US patent litigation on decline while PTAB breaks records and NPE settlement amounts fall

Data released by RPX and Unified Patents shows that 2017 was another tough year for patent owners (and their lawyers) in the US. The downward trend in patent lawsuit filings continued, while settlement amounts declined and the Eastern District of Texas, so long a favoured venue for plaintiffs, became a whole lot less attractive following the Supreme Court’s TC Heartland decision. Meanwhile, the PTAB enjoyed a record year – though by the end of 2017 there were signs that petition rates were slowing down.

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