Whether Federal Circuit Rule 36, which allows the United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit to issue an affirmance without opinion when reviewing a decision of the Patent Trial and Appeal Board of the United States Patent and Trademark Office ("PTO") violates the requirements of 35 U.S.C. § 144, which requires that the Federal Circuit issue an "opinion" when reviewing a PTO decision.

Whether Federal Circuit Rule 36 violates 35 U.S.C. § 144 by allowing affirmance without opinion when reviewing Patent Trial and Appeal Board decisions