10,339,825 based on Interstellar’s settled expectations. The Director’s denial reasoned that the patent had been in force for over six years, which created “strong settled expectations” for the patent owner. The “settled expectations” doctrine came into play under then-Acting Director Coke Morgan Stewart, who explained that while there is no bright-line rule, “the longer the patent has been in force, the more settled expectations should be.” In the original denial of Kahoot’s petition, the Director found that six years was sufficient to establish the “strong settled expectations” that counseled against the institution. argued that reliance on “settled expectations” exceeded the Director’s statutory authority, but the CAFC found that Kahoot!