Document Type
Article
Publication Date
3-2018
ISSN
0016-8092
Publisher
Georgetown University Law Center
Language
en-US
Abstract
Patent litigation is notoriously expensive and time consuming. In the past decade, however, patent law has changed in many ways that expedite resolution of infringement disputes. This article identifies and evaluates this trend toward quick decisions in patent cases. Balancing the savings in litigation costs against the potential for error, the article defends many recent and controversial developments, including the Supreme Court’s invigoration of the patent eligible subject matter requirement, the new administrative proceedings created by the America Invents Act, and changes in the requirements for pleading patent infringement. These developments permit defendants to obtain rulings of invalidity or noninfringement before discovery begins, which was previously impossible. Pre-discovery rulings cost relatively little and can discourage nuisance litigation. But resolving complex questions of validity or infringement on a thin factual record increases the risk of error, so the article suggests additional reforms to help ensure that quick decisions are also accurate decisions.
Recommended Citation
Paul Gugliuzza,
Quick Decisions in Patent Cases
,
in
106
Georgetown Law Journal
619
(2018).
Available at:
https://scholarship.law.bu.edu/faculty_scholarship/258
