Patent Filings Down This Year, IPR Cases UP

Patent filings were down in the third quarter, approaching levels not seen since 2011, according to data from Lex Machina. Meanwhile inter partes review filings, counter to expectations of many, were up. Writing on the IAM blog, Richard Lloyd takes a look at the numbers and how they could affect the prospect for changes in patent law. “The latest litigation data,” he says, “gives legislators less scope to refer to sky-high litigation and it seems more and more likely that one of the big focal points in the next round of debate will be venue reform.”