A U.K. court established in 1990 as an alternative to the English High Court, for hearing less complex and lower value patent cases. The Court has been relatively inactive, but has recently been revived by the appointment of a specialist judge. U.K. patent practitioners are curious if the Patents County Court will prove to be more patentee-friendly that the High Court (the Patents Court) which has been perceived as hostile to patent holders and very disinclined to uphold patent validity.