Supreme Court May Tackle Overseas Patent Infringement Issue

The U.S. Supreme Court may soon add a third patent-related case to its docket, if it follows the advice of the Justice Department to review whether a U.S. patent holder has a right to damages for infringing acts conducted overseas.

The justices will consider a petition inWesternGeco LLC v. ION Geophysical Corp., a case where foreign entities used a U.S. company’s system to infringe patents on searching for oil and gas beneath the ocean floor, at a Jan. 5 conference.

A win by the petitioner at the Supreme Court would give U.S. patent owners a chance to recoup ...