Insights
Client Alert
The Northern District of California Revises its Patent Local Rules
March 10, 2008
Robert Matz and Ron Lemieux
The Northern District of California, the pioneer in the use of special local patent rules to achieve a fair, efficient and timely resolution of patent disputes, recently issued a revised set of rules that apply to all cases filed after March 1, 2008. These changes were made to: (1) account for recent developments in patent law, (2) conform the rules to the actual practice of many judges in the Northern District, and (3) improve the rules based on the accumulated experience of those working with special patent rules both here and in other Districts. The following is a brief review of some of the more notable changes effected by these new rules and some observations on how these revisions may affect clients and their counsel.