Can an Infringement Claim Magnet Be Deactivated?

Contributor: Yuezhong Feng, Ph.D.

[Article PDF]

While steps have been taken to break one WDTX judge’s grip on the nation’s patent docket, his influence remains strong

While several recent developments have curbed the number of patent cases filed in the Western District of Texas, it will likely remain a popular venue for patent own­ers’ complaints at least through this year, says Chicago-based Crowell & Moring partner Yuezhong Feng.

The Western District of Texas has been an infringement claim magnet since the appointment of Judge Alan Albright to its bench by President Donald Trump in 2018. Albright, a longtime intellectual property lawyer, immediately made it known that he welcomed patent cases in his Waco, Texas, courtroom, and he adopted rules similar to those that made the Eastern District of Texas popular with patent plaintiffs in the preceding decade.

Read the complete article in the Litigation Forecast 2023. 

Index: Litigation Forecast 2023

• Cover Story – Class Actions—the Evolution Continues — April Ross and Jennifer Romano
• European Union – Evolving Landscape for Representative Actions — Werner Eyskens
• United Kingdom – Class Actions: Getting Traction — Laurence Winston
• Jurisdictional Analysis – Rightsizing the Federal Bench: More Judges Handling Fewer Cases — Justin Kingsolver
• Middle East/North Africa – A Pro-Arbitration Approach Changes the Dynamic — Randa Adra
• District of Columbia – Slow Flow in D.C. Courts — Toni Michelle Jackson
• Southern District of New York – Consumer Class Actions Expand into New Sectors — Sarah Gilbert
• Northern District of Illinois – Biometric Litigation Looms Large —Jason Stiehl
• Northern District of California – Will the Door to Mass Claims Close? —Christopher Banks
• Central District of California – A Faster Docket with Patent and Privacy Cases — Emily Kuwahara
• Patent Litigation Venues – Can an Infringement Claim Magnet Be Deactivated? — Yuezhong Feng

Litigation Forecast Archive:
2022, 2021, 2020, 2019, 2018

Regulatory Forecast Archive: 2020, 2019, 2018, 2017