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U.S. Treasury is paying $3 billion a day in interest on national debt, says the CBO—having spent $10 billion to prop up the currency of its top lender

2

Steve and Connie Ballmer are splitting their $8 billion philanthropy into three so the people closest to the work can decide how the money is spent

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Google cofounder Sergey Brin has now spent $100 million to fight California’s proposed billionaire tax—he could owe $13 billion if he loses

Apple was No. 1 target of patent lawsuits in 2013

By
Philip Elmer-DeWitt
Philip Elmer-DeWitt
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By
Philip Elmer-DeWitt
Philip Elmer-DeWitt
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May 15, 2014, 12:43 PM ET
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Source: Lex Machina
Source: Lex Machina

FORTUNE — Fun facts from Lex Machina’s 2013 Patent Litigation Year in Review:

  • A record 6,092 new patent cases were filed in U.S. District Courts, up 12.4% from 2012
  • As usual, the plaintiff-friendly Eastern District of Texas got more than its share: 1,495, up 20%.
  • Judge Rodney Gilstrap in the Eastern District was assigned 941 cases, more than double his nearest colleague.
  • The top 10 plaintiffs were so-called patent monetization entities — popularly known as “patent trolls”
  • The most active troll was Melvino Technologies/ArrivalStar with 137 cases.
  • Apple (AAPL) was the defendant in the most new cases — 59 in all, not counting summary judgements.
  • Monsanto won the largest award ($1 billion) from Dupont.
  • Apple was No. 2, winning $890 million (excluding costs, fees and post-judgment interest) from Samsung.

Below: The top 10 defendants.

Screen Shot 2014-05-15 at 10.52.20 AM

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By Philip Elmer-DeWitt
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