Northern District of Illinois Trademark, Copyright, and Patent Litigation Attorney

The Northern District of Illinois is one of the busiest federal courts in the country for trademark, copyright, and design patent filings, driven by Schedule A cases and serial copyright plaintiffs. Jonathan Phillips is admitted to its trial and general bar and litigates there for plaintiffs and defendants, in Chicago and in Rockford (Western Division).

At a glance

  • Court

    • U.S. District Court, Northern District of Illinois (trial and general bar)

  • Locations

    • Chicago (Eastern Division); Rockford (Western Division)

  • Case types

    • Trademark, copyright, design and utility patent, Schedule A, BitTorrent, internet law

  • Sides

    • Plaintiffs and defendants

  • Lead contact

    • Jonathan L.A. Phillips, Brown, Hay & Stephens, LLP, (309) 643-6518

How busy is the Northern District for IP cases?

Very. Plaintiffs filed 2,489 federal intellectual property cases in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois between January 2 and October 1, 2026. Schedule A cases make up almost three of every four. Strike 3 Holdings accounts for 108. Counts below are as of October 2026.

All intellectual property cases, Northern District of Illinois, 2026

  • Total: 2,489 federal IP cases filed in the Northern District of Illinois

  • Trademark cases: 1,584

  • Copyright cases: 681

  • Patent cases: 193

  • Trade secret cases (Defend Trade Secrets Act): 31

Strike 3 Holdings cases, Northern District of Illinois, 2026

  • Strike 3 Holdings filed 108 BitTorrent copyright cases in the Northern District of Illinois in 2026, about 4% of the district's IP cases

  • All 108 are copyright cases against John Doe internet subscribers identified by IP address

  • Strike 3 files about 12 new cases in the district each month

Schedule A cases, Northern District of Illinois, 2026

  • At least 1,813 Schedule A cases were filed in the Northern District of Illinois in 2026, about 73% of the district's IP cases

  • Schedule A trademark cases: 1,317

  • Schedule A copyright cases: 442

  • Schedule A patent cases (mostly design patents): 54

  • Schedule A filings run about 200 a month, with a peak of 266 in April 2026

  • In a Schedule A case, a brand owner sues dozens or hundreds of online marketplace sellers at once and asks the court to freeze their accounts

All other intellectual property cases, Northern District of Illinois, 2026

  • 568 other IP cases were filed in the district, about 23% of the total

  • Other trademark cases: 267

  • Other patent cases: 139

  • Other copyright cases: 131, including music licensing suits by BMI against bars and restaurants, and Flava Works suits over adult videos

  • Other trade secret cases: 31

Counts come from public docket data and reflect when each case was filed; they are updated routinely.

What does Jonathan Phillips handle in this court?

Where does the court sit?

  • Chicago (Eastern Division): the Everett McKinley Dirksen United States Courthouse, 219 South Dearborn Street, Chicago, Illinois.

  • Rockford (Western Division): the Stanley J. Roszkowski United States Courthouse, 327 South Church Street, Rockford, Illinois.

Cases from northern Illinois counties outside the Chicago area are often assigned to Rockford; the Western Division line depends on the county of venue.

How does a case move in the Northern District?

  1. Complaint and service. A defendant ordinarily has 21 days after service to answer or file a Rule 12 motion (Fed. R. Civ. P. 12(a)).

  2. Rule 12 practice. Personal jurisdiction, venue, and failure-to-state-a-claim motions are common, particularly in Schedule A cases and against out-of-state defendants.

  3. Local Rules and standing orders. The court's Local Rules and each judge's standing orders set page limits, briefing schedules, and status practice [verify against current rules before publishing].

  4. Scheduling and discovery. The judge sets a schedule at the first status hearing. Protective orders and sealing motions are routine in IP cases.

  5. Resolution. Most cases settle, are dismissed, or end on summary judgment; trial is uncommon.

Settle or fight?

It depends. But a few scenarios

  • Named in a Schedule A case with a frozen marketplace account

    • Move quickly on the restraining order and the asset freeze; see the Schedule A page

  • Strike 3 subpoena to your internet provider

    • Act before the release date

  • Brand owner with a registered mark and clear copying

  • Accused of infringing a copyright, no registration on the other side

    • Test registration and ownership first

Results

  • We have secured settlements for wrongfully sued defendants.

  • We have secured judgments and recovered assets from internet platforms for foreign defendants that would otherwise not be recoverable.

  • We have kept anonymous infringers anonymous, defended a case to the end, and prevailed with generous settlement terms compensating our client for its troubles at the end.

Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome.

Frequently asked questions

Is Jonathan Phillips admitted in the Northern District of Illinois? Yes. He is admitted to its trial and general bar, and litigates in Chicago and Rockford. Not all attorneys in the Northern District are admitted to the trial bar, and without a trial bar member on your team, you will need to hire a member of the trial bar should the matter go that far.

Does he represent defendants in Schedule A cases? Yes. He represents named sellers, and also brand owners who file these cases.

Can he handle a case in another federal court? Yes, in the courts listed on the nationwide litigation page, and with local counsel elsewhere.

What does it cost? Flat fees may be available for most serial-plaintiff defense matters; other matters are quoted after a consultation.

Recent writing

Jonathan L.A. Phillips, Brown, Hay & Stephens, LLP. Part of the IP litigation hub and the nationwide litigation page. Last reviewed October 2026. Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome.