Operating Company Patent Litigation Decreased in 2019, Despite Overall Uptick
February 26, 2020
RPX data show that while patent litigation increased in 2019 overall—with 4.6% more defendants added than in 2018—operating company litigation fell by 12% compared to the year before (with 1,560 defendants added in 2019 versus 1,772 in 2018). The rise in litigation last year was instead driven by NPEs, which added 22.7% more defendants than the previous year.
Additionally, operating companies brought a smaller share of litigation than NPEs for each quarter in 2019, including 44.3% of the defendants added in the fourth quarter (410), in which NPEs accounted for 55.7% (516).
See RPX’s fourth-quarter review for more information on patent litigation and marketplace trends.
Defendants Added to Litigation Campaigns by Quarter
Defendants Added to Litigation Campaigns by Quarter
