Lex Machina Releases 2025 Patent Litigation Report

Patent litigation shows a strong resurgence in 2024, with over $4.3 billion in damages awarded and a rebound of more than 20% in case filings, driven largely by increases in design patent lawsuits and ANDA litigation

SAN JOSE, CA — Lex Machina®, a LexisNexis® company, today announced the release of its 2025 Patent Litigation Report, providing comprehensive, data-driven insights into the latest trends shaping U.S. patent litigation.

The report analyzes key activity across federal district and appellate courts, as well as the Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB). It is designed to empower legal professionals with unique, data-driven visibility into patterns involving courts, judges, parties, law firms, and attorneys—critical intelligence for developing informed litigation strategies.

Key findings from the report include:

• More than $4.3 billion in damages were awarded in patent claims in more than 90 cases, a 20% increase over the prior year.
• A rebound of over 20% in patent case filings brought activity back in line with recent historical averages, following a notable drop in 2023. This recovery was largely driven by an increase in filings from non-High-Volume Plaintiffs (non-HVPs), who filed over 16% more patent lawsuits in 2024 compared to the average annual rate from 2017 to 2023.
• A 35% increase in design patent lawsuits from 2023, with over 450 cases filed in 2024, demonstrating sustained growth.
• A 20%+ increase in Abbreviated New Drug Application (ANDA) patent litigation filings from 2023, indicating strong momentum. This marks the third consecutive annual increase, reaffirming ANDA litigation as a key area of focus for pharmaceutical patent litigators following a period of decline.
• The Eastern District of Texas reclaimed its position as the leading venue for patent plaintiffs. Before the 2017 U.S. Supreme Court decision in T.C. Heartland, it consistently led all district courts in patent case volume. While filings shifted between 2018 and 2022 to the Western District of Texas and the District of Delaware, the Eastern District saw a resurgence in 2024 with over 1,000 new patent lawsuits—more than twice as many as the next closest district, the Northern District of Illinois.

"The Lex Machina Patent Litigation Report provides a comprehensive overview of the current landscape in patent litigation," said Michael J. Flynn, Partner at Morris, Nichols, Arsht & Tunnell LLP. "It serves as an excellent background summary of annual data, offering a valuable starting point for understanding key trends that help inform our clients' litigation strategies."

"Recognizing the inherent complexities of patent litigation, in-house litigation teams and law firms stand to benefit significantly from leveraging Legal Analytics to craft their legal strategies," said Di Rivera, patent legal data expert at Lex Machina and editor of the report. "This edition of the Patent Litigation Report demonstrates how Legal Analytics provides legal teams with comprehensive, actionable intelligence on the current patent litigation landscape, empowering them to effectively assess case proceedings and advise their clients."

The Lex Machina Legal Analytics® platform equips litigation professionals to win more cases and attract more business. From precise timing metrics that inform legal budgeting to trend data on top law firms and leading judges, Lex Machina uniquely supplements traditional legal research and experience with customized, data-backed insights. These insights help lawyers identify prospective clients, navigate motion and trial strategies, and negotiate smarter settlements, ultimately giving firms a competitive edge in litigation.

To request a copy of the report, visit https://www.lexisnexis.com/en-us/products/lex-machina/reports.page.

About LexisNexis Legal & Professional

LexisNexis® Legal & Professional provides legal, regulatory, and business information and analytics that help customers increase their productivity, improve decision-making, achieve better outcomes, and advance the rule of law around the world. As a digital pioneer, the company was the first to bring legal and business information online with its Lexis® and Nexis® services. LexisNexis Legal & Professional, which serves customers in more than 150 countries with 11,800 employees worldwide, is part of RELX, a global provider of information-based analytics and decision tools for professional and business customers.

About Lex Machina

Lex Machina fundamentally changes how companies and law firms compete in the business and practice of law. The company provides strategic insights on judges, lawyers, law firms, parties, and other critical information across 22 federal practice areas and a rapidly growing number of state courts. Lex Machina allows law firms and companies to anticipate the behaviors and outcomes that different legal strategies will produce, enabling them to win cases and close business.

Lex Machina was named one of Forbes’ Best Workplaces in the Bay Area in 2024, Winner of the “Media Excellence Award” for Analytics/Big Data 2024, “Great Places to Work” (2023-2024), one of “Legal Tech’s Most Promising Solution Providers” (CIO Review Awards 2022), “Greater Bay Area Top Workplaces 2022” (The San Francisco Chronicle Top Workplaces in the Bay Area 2022), “Legal Tech Company of the Year 2021" (CIO Review, 2021), “2021 Legal Technology Trailblazer” (National Law Journal Trailblazer Awards, 2021), and Winner of the “Media Excellence” Award for Analytics/Big Data (13th Annual Media Excellence Award, 2021). Based in Silicon Valley, Lex Machina is part of LexisNexis, a leading global provider of legal, regulatory, and business information and analytics. For more information, please visit www.lexmachina.com.

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