Patent lawsuit rules have been tightened by the Supreme Court, which is likely to have a negative impact on patent trolls. This crackdown on the rules will make it harder for trolls to file their lawsuits in courts that are historically nice to patent holders.
The court was hearing a case involving TC Heartland LLC and Kraft Heinz Co. In a 8-0 ruling, the court sided with TC Heartland LLC, confirming lawsuits should only be filed in the jurisdiction where the target company is actually located.
An earlier ruling from the US Court of Appeals found patent lawsuits could be filed anywhere a company's products are sold. If that decision remained, trolls could pick the most favorable court in the country to file all of their lawsuits in.
In fact, that's basically how patent trolls have been operating. A federal court district in East Texas became a top spot for patent lawsuits due to the court's historically favorable rulings.
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