New York State and its four U.S. district courts – the Northern District (N.D.N.Y.), Southern District (S.D.N.Y.), Eastern District (E.D.N.Y.), and Western District (W.D.N.Y.) – have been well-known venues for IP cases. How did 2014 compare to the five year period of 2010-2014? We analyzed statistics on PACER, and there are a number of interesting observations. First, New York State continues to be a popular venue for IP cases. In 2014, a total of 873 IP cases were filed in New York federal courts, including 176 patent cases, 346 copyright cases, and 351 trademark cases. Second, the Southern District has been the dominant jurisdiction in New York for filing IP cases. In 2014, 637 cases were filed in the Southern District, as compared to 177 cases filed in the Eastern District, 33 cases filed in the Western District, and 26 cases filed in the Northern District. Third, for the NYC/downstate area (Southern and Eastern Districts), trademark and copyright cases comprised a majority of the IP cases filed; in the upstate area (Western and Northern Districts), patent and trademark cases comprised a majority of the IP cases filed.

Southern District of New York

The Southern District, with courthouse locations in Manhattan and White Plains, had the most number of IP cases filed among the four U.S. District Courts in New York over the past 5 years. The Southern District averaged 621.4 new IP cases, with 637 cases filed in 2014 (above average).

Eastern District of New York

The Eastern District, with courthouse locations in Brooklyn and Central Islip, came in second over the past 5 years. During this period, the Eastern District averaged 156.6 new IP cases, with 177 cases filed in 2014 (above average).

Northern District and Western District of New York

The Northern District, with courthouse locations in Albany, Syracuse, and other cities, and the Western District, with courthouse locations in Buffalo and Rochester, came in third and fourth, respectively.

During the past 5 years, the Northern District averaged 33.2 new IP cases, with 26 cases filed in 2014 (below average).

The Western District averaged 32.8 new IP cases, with 33 cases filed in 2014 (roughly at average).