According to statistics released on Tuesday, January 5 by the United States Patent and Trademark Office, 2015 saw the highest number of combined district court cases and patent disputes resolved by inter partes review (IPR).

Among the key findings of the report was the statistic that around two-thirds of the patents were filed by non-practicing entities (NPEs), otherwise known as patent trolls. About two-thirds of these cases involved businesses in the technology sector.

Following the Supreme Court’s 2014 decision regarding Alice Corp. v. CLS Bank International, a case which tried to determine whether certain claims associated with a computer-implemented, electronic escrow service for facilitating financial transactions covered abstract ideas ineligible for patent protection, it has now become more common for frivolous patent cases to be thrown out in the early stages. As a result, attorneys who have defended against these patent trolls are saying NPEs are asking for lower settlements.

Our attorneys at Gagnon, Peacock & Vereeke, P.C. in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex of Texas help guide clients through the entire process of registering patents, trademarks, and copyrights, and we fight on your behalf in times of intellectual property disputes. Call our offices today at (214) 824-1414.