Patent
Federal civil · Intellectual Property · 102,898 cases filed and closed (1988–present).
102,898
Cases filed
86.9%
Ended before a merits judgment
89,452 of 102,898 cases
43%
Plaintiff win
of 13,446 merits judgments
36.2%
Defendant win
of merits judgments
How they closed
- Dismissed48.3%
- Settled29.2%
- Plaintiff win5.6%
- Transferred5.1%
- Defendant win4.7%
- Other3.8%
- Mixed1.7%
- Decided — other1%
- Remanded0.5%
- Affirmed0%
- Denied0%
Where you file matters
The same claim resolves differently across districts. Plaintiff-win rate among merits judgments, busiest courts first.
- District Court, E.D. Texas13,881 cases · 355 decided30.7%
- District Court, D. Delaware11,407 cases · 1,188 decided39.1%
- District Court, C.D. California8,730 cases · 1,227 decided52.3%
- District Court, N.D. California5,857 cases · 1,157 decided25.2%
- District Court, N.D. Illinois5,149 cases · 769 decided52.8%
- District Court, D. New Jersey3,946 cases · 583 decided47.3%
- District Court, S.D. New York3,689 cases · 548 decided49.8%
- District Court, W.D. Texas3,297 cases · 165 decided32.7%
- District Court, S.D. Florida2,307 cases · 254 decided51.6%
- District Court, D. Massachusetts2,304 cases · 404 decided39.6%
- District Court, S.D. California2,187 cases · 455 decided31.6%
- District Court, N.D. Texas1,966 cases · 251 decided41.8%
- District Court, D. Minnesota1,842 cases · 278 decided39.6%
- District Court, E.D. Virginia1,819 cases · 231 decided45%
- District Court, E.D. Michigan1,796 cases · 328 decided43.9%
- District Court, M.D. Florida1,736 cases · 225 decided68%
- District Court, S.D. Texas1,592 cases · 208 decided35.6%
- District Court, N.D. Georgia1,570 cases · 247 decided45.3%
- District Court, E.D. Pennsylvania1,508 cases · 142 decided55.6%
- District Court, N.D. Ohio1,399 cases · 191 decided41.9%
- District Court, E.D. New York1,348 cases · 176 decided44.3%
- District Court, W.D. Washington1,347 cases · 213 decided42.7%
- District Court, D. Colorado1,320 cases · 214 decided46.7%
- District Court, D. Utah1,207 cases · 150 decided58%
- District Court, D. Connecticut980 cases · 157 decided37.6%
- District Court, D. Arizona900 cases · 165 decided50.9%
- District Court, S.D. Ohio837 cases · 138 decided31.9%
- District Court, E.D. Wisconsin827 cases · 157 decided45.9%
- District Court, D. Maryland811 cases · 148 decided33.8%
- District Court, D. Nevada746 cases · 132 decided59.8%
Source: FJC Integrated Database (public domain), via CourtListener — federal civil cases filed and terminated, 1988–present. Figures are descriptive statistics about how cases of a given type have closed in a given court. They describe the historical record — not a prediction or assessment of any specific case. Not legal advice.