Patent-Trolls

TC Heartland v. Kraft: Supreme Court Limits Patent Forum Shopping, Curbing Eastern District of Texas Troll Haven

| Importance: 8/10

The Supreme Court unanimously rules in TC Heartland LLC v. Kraft Foods Group Brands LLC (581 U.S. 258) that for patent infringement suits, a domestic corporation ‘resides’ only in its state of incorporation under 28 U.S.C. § 1400(b), overturning nearly 30 years of Federal Circuit …

Supreme Court Clarence Thomas TC Heartland Kraft Foods Rodney Gilstrap +1 more intellectual-property patent-abuse patent-trolls supreme-court judicial-reform +2 more
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Alice Corp. v. CLS Bank: Supreme Court Restricts Software Patents, Reducing Patent Troll Leverage Over Abstract Business Methods

| Importance: 8/10

The Supreme Court unanimously rules in Alice Corp. v. CLS Bank International (573 U.S. 208) that abstract ideas implemented on generic computers are not patent-eligible under 35 U.S.C. § 101, establishing a two-step framework for patent eligibility. Justice Thomas delivers the opinion holding that …

Supreme Court Clarence Thomas Alice Corp CLS Bank International USPTO intellectual-property patent-abuse software-patents supreme-court business-methods +1 more
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eBay v. MercExchange: Supreme Court Limits Automatic Patent Injunctions, Enabling Patent Troll Business Model to Flourish

| Importance: 8/10

The Supreme Court unanimously rules in eBay Inc. v. MercExchange, L.L.C. (547 U.S. 388) that patent injunctions are not automatic upon finding infringement, requiring plaintiffs to meet a four-factor equitable test: (1) irreparable injury, (2) inadequate legal remedies, (3) balance of hardships, and …

Supreme Court Clarence Thomas Anthony Kennedy eBay MercExchange intellectual-property patent-abuse supreme-court patent-trolls judicial-capture +1 more
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