Free Speech, Due Process and Trial by Jury
For frequent patent asserters, things used to be simple: buy patents, allege infringement against anyone you could and then make settlement offers. But a series of issues is forcing changes to the business model of companies that make money from patents they do not use to produce goods or services.
East Texas has lost its status as America’s top place to sue for patent infringement. Delaware is the new king of patent litigation. During the past four months, plaintiffs filed nearly twice as many patent cases in Delaware than they did in the Tyler-based Eastern District of Texas, according to Lex Machina. The Texas Lawbook has the exclusive data and the details.
From the moment the first gush of oil erupted from Spindletop Hill in Beaumont in 1901, Baker Botts has pioneered its representation of energy clients, which include ExxonMobil, Halliburton, Chesapeake Energy and Shell Oil.
No matter how egregious the intellectual property infringement, old fashioned cease-and-desist letters can backfire, leading to online campaigns against a business, a panel of experts said last Tuesday. The lesson: When possible, appearing reasonable can nip problems in the bud.
In a precedent-setting decision, the Circuit ruled that PTAB improperly threw out Magnum Oil’s patent by essentially adopting arguments on behalf of an outside party that had challenged the patent’s validity – even though that party did not make those arguments and failed to present valid reasons to support them.
Since its September 2012 launch, the Patent Trial and Appeal Board has gained a reputation as a place that kills patents. Legal experts say the reality is more complex. “Recent studies show only a miniscule number of patents have been affected by the PTAB,” said IP law specialist William Munck. This article examines PTAB and its impact on patent litigation in-depth.
New patent infringement lawsuits filed in East Texas declined by nearly half during the first six months of 2016 – a sign that multiple efforts to curb complaints by so-called patent trolls are finally having an impact. While patent litigation may have peaked in 2015, EDTX continues to be by far the most popular place in the U.S. to sue for intellectual property infringement. Patent lawsuits also plummeted in Northern and Western Districts of Texas.
A pair of upcoming trials will help determine whether two large makers of “smart” utility meters stole a small Carrollton company’s technology – and the stakes are huge.
A Houston-based trial team at Winston & Strawn has engineered a huge victory for a small Pacific Northwest firm against food giant Mars, Inc. in a patent battle about pet
The Eastern District of Texas will remain the patent lawsuit capital of America, thanks to a decision Friday by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit. Tech companies hoped the court would overturn a 26-year-old decision that gives patent owners wide latitude on where to file their suits. It did not.
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