Supreme Court Considers Why Patent Trolls Love Texas
"More than 40 percent of patent lawsuits are filed in a federal court in East Texas with a reputation for friendliness to plaintiffs. That curious fact was the backdrop for a Supreme Court argument on Monday over whether the court should halt what many big technology companies say is pernicious forum shopping in patent cases.
In recent years, a single judge based in Marshall, Tex., oversaw about a quarter of all patent cases nationwide, more than the number handled by all federal judges in California, Florida and New York combined.
The Texas court is a favorite venue of patent trolls, or companies that buy patents not to use them but to demand royalties and sue for damages."