We can’t let January go by without some personal fanfare. ParagraphFour.com has reached the 20 year mark!

“Just put up a website.”

The ParagraphFour.com journey started in the summer of 2003 when I had the idea to start researching PIV cases. At the time, legal cases were all over the place and hard to access. To get information about them, you actually had to go to the courthouse, research the docket, get the file from the clerk, and then make copies. Researching on-line was possible to some degree, but not much. I thought having one handy, easy-to-use database would really serve many people well.

After spending hours in a car between court houses in New York, New Jersey, and Delaware and becoming pen pals with clerks in other places like California, Virginia, and Florida, I pulled together the start of the research. Of course, the advice many well-intended people would give: “just put up a website.” This was back in the days of the “world wide web” and was not an easy task.

Call an Old Friend

Luckily, I happen to know an old friend who had experience in the field of website creation and design. Dave was a big help, a real innovator. Together, ParagraphFour.com was born. I remember the cold, drizzly day the site went live in January 2004. While my own market research suggested ParagraphFour.com would gain some interest, no one really knows if there will be market acceptance. A month or two later, the first subscriber signed up, followed by many others, streaming in from four continents.

5,800 Cases and Counting

Today, the site has over 5,800 PIV cases identified, recorded, and followed to their final resolution. It’s hard to imagine how much the site has grown over the years. But it has. ParagraphFour.com also includes all of the IPR proceedings filed involving Orange Book patents and their PIV cases. This number has grown to over 500. BPCIA cases have also been included. We have kept up with the statistical analysis of the PIV Market, and I have even written a book The ParagraphFour Book. The research has been the subject of several peer-reviewed publications and cited in business reports such as The Wall Street Journal.

Thank you!

Of course, when I launched the site, there was one notable detractor, a well-known PIV attorney who told me that the site would never work. I am glad I ignored his opinion. Yes, the research has been done, and ParagraphFour.com has worked. Thank you to everyone who subscribed and continue to subscribe over these 20 years. I like to think that people on four continents can’t be wrong!

Indeed, ParagraphFour.com has become the gold standard in PIV research. It has been well-trusted by many. Your support and continued confidence in ParagraphFour.com has been overwhelming. While I express thanks and gratitude, it does not feel like enough. Your belief, trust, and loyalty mean more than words can convey. Thank you!