Automotive, Medical, and Networking Litigation Increased Significantly in Q1-Q3 2020
November 25, 2020
RPX data show that NPE patent litigation hitting the Automotive market sector remains well above levels observed last year, having risen by 131% in Q1-Q3 2020 compared to the same period last year. Earlier this year, a number of notable plaintiffs launched automotive campaigns that continue to see new cases, including one launched by 21ST CENTURY GARAGE LLC over patents divested from Intellectual Ventures LLC. As the third quarter came to a close, prolific monetization firm IP Edge LLC joined the fray through affiliated plaintiff Inspire Licensing LLC, initiating a campaign targeting connected car cybersecurity technology and systems for monitoring automotive manufacturing.
Other sectors that have seen an increase in litigation this year include Industrial and Medical, both of which saw a 50% uptick, with growth also observed in sectors such as Networking (42%), Biotech and Pharma (38%), and E-Commerce and Software (21%). The sectors that declined the most, meanwhile, were Media Content and Distribution (which decreased by 30%) and Consumer Electronics and PCs (down by 25%).
See RPX’s third-quarter review for more on this and other trends impacting patent litigation and the patent marketplace.
