WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court could make it easier for companies to defend themselves against patent infringement lawsuits.
The justices said last Wednesday they will decide whether such lawsuits can be filed in any court in the country — as they are now — or be limited to courts that are more convenient for corporate defendants.
The issue is important to many companies that complain about plaintiffs “forum shopping” for favorable courts. More than 40 percent of patent lawsuits are now filed in eastern Texas courts, where local rules favor quick trials and juries can be more sympathetic to plaintiffs.
The justices will hear an appeal from TC Heartland, an Indiana-based food sweetener company sued by Kraft Foods in Delaware. Lower courts refused to transfer the case to Indiana.
- Posted December 19, 2016
- Tweet This | Share on Facebook
Supreme Court justices to weigh limits on where patent lawsuits are filed
headlines Oakland County
- Whitmer signs gun violence prevention legislation
- Department of Attorney General conducts statewide warrant sweep, arrests 9
- Adoptive families across Michigan recognized during Adoption Day and Month
- Reproductive Health Act signed into law
- Case study: Documentary highlights history of courts in the Eastern District
headlines National
- Protecting Attorney-Client Relationships: ABA advocacy helps safeguard the right to effective assistance of counsel
- Did ‘corporate speak’ and PowerPoint lead to complacency at GM?
- Ex-employee sues Sheppard Mullin over cyberattack exposing sensitive personal data
- Ropes & Gray allows more attorneys to count AI testing toward billable hours
- Plaintiff who filed fraudulent case, trashed desktop computer hit with sanctions
- Man who threatened Supreme Court justices avoids prison time
