Who is that suited man? Flashing onto the scene, with head held high, coming to save the day. It’s a bird, it’s a plane, its Superman… er, I mean, a bunch of lawyers? Life in the small towns of Texarkana and Marshall has become increasingly different the past few years and the majority of the population knows nothing about it.
These two towns have become a stopping point for teams of lawyers and legal representatives of big businesses. Many of the local businesses have taken notice because of the increase in patronage but the rest of the inhabitants of these quaint little towns can only scratch their heads and shrug their shoulders in wonder.
Unbeknownst to them, their home town has become battleground for patent infringement litigation cases of the heavy weights of the business world. The likes of Texas Instrument Cisco and TiVo have come to town to settle their cases versus “patent trolls” trying to make a buck off of them.
The oddity of seeing their favorite local restaurants full of suit and ties, of fax machines and copiers being loaded off of trailers and of long-time empty buildings in downtown being renovated has stirred up some questions, but for the most part, normal life continues on.
With the likes of hundreds of millions of dollars hanging in the balance in their court house, John and Jane Doe’s main concern is if “Law & Order” will be a rerun.
The phenomenon taking place in Marshall and Texarkana is the likes of a good western movie. Riding out of the Texas town triumphant, as the dust settles the townspeople look to one another and ask “Who was that suited man?”
East Texas has become a revolving door of fast money. Well, at least parts of it. In the past 5 years Marshall, Texarkana, and Tyler have become mighty popular spots for patent lawyers and the big money companies they represent. This is due mostly to favorable circumstances for plaintiffs of patent infringements in the court houses of these three East Texas towns.