On: Judge: Microsoft Banned from Selling Word in the US

[tedshroyer]

Is there some advantage for suing in Texas? Twitter was sued there by a Texas company which makes sense, but a Toronto company doing so as well.

[eli → tedshroyer]

Yes, there's a very good reason. The courts in the small town of Marshall, TX are extremely friendly to plaintiffs in patent suits. And plaintiffs basically get to pick their venue, so of course they all go there.

So Small a Town, So Many Patent Suits http://www.nytimes.com/2006/09/24/business/24ward.html

[sp332 → tedshroyer]

There's one county in Texas (I forget which - Tarrant maybe?) which is EXTREMELY friendly toward patent trolls. It's SOP to bring a suit there if they possibly can.