Number of Maryland IP Lawsuits Drops in 2010
Plaintiffs filed 27 copyright lawsuits in the U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland (Greenbelt and Baltimore divisions combined) in 2010, according to records available from Justia.com and PACER. That level compares to 34 lawsuits in 2009 (a 21-percent difference) and 40 suits in 2008 (a 33-percent slide).
Patent litigation activity also declined in 2010 compared to previous years. Twenty-two patent lawsuits were filed last year, compared to 31 lawsuits in both 2009 and 2008, respectively (a 29-percent downward difference).
Bucking the trend, trademark plaintiffs brought more lawsuits in 2010 compared to earlier years. In 2010, 40 trademark lawsuits were filed, compared to just 34 in 2009 (an 18-percent difference) and 36 in 2008 (11-percent).
All combined, plaintiffs brought 89 copyright, patent, and trademark lawsuits in Maryland in 2010, a 10-percent drop compared to 2009, and a 17-percent decrease in 2008 levels.
Maryland's neighboring districts saw a lot more IP litigation last year: Delaware: 272 combined cases; Virginia: 176 total; Pennsylvania: 255.
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