For Immediate Release

ST. LOUIS/EWORLDWIRE/Jan. 5, 2006 --- The number of new patent infringement cases in the U.S. dropped in 2005 by over 10 percent. According to a study by LegalMetric, a litigation analysis firm, this is an extremely rare event. Each year from 1994 to 2004 showed an increase in the number of patent cases over the previous year, according to LegalMetric.
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The decline seems to be specific to patent cases. The number of trademark cases, for example, continued to increase from 2004 to 2005.

According to LegalMetric's study, the number of patent cases filed in 2005 was over 200 fewer than expected, based upon trends from previous years. Possibly explaining the drop in newly filed patent litigation in 2005 was a decrease in newly issued patents of 13 percent. According to LegalMetric, a decrease in issued U.S. patents from year to year is also a rare event, since the number of patent applications continues to rise.

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CONTACT:
Phil Meisinger
LegalMetric, LLC
St. Louis, MO
PHONE. 1-888-309-3001 x2
FAX. 1-888-309-3002
EMAIL: phil@legalmetric.com
http://www.legalmetric.com

KEYWORDS: federal, district, judge, analysis, venue, selection, stock, price, case, filings, patent, applications, USPTO

SOURCE: LegalMetric, LLC