Increasing Scrutiny Of "Schedule A" Intellectual Property Litigation

Executive Summary

• Schedule A litigation allows intellectual property owners to sue dozens or even hundreds of foreign online merchants in a single lawsuit, simply referring to them on the Complaint as the “Schedule A Defendants,” in which plaintiffs often seek ex parte injunctive relief restraining the merchants’ sales and freezing funds associated with their online marketplace accounts.

• For more than a decade, the Northern District of Illinois has been one of the most frequent venues for such lawsuits. Recent decisions, however, including a Seventh Circuit decision issued in March 2026, have subjected Schedule A litigation to increased scrutiny.