The U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois issued several important changes to the local patent rules in late October. Here is a summary of the more significant changes.BackgroundThe Northern District of Illinois was one of the first federal district courts to adopt local patent rules in 2009; the rules were revised in 2013. The rules provide a framework for the advancement of a patent litigation from the filing of the complaint until trial.The rules address the timing and sequence of events, including …