This is a comprehensive, user-friendly, and practical judicial guide for managing patent cases. Although similar in many respects to other forms of complex civil litigation, patent cases pose distinctive case management challenges, including complex and dynamic technological facts to a degree rarely encountered in most other areas of litigation, and unique procedures (such as claim construction hearings) that affect and interact with other aspects of the case (such as summary judgment motions and expert reports). In addition, patent cases often entail distinctive and difficult discovery issues, extensive use of experts, and particularly complex dispositive and pretrial motion practice. The authors surveyed federal judges and describe their approaches and best practices for these and other aspects of patent case management.

Initially posted as a draft, this second edition was not printed in book format. Superseded by Patent Case Management Judicial Guide, Third Edition (2016).