Headlines

Apple to Shutter 2 Texas Stores

Closures are being called a move to avoid “patent trolls”

Published

6 years ago

February 27, 2019

Apple (Cupertino, Calif.) is reportedly closing two of its stores in Eastern Texas in a move that is rumored to throw off "patent trolls."

The stores that are closing are located north of Dallas that falls in Texas’ Eastern District as a part of the United States District Court, specifically Plano, Texas, and Frisco, Texas. According to Houston Chronicle, this district is “infamous in the tech world as the court of choice for suing someone over patent infringement,” often siding with the plaintiff.

However, thanks to a decision in 2017, the United States Supreme Court ruled that infringement lawsuits can only be filed in the state where a company resides. By closing its stores in this district, Apple hinders others from being able to file lawsuits against them here.

Instead, Apple is erecting a new store just outside the district lines and upgrading other stores throughout the state.

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