Like most patent litigators, Jeff Lindgren, a partner at 33-lawyer Morgan Miller Blair in Walnut Creek, Calif., spends a considerable amount of time trying to prevent his clients — mostly small to midsize technology firms — from being sued in Marshall, Texas. And it’s not because of the airfare.
The East Texas town, population 25,000, and nearby federal courts in the Eastern District of Texas have recently developed an unsavory reputation among technology companies being sued for patent infringement. These companies consider it an overly friendly jurisdiction to patent owners, judging by its disproportionately large number of patent filings.
