As a result of a new federal court pilot program designed to enhance certain courts’ who already experience a high volume of patent litigation, the District Court for Central District of California will receive specialized patent law and case management training for judges who request patent cases. While the Central District has a majority of patent cases filed in California, many of the more prominent cases are handled in other venues. Some think the pilot will give a boost to the number of patent cases tried in the district. “Patent litigation practice is a very national practice, but the more cases you have in a certain district court, there is just an inherent benefit to the firms that have offices in that area," said Erik Puknys, managing partner of Finnegan, Henderson, Farabow, Garrett & Dunner, LLP’s Palo Alto office.
