Patent Lawsuits Dropped Off Sharply in Mass. Courts Last Year

In 2018, the District of Massachusetts made changes to their local rules in an effort to encourage Massachusetts companies to use Massachusetts courts for their patent cases. However, according to data from Lex Machina, the number of new patent cases filed in the District of Massachusetts fell from 101 cases in 2017 to 59 cases in 2018—the second lowest for Massachusetts since 2009. The Boston Business Journal reached to Finnegan attorney Chris Schultz for his thoughts on how the new rules have impacted patent cases in Massachusetts. 

Chris said, "You’ve really only had less than half a year with the new rules in place. I think 2019 will be a much better indicator of what effect the rules will have in Massachusetts."