Disney Stores Don’t Tie Patent Lawsuit to Texas

The Walt Disney Co. has convinced a Texas federal court to let it fight a patent infringement lawsuit in its own backyard.

The U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas Oct. 25 transferred Interactive ToyBox LLC’s lawsuit to California. Western Texas wasn’t the right venue, because Disney didn’t have a “regular and established place of business” there, the court said.The U.S. District Court for the Central District of California will hear the case instead.

The decision shows that retail stores and warehousing operations may not be enough to establish venue in infringement cases, narrowing where large corporate defendants ...