Judge Rebuffs Asset-Freeze Bid in ‘Schedule A’ Patent Lawsuit

A Texas federal judge rejected a toy patent owner’s attempt to freeze the assets of a group of alleged copycats before they can appear in court.

Judge J. Campbell Barker of the US District Court for the Eastern District of Texas in a Monday order shot down a Chinese patent owner’s request for a temporary restraining order even as he acknowledged the logic of their “Steve Miller Band argument.”

“If the defendants learn of this case without an asset freeze, they will take the money and run,” he wrote, referencing the group’s 1976 hit song. But he said patent owner ...