If the virtual patent trial of Ironburg Investments v. Valve had been held the old-fashioned way last week in U.S. District Judge Thomas Zilly’s Seattle courtroom, it could have been stopped cold on its first day.

During voir dire, a potential juror, appearing—like all the others—remotely via ZoomGov.com, felt sick and had to be excused. “If that happened with all the potential jurors in the courtroom, there might have been a more significant delay, as they likely would have had to verify whether the illness was COVID-related,” said John Moehringer, a Cadwalader, Wickersham & Taft partner who’s been tracking virtual patent trials.