Google has asked the US Supreme Court to hear its "settled expectations" policy, which allows the Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB) to more likely reject requests to review patents that have been in force for over six years. This policy has led to a nearly 20% increase in patent litigation over the past year. Google argues that the rule exceeds its authority by creating an artificial time limit for board petitions and by expanding patent rights beyond what Congress provided. The appeal involves a failed 2025 challenge to a 2010 patent by software company VirtaMove, which the PTAB rejected.