What's fair in patent war?

A certain patent-holding company wants to enforce its patent--that is, prevent another company from making and selling the invention described in that patent. That company has a few choices, the first and most obvious being the US district courts. In the most straightforward sense, patent cases are typically brought to this venue for argument, often in the form of patent infringement litigation. There are other agencies involved in the enforcement of patents--the Department of Justice, the...