Northern District of California

The Northern District of California, headquartered at the Phillip Burton Federal Building in San Francisco with additional courthouses in Oakland, San Jose, and Eureka, is globally renowned as the primary federal court for Silicon Valley technology litigation. It handles the vast majority of U.S. patent cases involving major semiconductor, software, and internet companies, and has developed specialized Patent Local Rules that have been widely adopted by other districts. The district has 14 authorized judgeships.