Poet’s Ethanol Patent Suit Belongs Outside Illinois, Judge Says

Poet Holding Co.'s lawsuit accusing Hydrite Chemical Co. infringing patents for cleaning toxins from corn feedstock before it’s turned into ethanol will move out of an Illinois federal court because the venue lacks jurisdiction, a judge ruled.

Judge Andrea R. Wood, in an opinion issued Monday in the US District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, said her court doesn’t have authority to hear the case brought by Poet Research Inc. because Hydrite’s alleged conduct wasn’t tied to Illinois.

• Poet, based in Sioux Falls, S.D., sued Hydrite in February 2024 alleging at least three of Hydrite’s Hydri-Maize products marketed ...