New Clarivate Report Reveals that the U.S., Germany and Mainland China have the most Non-Practicing Entity Litigation

Core Insights - The 2024 Non-Practicing Entity Global Litigation Report by Clarivate highlights a significant decline in NPE infringement cases globally from 2012 to 2019, with a stabilization around 2,000 cases per year starting in 2020 [1][7] - The report identifies the United States, Germany, and Mainland China as the top three regions for NPE infringement cases, with the U.S. accounting for 97.2% of total cases [2][4] Infringement Trends - From 2012 to 2017, there was a notable increase in patent validity challenges, particularly against NPEs, but from 2018 to 2023, the number of challenges against NPEs slightly decreased [3] - The U.S. saw a 43% decrease in NPE infringement cases from 2012-2017 to 2018-2023, while Mainland China experienced a 600% increase during the same period [2] Patent Quality and NPEs - NPEs are facing challenges regarding patent quality, as their patents are being invalidated more frequently than those of non-NPEs, indicating potential issues with the robustness of their patent portfolios [7] - Information and Communication Technologies represent a significant portion of NPE activity, accounting for 64% of patents asserted by NPEs in the U.S. and 74% in the EU [7]