Of 341 entries on the USPTO’s list of precedential and informative Patent Trial and Appeal Board decisions, 53 have been de-designated: 17 formerly precedential and 36 formerly informative. All 53 now sit in the Office’s archive.
Before you read
A decision on the USPTO’s list has been de-designated. Can you still cite it?
Yes, as an ordinary Board decision. De-designation removes the status; it doesn’t vacate the decision.
Part 1 of 2
The PTAB publishes most decisions without special status. The Office designates a few as precedential, binding the Board within their scope, or informative, showing good practice without binding. Designation can be removed. Our October 2026 inventory of the USPTO’s list counts 341 entries.
341 entries
Tap a segment to read what it covers.
53 ÷ 341 = 15.5%. Counts of entries vary slightly depending on how duplicate listings are handled; the 53 former designations are the same either way.
Source
Part 2 of 2
0 of 3 reviewed
The takeaway
Check a decision’s status on the day you cite it.
Precedential decisions bind the Board within their designated scope. Informative decisions show the Office’s reasoning but do not bind the Board. Court opinions are cited for what they decided; later history was checked on the date shown above.