U.S. District Court for the Western District of Wisconsin

The U.S. District Court for the Western District of Wisconsin, part of the Seventh Circuit, is headquartered in Madison and serves the western half of the state. While not among the highest volume patent dockets nationally, Justia Dockets & Filings shows 438 patent cases filed in the district, indicating an active intellectual property caseload. The court was previously ranked among the country's 25 most popular courts for patent litigation.

Historically, the Western District of Wisconsin has been characterized as a "rocket docket" and plaintiff-friendly venue. A 2008 study by PricewaterhouseCoopers found the court ranked 1st for plaintiff success rates on summary judgments and 5th in overall plaintiff success rate, with plaintiffs prevailing in 66.7% of tried cases. While earlier data cited a median time to trial as low as 10.4 months, more recent analyses (2019) indicate a median time to trial of 20 months for patent cases, which, while still efficient, positions it somewhat slower than districts like the Eastern District of Virginia. The district's jury pool has also been noted as being friendly to patent holders. The court has shown a willingness to accept patent cases via transfer, as seen in a recent instance where a patent case was transferred to the Western District of Wisconsin from Delaware, based on convenience.

Unlike some patent-heavy districts, the Western District of Wisconsin does not have specialized local patent rules (LPRs) akin to those in the Eastern District of Texas or the Western District of Texas. However, the court operates under general Local Rules and Judge-Specific Procedures. Its "Standing Order for Preliminary Pretrial Conferences" outlines a case schedule where trial for patent lawsuits is typically set for 17 to 22 months after the preliminary pretrial conference, including an additional 4-7 months for patent and class actions. Discovery is not automatically stayed upon the filing of a motion to dismiss, and electronic filing is mandatory for attorneys. The court also issued a "Standing Order Governing the Use and Submission of Electronic Evidence" in July 2024.

Notable recent patent filings in the district include D'Acquisto, Andrae v. Hunting Beast Gear LLC et al. (filed April 14, 2026), Patent Armory Inc. v. Capital Credit Union (filed January 23, 2026), and Cedar Lane Technologies Inc. v. Broan-NuTone LLC (filed November 24, 2025). Our tracked case, Midwest Energy Emissions Corp. v. Wisconsin Power and Light Company, was terminated on January 14, 2025. The court's judges, including Chief U.S. District Judge James D. Peterson and U.S. District Judge William M. Conley, preside over patent matters. U.S. Magistrate Judges Anita M. Boor and Stephen L. Crocker also play a significant role, particularly in managing preliminary pretrial conferences.