High Court Asked to Consider Changing Patent Case Venue Rules

By Tony Dutra, Bloomberg BNA

Congress and the patent community will be watching Friday to see if the U.S. Supreme Court grants TC Heartland LLC’s request to stop patent owners from “forum shopping” — the practice of handpicking courts to hear cases.

The high percentage of cases heard in the low-population U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas is evidence of forcing alleged infringers to fight charges in patentee-friendly courts, according to third-party briefs filed by banking, software and internet industry stakeholders.

On Friday, the high court could grant the petition, call for the government’s views or “relist” ...