(October 13, 2016, 5:44 PM EDT) -- WASHINGTON, D.C. — A patent owner petitions the U.S. Supreme Court on Sept. 20 to answer whether the Leahy-Smith America Invents Act (AIA) permits the Patent Trial and Appeal Board instead of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (PTO) director to make inter partes review (IPR) institution decisions (Ethicon Endo-Surgery Inc. v. Covidien LP and Michelle K. Lee, Director, U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, No. 16-366, U.S. Sup.)....