Skip to Content

Bruce H. Stoner, Jr. is a former Chief Administrative Patent Judge of the Board of Patent Appeals and Interferences of the United States Patent and Trademark Office. Appointed to the Board in 1986, Judge Stoner became Chief Judge in 1995 and served in that capacity until his retirement from Federal service on October 31, 2003. As Chief Judge, he was responsible for ensuring the accomplishment of the statutory missions of the Board of Patent Appeals and Interferences. As part of those duties, Judge Stoner directed a staff of over 100 employees, including 60 administrative patent judges. Judge Stoner presided over the creation and successful administration of the Interference Trial Section and was instrumental in achieving significant reductions in the number and duration of ex parte appeals pending before the Board. 

He served as an Adjunct Professor of Law at William & Mary’s Marshall-Wythe School of Law in Williamsburg, Virginia, from 2005-2013.

Judge Stoner joined Greenblum & Bernstein P.L.C. in November 2003, following his 33-year Federal career. 

Notable

  • Presented the “honored judge address” at the Giles S. Rich Inn of Court, in Washington, DC, on January 23, 2003.
  • Presiding judge for the semi-final round of the Giles Sutherland Rich Memorial Moot Court competition in Washington, DC (April 19, 2001 and April 13, 2000).
  • Served as a PTO representative to International Judges Conference on Intellectual Property Law, Washington, DC (October 18-20, 1999).
  • Washington College of Law Honor Society, 1984
  • U.S. Department of Commerce Bronze Medal, 1982

Experience

  • Since his retirement from Federal service in 2003, Judge Stoner has provided expert testimony (either by deposition or live testimony at trial) regarding USPTO practice in more than twenty cases.
  • Judge Stoner frequently counsels clients on contested matters before the USPTO, including AIA proceedings, interferences, and reexaminations.
  • Prior to being appointed to the Board in 1986, he served as a Primary Examiner and a Supervisory Patent Examiner.

Offices/Professional Activities

  • Vice-Chair of IPO’s Patent Law, U.S. Committee from 2004 to 2007

Professional Associations and Memberships

  • American Intellectual Property Law Association
  • American Bar Association
  • Intellectual Property Owner’s Association
  • Federal Circuit Bar Association
  • PTAB Bar Association

Representative Publications

  • Co-author along with several other former administrative patent judges of treatise entitled “Post-Grant Patent Practice” first published by Bloomberg BNA in 2012 (ISBN 978-1-61746-039-5). A second edition of this treatise was published in late 2014 (ISBN 97861746511), a 2016 Supplement was published in October 2016 (ISBN 978-1-61746-661-8), and a 2018 Supplement (ISBN 978-1-61746-511-6) was published in November 2018.
  • Stoner, B., High Court PTAB Case Could Undermine Chevron Deference, Law360 (online June 5, 2017)
  • Stoner, B., Fink, M., and Bailey, N, Reexamination Proceedings Post KSR in the Generic Medicine Industry, Journal of Generic Medicines (online September 22, 2009)
  • Stoner, B. and Browning, J., Deposition Do’s and Don’ts: The Patent Interference Bar Is Warned, Patently-O Patent Law Blog (Feb. 11, 2007)
  • Morgan, P. and Stoner, B., Reexamination vs. Litigation – Making Intelligent Decisions in Challenging Patent Validity, 86 J.P.T.O.S. 9 (June 2004) pp. 441-463
  • Extrajudicial Statements: Back to the Future, Part 2011?, The Patent Lawyer, Vol. 3, No. 4, Winter 2006, p.3.
  • Extrajudicial Statements: A Modest Proposal: Repeal 35 U.S.C. § 135(b)(2), The Patent Lawyer, Vol. 3, No. 2, Summer 2006, p.3.
  • Extrajudicial Statements: Giving Congress the News, The Patent Lawyer, Vol. 2, No. 3, Winter 2005, p. 3.
  • Extrajudicial Statements: Being USPTO Director is a Tough Job, The Patent Lawyer, Vol. 2, No. 1, Spring 2005, p. 3.
  • Extrajudicial Statements: Post Grant Opposition: A Gathering Storm, The Patent Lawyer, Vol. 1, No. 2, October 2004, p. 3.
  • Extrajudicial Statements: Welcome: From Patent Judge to Private Practice, The Patent Lawyer, Vol. 1, No. 1, Spring 2004, p. 23.