In time, every lawyer becomes something of an intellectual property lawyer. My colleague Arthur Hellman, who specializes in the federal court system, testified last week before a House subcommittee reviewing whether to do something about Holmes Group v. Vornado Systems. Holmes Group says that final orders regarding patent-related counterclaims are appealable to the regional circuit courts, rather than to the Federal Circuit. Professor Hellman’s testimony, which recommends that Congress revise federal law to preserve the exclusive jurisdiction of the Federal Circuit over patent matters, is available (pdf file) here.