Friday, July 13, 2007

Is the Win Rate for Plaintiffs Slipping at the E.D. Texas?

If you've read any of the multitude of articles on patent litigation at the E.D. Texas, you almost can't help walking away with the conclusion that defendants just can't win in the jurisdiction:

Not so fast, says Michael Smith over at EDTexWeblog.com:


As anyone that actually works in the patent docket can tell you around here, that just isn't true. Defendants have won half of the patent cases tried in the Eastern District this year, and the plaintiff's win rate in 2006 and 2007 combined is still only 66%. [Many patent cases] often show defense wins on summary judgment or other rulings.
Accordingly, he's created a new tab in his blog for "Patent Cases: Recent Rulings for Defendants" (link). Adds Michael:

[The listing] isn't exhaustive, and isn't meant to indicate any predisposition by any of the judges or the district as a whole . . . It's just meant to give readers the ammunition to explain to their elected officials, and to anyone else that is interested, that defendants can and do win here, and that the outcomes have a lot more to do with the facts of the case and the quality of the lawyering than they do any perceived tendencies by the judges or juries.

2 Comentários:

Anonymous said...

The articles showing a high plaintiff win rate are specific to Marshall, Texas, while Michael Smith's analysis appears to be for the entire district. None of the "defense wins" on his web page happened in Marshall.

Rick Frenkel said...

Not only that, but Michael Smith's blog doesn't reflect that in most "defense wins" in the Eastern District of Texas, the parties have had to completely prepare for trial, and summary judgment is given on the eve of trial. There are exceptions of course - but fewer exceptions than in other jurisdictions.

Powered By Blogger

DISCLAIMER

This Blog/Web Site ("Blog") is for educational purposes only and is not legal advice. Use of the Blog does not create any attorney-client relationship between you and Peter Zura or his firm. Persons requiring legal advice should contact a licensed attorney in your state. Any comment posted on the Blog can be read by any Blog visitor; do not post confidential or sensitive information. Any links from another site to the Blog are beyond the control of Peter Zura and does not convey his, or his past or present employer(s) approval, support, endorsement or any relationship to any site or organization.

The 271 Patent Blog © 2008. Template by Dicas Blogger.

TOPO