(Photo: Diego M. Radzinschi/ALM)

It's almost official. This will be the first year that patent infringement suits rise in district courts, rather than fall, since 2015.

Data from Unified Patents and Lex Machina show just over 3,000 patent cases filed through Sept. 30. That puts district courts well on track to top the 3,600 filed in all of 2019.