SCOTUS Examines Patent Trolls’ Love For East Texas

For the past few years, a single judge at a federal court in East Texas has overseen about a quarter of all U.S. patent cases – more than the number handled by all federal judges in California, Florida, and New York combined. More than 40 percent of all patent lawsuits in the U.S. are filed at that court, which has a reputation for friendliness to plaintiffs. The Supreme Court examined that trend this week, questioning whether it should intervene in what technology companies say is pernicious forum shopping in patent cases. Many tech companies have filed supporting briefs in the case before the court, TC Heartland v. Kraft Food Group Brands, asking the Court to limit where defendants in patent cases may be sued.