Intellectual Property

  • February 20, 2025

    DOJ Says Job Protections For ALJs Are Unconstitutional

    The U.S. Department of Justice announced Thursday that it no longer backs long-standing job protections for administrative law judges, saying it has determined that the "multiple layers of removal restrictions" shielding ALJs are unconstitutional because they violate the separation of powers doctrine.

  • February 20, 2025

    Ex-Kirkland IP Atty Asks To Fire Her Bias Suit Atty 'For Cause'

    A former Kirkland & Ellis LLP intellectual property associate suing Kirkland over bias claims has urged a California federal judge to fire her counsel at Filippatos PLLC and force Filippatos to hand over her client file, disputing Filippatos' assertion that her professional misconduct allegations are a contrived attempt to avoid paying fees.

  • February 20, 2025

    Ex-ITC Commissioner Talks IP Before Heading To WilmerHale

    Former U.S. International Trade Commissioner Rhonda Schmidtlein stepped down this month after more than a decade at the agency, and on Thursday talked to Law360 about how she went from a small town in Missouri to one of the nation's top trade positions, along with what she wished practitioners in intellectual property disputes would do.

  • February 20, 2025

    Meta, Roku, Samsung Fail In Attempt To Invalidate Ad Patent

    Meta Platforms, Roku Inc. and Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. have lost a challenge at the Patent Trial and Appeal Board against claims in a patent that covers a way of targeting ads based on online activity.

  • February 20, 2025

    Generic-Drug Group Rallies Behind Appeal In Entresto Fight

    A generic-drug industry group is weighing in on the Federal Circuit's move last month to revive a patent tied to Entresto, Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corp's blockbuster heart drug, warning that "the pharmaceutical industry is watching this case closely."

  • February 20, 2025

    3rd Circ. Rejects Appeal In Dog Magnet Design Spat

    The Third Circuit on Thursday rejected an appeal in a case in which two businesses accused each other of stealing designs for pet-themed car magnets, saying that, because there is no final judgment in the case, one of the companies can't challenge the lower court's refusal to issue a final judgment.

  • February 20, 2025

    Amid Shake-Ups, USPTO Gets New Acting Deputy Director

    The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office has a new acting deputy director, with former chief adviser Will Covey taking over the role at a tumultuous time for the agency and federal government at large.

  • February 20, 2025

    X, Social Media Biz Settle TM Fight

    A social media and public relations firm's trademark suit against X Corp. over the social media platform's logo has come to an end after the parties told a California federal judge that they have agreed to drop all claims and counterclaims, avoiding a jury trial set to begin in December.

  • February 20, 2025

    Fed. Circ. Backs TTAB's Denial Of Health Co.'s Proposed TM

    The Trademark Trial and Appeal Board correctly denied a healthcare management company's bid to register "Formularyhub" because it's a descriptive term, the Federal Circuit said Thursday.

  • February 20, 2025

    Textbook Authors Seek Final OK Of $20M Royalties Deal

    A class of authors asked a New York federal judge Wednesday to give his final blessing to a $20 million settlement resolving their claims that an educational content company broke its publishing agreement by underpaying promised royalties, calling the deal "an excellent result under any metric."

  • February 20, 2025

    The Intercept's IP Claim Against OpenAI Holds Up, Judge Says

    A New York federal judge said Thursday that the only plausible allegation in The Intercept's lawsuit accusing Microsoft and OpenAI of removing copyright information from works used to train ChatGPT is over "regurgitations" of articles produced in the OpenAI-owned chatbot's outputs.

  • February 20, 2025

    Google Argues $20M Verdict Is Tied To 'Unverifiable' Testimony

    Google is defending its challenge to testimony from a patent licensing trial that led to a $20 million jury verdict against it, telling the full Federal Circuit that it is wrong to let "unsupported and unverifiable" assertions go in front of jurors.

  • February 20, 2025

    Judge Trims Atlanta Rap Producer's Copyright Suit

    A Georgia federal judge has pared a copyright infringement suit Atlanta rap producer Terrell Perry filed against several record labels for allegedly using his beats without permission in tracks by Rich Homie Quan, dropping Warner Music Group as a defendant and limiting the scope of what alleged infringement could be eligible for damages.

  • February 19, 2025

    What To Know About Trump's Likely Pick For USPTO Director

    Dilworth Paxson LLP partner John Squires is about to be nominated for director of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, about half a dozen sources told Law360 on Tuesday. Here's what you need to know about the attorney who made a name for himself at Goldman Sachs.

  • February 19, 2025

    Netflix Wants IP Atty Sanctioned Over Alleged Doc Sharing

    Netflix urged a California judge Tuesday to require a prolific patent plaintiff's former counsel to explain why they shouldn't be held in civil contempt and sanctioned for allegedly giving Netflix's confidential financial information to nonparty AiPi LLC, arguing discovery in another patent case has revealed AiPi is "shadow lead counsel."

  • February 19, 2025

    Walgreens Says $1B COVID Testing Award Must Be Nixed

    Walgreens is urging a Delaware federal judge to rethink his decision enforcing a $987 million arbitral award to a lab testing and diagnostics company in a dispute over COVID-19 tests, arguing Tuesday that he ignored that the arbitrator "invented" language in the contract to arrive at his conclusion.

  • February 19, 2025

    Gilead, Janssen Settle HIV Treatment Suits With Lupin, Apotex

    Gilead Sciences Inc. and Johnson & Johnson's Janssen unit settled their patent suits against Lupin and Apotex over generic versions of HIV treatments, according to filings in Delaware federal court on Wednesday.

  • February 19, 2025

    2nd Circ. Backs Amazon In Teri Woods Publishing Dispute

    A unanimous Second Circuit panel backed a lower court's decision to dismiss Teri Woods Publishing's copyright and contract claims against Audible and other audiobook distributors on Wednesday, holding that the parties' licensing agreement allowed them to distribute the publisher's works through their subscription-based streaming services.

  • February 19, 2025

    CBS Will Seek Trump's Financial Info In '60 Minutes' Discovery

    Attorneys for Paramount Global and CBS Broadcasting told a Texas federal judge Tuesday that if President Donald Trump's $10 billion lawsuit accusing the network of deceptively doctoring former Vice President Kamala Harris' "60 Minutes" interview goes to discovery, they will seek information about the president's personal financials.

  • February 19, 2025

    Full Fed. Circ. Stands By Reviving Crocs False Ad Case

    The full Federal Circuit on Tuesday declined to revisit a panel decision reviving false advertising claims against Crocs Inc. over its statement that its shoes were made with "patented, proprietary, and exclusive" materials that were not, in fact, patented.

  • February 19, 2025

    NBA Teams Urge Justices To Take Up 'Discovery Rule' Case

    Eight NBA teams facing copyright lawsuits for songs used in promotional videos without permission have filed a brief supporting a petition asking the U.S. Supreme Court to review the so-called discovery rule, a judicially created doctrine that allows claims to be brought outside the three-year statute of limitations.

  • February 19, 2025

    Funkadelic Keyboardist Won't Face Sanctions In Royalty Fight

    A Michigan federal judge on Wednesday declined to issue sanctions against the estate of a former Parliament-Funkadelic keyboardist suing the band's frontman in a royalty dispute, finding that the keyboardist's widow did not seem to intentionally lie about or conceal an agreement with a former defendant in the case.

  • February 19, 2025

    Perplexity AI Seeks To Toss Or Transfer Publishers' IP Suit

    Perplexity AI has asked a New York federal judge to dismiss a copyright and trademark lawsuit filed by the publishers of The Wall Street Journal and the New York Post for lack of jurisdiction or to move the case to its home in California.

  • February 19, 2025

    Democrats Say DOGE Took 'Trove' Of Musk Rivals' CFPB Data

    U.S. Sens. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., and Adam Schiff, D-Calif. demanded Wednesday that Elon Musk remove Department of Government Efficiency staffers from the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, saying Musk's potential conflicts of interest undermine the agency's goals while giving Musk access to a "trove" of confidential corporate data and an unfair advantage against rivals.

  • February 19, 2025

    Syngenta, Corteva Can't Duck Ark. AG Antitrust Claims

    An Arkansas federal judge refused Wednesday to toss the Arkansas attorney general's antitrust lawsuit accusing pesticide makers Syngenta and Corteva of using anti-competitive rebates that amount to exclusive agreements to suppress generics competition, rejecting the companies' jurisdictional challenges and finding that the antitrust claims are sufficiently pled to proceed.

Expert Analysis

  • Opinion

    Admin Change May Help Reduce PTAB Invalidation Rates

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    It is not good for the U.S. patent system that the Patent Trial and Appeal Board finds all challenged claims to be unpatentable 70% of the time — but new leadership at the Commerce Department and U.S. Patent and Trademark Office may foster pro-patent policies and provide some relief, says Stephen Schreiner at Carmichael IP.

  • 4 Do's And Don'ts For Trial Lawyers Using Generative AI

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    Trial attorneys who use artificial intelligence tools should review a few key reminders, from the likelihood that prompts are discoverable to the rapid evolution of court rules, to safeguard against embarrassing missteps, says Nate Sabri at Perkins Coie.

  • Defense Strategies For Politically Charged Prosecutions

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    Politically charged prosecutions have captured the headlines in recent years, providing lessons for defense counsel on how to navigate the distinct challenges, and seize the unique opportunities, such cases present, says Kenneth Notter at MoloLamken.

  • Series

    Competitive Weightlifting Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    The parallels between the core principles required for competitive weightlifting and practicing law have helped me to excel in both endeavors, with each holding important lessons about discipline, dedication, drive and failure, says Damien Bielli at VF Law.

  • 3 Potential Developments That May Alter US Patent Rights

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    The Federal Circuit's upcoming decision in EcoFactor v. Google, pending legislation before Congress and the appointment of a new U.S Patent and Trademark Office director all have significant potential to strengthen or weaken patent rights, say attorneys at McKool Smith.

  • Opinion

    Inconsistent Injury-In-Fact Rules Hinder Federal Practice

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    A recent Third Circuit decision, contradicting a previous ruling about whether consumers of contaminated products have suffered an injury in fact, illustrates the deep confusion this U.S. Supreme Court standard creates among federal judges and practitioners, who deserve a simpler method of determining which cases have federal standing, says Eric Dwoskin at Dwoskin Wasdin.

  • Takeaways From Oral Argument In High Court Trademark Case

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    Unpacking oral arguments from Dewberry Group v. Dewberry Engineers, which the U.S. Supreme Court is expected to rule on this year, sheds light on the ways in which the decision could significantly affect trademark infringement plaintiffs' ability to receive monetary damages, say attorneys at Buchanan Ingersoll.

  • In-House Counsel Pointers For Preserving Atty-Client Privilege

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    Several recent rulings illustrate the challenges in-house counsel can face when attempting to preserve attorney-client privilege, but a few best practices can help safeguard communications and effectively assert the privilege in an increasingly scrutinized corporate environment, says Daniel Garrie at Law & Forensics.

  • Improving Comms Between Trial Attys And Tech Witnesses

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    In major litigation involving complex technology, attorneys should employ certain strategies to collaborate with companies' technical personnel more effectively to enhance both the attorney's understanding of the subject matter and the expert's ability to provide effective testimony in court, say attorneys at Buchalter.

  • Navigating Title IX Compliance In The NIL Era

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    As universities push to move more name, image and likeness activity in-house, it's unclear how the NCAA and its members will square implementation of the House settlement with Title IX requirements, say attorneys at Buchanan Ingersoll.

  • Series

    Collecting Rare Books Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    My collection of rare books includes several written or owned by prominent lawyers from early U.S. history, and immersing myself in their stories helps me feel a deeper connection to my legal practice and its purpose, says Douglas Brown at Manatt Health.

  • DeepSeek AI Investigation Could Lead To IP Law Precedents

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    The investigation by OpenAI and Microsoft into DeepSeek's artificial intelligence model raises interesting legal concerns involving intellectual property and contract law, including potential trade secret appropriation and fair use questions, say Saishruti Mutneja and Raghav Gurbaxani.

  • Opinion

    New DOJ Leaders Should Curb Ill-Conceived Prosecutions

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    First-of-their-kind cases have seemingly led to a string of overly aggressive prosecutions in recent years, so newly sworn-in leaders of the U.S. Department of Justice should consider creating reporting channels to stop unwise prosecutions before they snowball, says Jonathan Porter at Husch Blackwell.

  • Opinion

    Judge Should Not Have Been Reprimanded For Alito Essay

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    Senior U.S. District Judge Michael Ponsor's New York Times essay critiquing Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito for potential ethical violations absolutely cannot be construed as conduct prejudicial to the administration of the business of the courts, says Ashley London at the Thomas R. Kline School of Law of Duquesne University.

  • A Look At Drug Price Negotiation Program's Ongoing Impact

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    More than two years after the passage of the Inflation Reduction Act and the rapid implementation of the drug price negotiation program, attorneys at Ropes & Gray discuss how the IRA has influenced licensing strategies, and how maximum fair prices under the law have economically affected certain drugs.

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