Abstract
By statute, all cases “arising under” patent law must be heard exclusively by the federal courts (not state courts) and, on appeal, by the Federal Circuit (not the twelve regional circuits). But not all cases involving patents “arise under” patent law. As recently as 2013, the Supreme Court ruled that the mere need to apply patent law in, for example, a malpractice case involving a patent lawyer, is insufficient to trigger exclusive jurisdiction. Rather, the Court held, for a case that does not involve claims of patent infringement to arise under patent law, the patent issue must be “important … to the federal system as a whole.” This Article is the first to chronicle the rising confusion about the scope of the federal district courts’ and the Federal Circuit’s exclusive jurisdiction over cases arising under patent law.
Recommended Citation
Paul R. Gugliuzza,
Rising Confusion About "Arising Under" Jurisdiction in Patent Cases,
69
Emory L. J.
459
(2019).
Available at:
https://scholarlycommons.law.emory.edu/elj/vol69/iss3/2