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Kalyan Deshpande named U.S. PTAB chief judge
Deshpande’s appointment was made by the director of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, John Squires.
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Rwittika Chakraborty
- Mon, 02, Feb 2026
- 02:57 EST
- 22
Kalyan Deshpande / LinkedIn/@Kalyan Deshpande
Indian origin patent judge Kalyan Deshpande has been appointed chief judge of the Patent Trial and Appeal Board, a key tribunal that handles patent disputes and reviews decisions made by patent examiners, by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.
Deshpande’s appointment was made by the director of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, John Squires, as per reports.
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In his new role as chief judge, Deshpande will lead the Patent Trial and Appeal Board as it conducts post-grant proceedings, including inter partes reviews, post-grant reviews, covered business method patent reviews, and derivation proceedings.
The board also hears appeals from adverse examiner decisions in patent applications and reexamination cases.
Following his appointment, the South Asian Bar Association (SABA) of North America congratulated Deshpande in official post on social media.
Deshpande became a part of the PTAB in 2008 and has since held several leadership and judicial positions over more than a decade.
Prior to his new role as chief judge, Deshpande served as a patent attorney, administrative patent judge, lead judge, senior lead judge, vice chief judge, and deputy chief judge.
He has overseen multiple post-grant trials and ex parte appeals over the years of his career.
Along with adjudicating cases, Deshpande has played a central role in shaping how the PTAB operates, helping implement and oversee the board’s precedential and informative decision designation processes, the director review process, and director discretionary review procedures.
He has also overseen the hiring and onboarding of administrative patent judges and professional development initiatives such as the Legal Experience and Advancement Program and the Judicial Law Clerk program.
Earlier in his career, Deshpande was appointed to the U.S. Senate, working for Senator Chris Coons. Prior to his career in patent law, he worked in software development at Accenture and in supply chain management at an early-stage food services company.
Deshpande has a law degree from the Ohio State University and a degree in biomedical engineering from Case Western Reserve University.
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