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| Recently Filed Cases | Trends | Analysis |
Recently Filed Cases
| Case Filed | Case Title | Patent | Patent Filed | Title | Class Name |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3/7/2007 | 3M Company v. Sony Corp. | 6,964,828 | 4/27/2001 | Cathode compositions for lithium-ion batteries | Chemistry: Electrical Current Producing Apparatus, Product, and Process |
| 3/7/2007 | Serious Materials v. Supress Products | 7,181,891 | 9/8/2003 | Acoustical sound proofing material and methods for manufacturing same | Static Structures (e.g., Buildings) |
| 3/6/2007 | Nidec Corporation v. LG Innotek Co Ltd | 6,242,830 | 10/8/1999 | Motor | Electrical Generator or Motor Structure |
| 3/1/2007 | Safety Braking Corporation et al v. Six Flags | 6,659,237 | 6/13/2001 | Eddy current brake | Brakes |
| 2/28/2007 | Hemisphere GPS et al v. Trimble Navigation | 6,865,465 | 5/6/2003 | Method and system for implement steering for agricultural vehicles | DP: Vehicles, Navigation, and Relative Location (Data Processing) |
| 2/28/2007 | Keystone Autonics, Inc. v. Sirius Satellite Radio | 7,165,123 | 9/19/2001 | Apparatus and method for I/O management in a mobile environment wherein access to data from a wireless signal is restricted based on a persistent unique hardware identification | Input/Output (Electrical Computers and Digital Processing Systems) |
| 2/27/2007 | Surfer Internet Broadcasting v Sirius Satellite Radio | 6,766,376 | 3/28/2001 | Streaming media buffering system | Multiple Computer or Process Coordinating (Electrical Computers and Digital Processing Systems) |
| 2/26/2007 | Dynamic Random Access Memory Devices and Products Containing Same | 7,115,344 | 2/13/2004 | Photomask and pattern forming method employing the same | Radiation Imagery Chemistry: Process, Composition, or Product Thereof |
| 2/26/2007 | Laird Technologies, Inc. v. Galtronics | 6,992,642 | 3/11/2004 | Telescopic retractable antenna with improved contact system | Communications: Radio Wave Antennas |
Note: The above is a subset of cases and information collected. Please contact us for additional database information.
| Year | Total | California | Texas | Delaware | Wisconsin |
| 1994 | 1555 | 281 | 108 | 33 | 36 |
| 1995 | 1688 | 281 | 116 | 59 | 40 |
| 1996 | 1776 | 335 | 108 | 50 | 48 |
| 1997 | 2002 | 386 | 131 | 62 | 47 |
| 1998 | 2065 | 412 | 157 | 90 | 41 |
| 1999 | 2139 | 447 | 144 | 84 | 43 |
| 2000 | 2364 | 506 | 159 | 98 | 42 |
| 2001 | 2518 | 492 | 154 | 139 | 59 |
| 2002 | 2606 | 551 | 140 | 118 | 41 |
| 2003 | 2903 | 708 | 186 | 142 | 51 |
| 2004 | 2995 | 610 | 265 | 152 | 55 |
| 2005 | 2766 | 568 | 324 | 132 | 53 |
| 2006 | 2768 | 515 | 352 | 149 | 100 |
*Notes: As of December 31, 2006. Includes multiple entries for the same case as courts transition to electronic case filing. (2) Data sources US Patent and Trademark Office, US Pacer.
The above chart, 'Patent Activity by Year' illustrates activity at two ends of the intellectual property life cycle -- Patent creation and assertion.
Menlo Park Inventiveness
This chart compares the number of Patents granted to 'assignee' organizations domiciled in Menlo Park, with named inventors residing in Menlo Park.
Is there a correlation between the issuance of Patents and the initiation of litigation?
It appears that the ratio of Patent litigation commenced, and the number of Patents issued during the year, is about 1.4 to 100. This is not scientific, but the number is consistent across several years. The correlation is actually very weak for several reasons, among which are: one litigation may involve several Patents; one Patent may be litigated multiple times; a Patent is not necessarily asserted in the year of issuance; a case may be moved between courts, there may be cross-complaints, but gets counted twice in the above data.
Where are the busy spots?
This chart consolidates data from individual courts within the state.
What sort of Patents are litigated? This table shows the frequency of occurrence for various Patent classifications. It is a relatively small sampling (>16000 occurrences of >10000 patents litigated in >8100 cases representing 412 classes) of Patents-in-suit during the past 10 years, and may not be reflective of the population as a whole.
| Class | Title | Patents-in-Suit | Group |
|---|---|---|---|
| 514 | Drug, bio-affecting and body treating compositions | 602 | Biotech |
| 705 | DP: Financial, Business Practice, Management, or Cost/Price Determination (Data Processing) | 465 | Software |
| 424 | Drug, Bio-Affecting and Body Treating Compositions (includes Class 514) | 443 | Biotech |
| 379 | Telephonic Communications | 440 | Electrical |
| 348 | Television | 427 | Electrical |
| 709 | Multiple Computer or Process Coordinating (Electrical Computers and Digital Processing Systems) | 353 | Electrical |
| 435 | Chemistry: Molecular Biology and Microbiology | 303 | Chemical |
| 707 | DP: Database and File Management, Data Structures, Or Document Processing (Data Processing) | 298 | Software |
| 345 | Computer Graphics Processing, Operator Interface Processing, and Selective Visual Display Systems | 264 | Electrical |
| 370 | Multiplex Communications | 264 | Electrical |