NOTE: SOME HAVE HAD PROBLEMS VIEWING THE GRAPHS SINCE THEY ARE DYNAMICALLY GENERATED. IT CAN SOMETIMES TAKE UP TO 30 SECONDS FOR THE POST TO SHOW THE GRAPHS. IF YOU CONTINUE TO HAVE PROBLEMS WE HAVE CREATED A STATIC VERSION OF THE REPORT HERE. http://unifiedpatents.com/2014patentlitigationreport/
Figure 1: The number of 2014 patent litigation filings approached 5000, the third highest count ever. Patent suits have risen dramatically since 2010, disproportionately impacting some sectors and technologies.
Figure 2: 63% of 2014 patent litigation was High-Tech related.
Figure 3: Litigation and NPE filings in Q4 2014 were similar to Q3. In Q4, 56% of all litigation was NPE-generated.
Figure 4: 61% of all cases in 2014 were NPE-related.
Figure 5: 82% of all 2014 NPE cases were filed by Patent Assertion Entities (PAEs).
Figure 6: 86% of all NPE related litigation in 2014 was in the High-Tech sector.
Figure 7: 83% of all High-Tech sector litigation in 2014 was NPE related vs. 18% in Medical and 27% in Other.
Figure 8: High-Tech was the only sector where a majority of 2014 cases were NPE-related.
Figure 9: 83% of 2014 High-Tech litigation was NPE-related.
Figure 10: 29% of all 2014 patent litigation cases were filed in E.D. Tex., and 94% of those were NPE-related.
Figure 11: 24% of 2014 NPE related cases were filed against SMEs
Figure 12: 80% of 2014 High-Tech litigation involved NPEs asserting against large companies.
Figure 13: 50% of 2014 Other litigation involved operating companies asserting against SMEs.
Figure 14: 64% of 2014 Medical litigation involved operating companies asserting against large companies.
Figure 15: eDekka was 2014's largest individual NPE filer.
Definitions
Technology Sectors: Figures 2, 6, 7, 8, and 9.
High Tech = Software, Hardware, Networking, etc.
Medical = Pharmaceuticals, Medical Devices, Health Related Technologies, etc…
Other = Mechanical, Packaged Good, Sporting Equipment, etc…
Entities: Figures 3-15
Non Practicing Entity (NPE) = Company which derives the majority of its total revenue from Patent Licensing activities.
Operating Company or Op. Co. = Company which derives most of its total revenue from Product Sales or Services. Could be an SME or a large company.
Other Entity = Universities / Non-Profits / Government / Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs)
NPE (Patent Assertion Entities) = Entity whose primary activity is licensing patents and acquired most of its patents from another entity
NPE (Small Company) = Entity whose original activity was providing products and services, but now is primarily focused on monetizing its own patent portfolio.
NPE (Individual) = Entity owned of controlled by an individual inventor who is primarily focused on monetizing inventions patents by that individual inventor.
SME = Companies that make less than $200 million in annual revenue.
Venue in Federal District Court: Figure 10.
E.D. Tex. = Eastern District of Texas
D. Del. = Delaware
C.D. Cal. = Central District of California
D.N.J. = New Jersey
N.D. Cal. = Northern District of California
Methodology
Total number of reported cases can vary. Unified made its best attempt to eliminate mistaken or duplicative filings.
Statistics include litigations initiated by NPEs or Declaratory Judgments (DJs) initiated by operating companies against NPEs.
Unified strives to accurately identify NPE through all available means, such as court filings, public documents, and product documentation.
Unified strives to determine an SME's revenue through all available means, such as court filings, public documents, and product documentation.