… but East Texas is still getting a lot of play in patent litigation. (This article is 3 years old, but contains some interested information nevertheless.)
http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2013/01/east-texas-courts-are-back-on-top-for-patent-lawsuits/
I found this article to be very interesting. However, in reading it and learning about how much the district you file suit in can change the outcome of your case really frustrated me. I understand that this happens in most if not all areas of law, but when it comes to something like patents which are meant to protect unique ideas it greatly disappoints me that a more uniform system has not been developed. In fact as the article suggested the new AIA laws which were enacted in order to help the problems associated with obtaining a patent has actually done more harm than good in certain areas. It makes me wonder if judges are really the correct members of society to be handling questions of patentability or if individuals with more specialized expertise would create better outcomes.