Top Patent Court Asked to Halt Delaware Judge’s Funding Probe

A patent owner that sued a handful of media companies for infringement has asked the Federal Circuit to freeze Delaware Judge Colm F. Connolly’s investigation into whether parties have accurately disclosed information about their funding arrangements.

In a mandamus petition made public Wednesday, Nimitz Technologies LLC said Connolly shouldn’t be allowed to continue a series of hearings in which he’s questioned Nimitz and other patent owners about who’s fueling a rash of suits on behalf of companies that don’t practice the patents they wield in court. According to Nimitz, Connolly has unfairly launched a “judicial inquisition” that seeks to access ...