Supreme Court Cracks Down on 'Patent Trolls'
The U.S. Supreme Court today handed down a unanimous decision tightening rules for where patent lawsuits can be filed, Reuters reports.
The ruling stands to make it harder for so-called "patent trolls" to launch patent cases in sympathetic courts, a significant irritant for tech giants like Alphabet (GOOGL) - Get Alphabet Inc. Class A Report and Apple (AAPL) - Get Apple Inc. (AAPL) Report.
The justices sided 8-0 with TC Heartland, a beverage flavoring firm, in its dispute with Kraft Heinz (HNZ) , ruling that patent infringement suits can be filed only in courts located in the jurisdiction where the targeted company is incorporated.
The decision voided a ruling last year by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, a Washington-based patent court, that said patent suits are allowed anywhere a defendant company's products are sold.
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