Supreme Court Turns Back the Clock on Venue In Patent Infringement Litigation

Although TC Heartland LLC v. Kraft Foods Group Brands LLC, No. 16-341 (May 22, 2017), answers the question of where a domestic corporation resides in patent infringement cases, it does not fully answer the question of where proper venue lies. In a move that many patent litigators had anticipated, the Supreme Court dispensed with the venue option of suing a corporate defendant wherever it could be subject to personal jurisdiction. Now, for purposes of venue in patent lawsuits, corporate defendants reside only in the state of incorporation. But, that does not necessarily mean that venue is not proper for corporate defendants outside their state of incorporation. Whereas before venue was largely taken for granted, the threshold issue of venue and whether a defendant has a “regular and established place of business” is likely to take on a much more prominent role in patent litigation following TC Heartland.