NPEs In The COVID Era

One of the by-products of the recent economic depression caused by the Covid-19 global pandemic is a significant increase in patent litigation by non-practising entities (NPEs). There could be a number of reasons for this increase, but some factors could be investors looking for alternative or non-cyclical vehicles to get a return, cheaper and higher quality portfolios available, and more attorneys willing to take contingency or lower fees. Given the likelihood of adverse economic conditions into the foreseeable future, NPE patent litigation is likely to grow over the next few years. In this article, Finnegan attorneys Raj Gupta, Zachery Olah, and Karthik Kumar consider the increasing number of non-practising entity patent cases.