NPE Filings Swung Upward in 1H 2025, Boosted by Surge in Q1
July 16, 2025
NPEs added 1,189 defendants to patent litigation campaigns in the first half of 2025, a 30% increase from that same period last year (when NPEs added 916 defendants)—bolstered in part by an especially large upswing in Q1, which saw the most NPE litigation in any first quarter since Q1 2015 (for an increase of 48%).
Meanwhile, in the second quarter, NPEs added 579 defendants, a 15% increase compared to Q2 2024 (504 defendants). Second-quarter NPE filings were down by 5% compared to Q1 2025 but exceeded the trailing Q2 average for 2022-2024 by 9%.
| Defendants Added | Change Compared to: | ||||
| Q2 2025 | Q2 2024 | Q2 2022-2024 Average | Q1 2025 | ||
| NPE | 579 | 15% | 9% | -5% | |
| Operating Company | 336 | 14% | 31% | 37% | |
| Total | 915 | 15% | 16% | 7% | |
Operating company plaintiffs added 581 defendants in the first half of the year, an increase of 9% compared to 1H 2024.
In the second quarter, operating companies added 336 defendants, or 14% more than in Q2 2024 (when they added 294 defendants). Operating company filings in Q2 2025 exceeded the first quarter by 37% and beat the Q2 2022-2024 trailing average by 31%.
Overall, patent plaintiffs added 1,770 defendants in 1H 2025, for an increase of 22% from the first half of last year. Plaintiffs added 915 defendants in Q2 2025, going up by 15% compared to the second quarter of 2024, by 7% from Q1 2025, and by 16% compared to the trailing average.
See RPX’s second-quarter review for more on the key trends that shaped patent litigation in Q2 and the first half of 2025.
