The number of patent cases filed in the U.S. rose by 25 percent in 2013 to a record 6,500 cases, and the increase was largely driven by patent trolls, according to the latest edition of PricewaterhouseCoopers’ annual patent litigation study [PDF].

The number of patents granted also rose to almost 300,000, an increase of 7 percent, the study found.

Despite the increases, the PricewaterhouseCoopers report characterizes 2013 as “a moderating year” in patent infringement litigation because the huge verdicts of prior years were absent. In 2012, there were three cases that resulted in damage awards of more than $1 billion; in 2013, the largest new award was a little more than $200 million.

Nonpracticing entities (NPEs), commonly referred to as patent trolls, accounted for more than half of the new cases filed. But only 20 percent of identified decisions involved NPE patent holders, an indication that NPE-filed cases tend to settle or be dismissed more than other types of suits, the report said.

Nevertheless, while the median damages award over the past four years was $4.3 million, damages awarded to NPEs were triple that amount, the report found.

Read more: www.corpcounsel.com/id=1202663316686/Trolls-Driving-Record-Patent-Litigation-Filings#ixzz37fFL8pkx

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