Daniel J. Schwartz Quoted in The National Law Journal
"Patent Reform: Practitioners sound off on the merits and drawbacks of the sweeping new law"

In its October 17 issue, The National Law Journal asked Seyfarth partner Daniel J. Schwartz to provide insight into the effects of the America Invents Act (AIA), which was passed in September. Daniel commented extensively about the Act, noting that “since the enactment of the heightened pleading standard for joinder of multiple defendants, we have seen a reduction in the number of suits being filed in key venues, including the Eastern District of Texas, which has been a haven for plaintiff suits in recent years. Nonpracticing entities (NPEs) recognize that they can no longer simply lump multiple defendants together in one lawsuit.”

The number of cases filed has not been in a complete decline, however. Daniel remarked that “One corollary trend emerging from the AIA shows a modest uptick in the number of cases filed in jurisdictions that typically do not see patent litigation. Courts not accustomed to patent litigation will be forced to learn about the new patent laws relatively quickly.”