‘Clear Pathway’ Out of Waco Seen Emerging for Patent Defendants

A trail of unhappy defendants from Waco, Texas, to the patent appeals court in Washington is starting to build a blueprint for companies that want to get cases moved out of the nation’s fledgling patent-dispute hotbed.

Judge Alan Albright has been reluctant to transfer patent cases in the three years he’s been the district court judge in Waco, denying almost 80% of requests from defendants who argue another district is more convenient, well above average in patent suits.

At the same time, Albright has transformed his U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas courtroom from one rarely involved ...