretionary Denials
Since taking over in October 2025, Director Squires has significantly lowered the rate of new patent reviews.
By the Numbers: As of late January 2026, Squires had an institution rate of only ~17.5%, denying 227 out of 275 petitions. VPLM Impact: A lower institution rate means a much higher probability that VPLM’s patents will remain valid and enforceable throughout the high-stakes litigation window.
