(a) Title and Citation. The procedures governing all patent cases in which
jurisdiction is based, in whole or in part, on 28 U.S.C. § 1338, shall be known as the
“Supplemental Patent Rules.” They shall be cited as “SPR ___.”
(b) Court Discretion to Depart from Rules. The court shall have the discretion to
depart from the specific provisions of the Supplemental Patent Rules to the extent a
particular case presents exceptional circumstances warranting such departure.
(c) Compliance. In cases in which the Supplemental Patent Rules apply, the
provisions herein shall bind the parties, and the parties may not seek to circumvent these
provisions (e.g., by pursuing discovery into infringement and invalidity contentions
through discovery requests seeking responses prior to the contentions process set out
herein).
(d) Relationship to Other Rules. For all matters not addressed by the Supplemental
Patent Rules, the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, other applicable Local Rules, and any
applicable judicial orders shall govern.
