The Economist: How two small Texas towns became the patent-law centre of America
April 16, 2024 In 2019, Waco, Texas became a central hub for patent litigation in the United States, largely due to the efforts of federal judge Alan Albright, who actively attracted intellectual property cases to his courtroom. This specialization led to nearly a quarter of the nation’s patent cases being heard in Waco by 2021. Similarly, the town of Marshall, Texas, under the influence of Judge T. John Ward, had become a preferred venue for patent cases due to favorable local rules and a quick trial process, which drew significant business to the local economy. However, the concentration of patent litigation in these towns raised concerns about the role of federal judges and the impact on local economies, leading to a Supreme Court decision in 2017 that tightened venue requirements for patent litigation. This change, along with other adjustments like the introduction of a lottery system for assigning cases in Waco, has started to redistribute patent litigation more evenly across jurisdictions.