Patent Case Watch

Patent opinions from the Eastern District of Texas and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit

Weekly Digest

Sealing / Protective Order

Patent litigation generates highly confidential material - source code, unredacted licence agreements, pricing and cost data - and protective orders govern who may see it and on what terms. Recurring disputes concern prosecution bars preventing litigation counsel from drafting claims in related applications, source code review conditions, and designations a party contends are overbroad. Sealing is a separate question: the public has a common-law right of access to judicial records, so a party seeking to file under seal must justify it, and courts routinely require narrower redactions than requested. The opinions collected here address both, including orders unsealing material previously filed under seal.

76 opinions and orders.