Yesterday, the Supreme Court unanimously reversed the Court of Appeals for Federal Circuit in Quanta v. LG. Electronics. This was a technical case about the power of patent holders to extract fees from downstream component assemblers, systems integrators, vendors, and end users. Value chains run deep and wide in information technology, and the Federal Circuit's decision would have created a lawyers' playground with new licenses required for every patent at every stage.
Quanta is the latest in a string of...
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