If you file a lawsuit involving intellectual property, information technology, software, or website development, maintenance, or hosting in my home state of Michigan, it will likely end up in one of the state's new "business courts."
These are specialized dockets assigned to designated judges and designed to promote quicker, more cost-effective dispute resolution. Over the past 20 years, such programs have expanded from three pilot projects in 1993 to over 40 programs in 22 states across the country in 2010. Because technology-related disputes are often fought by commercial entities, and because many jurisdictions (including Michigan) specifically define such subject matter as falling within the jurisdiction of these courts, they are quite relevant to the type of litigation that is the focus of this blog.
As an IP and commercial litigation attorney and active member of my local bar associations, I have had the privilege of working closely with judges and court officials in Macomb County (home of Michigan's first business court) and across the state to help design and administer these new programs. And recently, I was invited to guest-host a public access cable show on this subject, in which I interviewed Macomb County's business court judge, Chief Judge John C. Foster, about what makes these courts different. Click here to view.
