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from the I-prefer-online-venue-shopping dept.
Arthur T Knackerbracket has found the following story:
The legal case of TC Heartland v Kraft Foods may appear to have very little to do with technology, but it could make life a lot harder for patent trolls – thanks to a US Supreme Court decision on Thursday.
The case between the two was brought by Kraft over its Mio Water Enhancer, a mixture of salt and flavorings for those who find regular water too dull. TC Heartland makes a similar product and Kraft contended that some of its intellectual property has been used to make the rival product.
Kraft wanted the case heard in Delaware, a state which has little to do with either company but is a notoriously patent-friendly venue. TC Heartland wants the venue to be in its home state, and has appealed an earlier ruling on the matter.
On Wednesday the Supremes granted certiorari [PDF] to the case, meaning it is on the schedule to be considered. If they rule in TC Heartland's favor, it will eliminate the practice of venue shopping, where companies bring cases in districts where some judges are more favorable and they think they have a better chance of winning.
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(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday December 23 2016, @05:09AM
It's not necessarily a bad thing that Delaware courts ends up hear a large fraction of corporate lawsuits, unless it can be shown that they are one-sided in their rulings the way east Texas court is on patents. The Delaware judges are more likely to be familiar with relevant case law and to ask better questions of the respective attorneys.