Document Type

Article

Publication Date

Spring 2015

Abstract

The jurisdictional rules that determine whether a license case arises under the patent laws are cumbersome and expensive for courts and litigants alike. Gunn v. Minton, a recent patent-malpractice case raising very different concerns than the ones raised in license cases, will only add to the inconsistency, inefficiency, and uncertainty that surround this “dark corridor” of federal-question jurisdiction. The time has come for a new assessment of arising-under jurisdiction in patent cases that reduces these burdens, promotes uniformity, encourages patent challenges, and reflects Congress’s intent to carry federal patent questions into federal courts.

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