Intellectual Property

  • August 12, 2024

    AI Art Cos. Can't Yet Ditch Artists' Copyright Claims

    A California federal judge on Monday refused to throw out artists' copyright infringement claims against four companies that make or distribute software that creates images with text prompts, but he did toss several other claims in their proposed class action, including unjust enrichment and breach of contract.

  • August 12, 2024

    Trump Owes $3M For Using Isaac Hayes Song, Family Says

    Late soul legend Isaac Hayes' family demanded former President Donald Trump pay a "discounted" $3 million license fee for playing the singer and songwriter's tune "Hold On, I'm Coming" at campaign rallies without permission, saying they stood ready to sue and seek a much steeper infringement fee if Trump refuses.

  • August 12, 2024

    DeFi Org Inks Deal To Get Crypto Patent Suits Dropped

    Cryptocurrency advocacy group the DeFi Education Fund on Monday announced it reached an agreement with a blockchain solutions firm it accused of "trolling" a pair of decentralized crypto protocols, purchasing the patent at issue and dedicating it to the public in return for a dismissal of the suits.

  • August 12, 2024

    Lululemon Gets PTAB To Review Nike Flyknit Patent

    The Patent Trial and Appeal Board will evaluate whether all claims of a Nike patent covering its Flyknit line of sneakers are invalid, in a challenge brought by Lululemon.

  • August 12, 2024

    Glass Tempering Co. Loses Early Exit Bid In NC Patent Fight

    A glass processing equipment distributor can't ditch a Finnish competitor's patent infringement suit, a North Carolina federal judge has ruled, finding its rival has sufficiently alleged "exclusionary rights" to the patents for glass tempering.

  • August 12, 2024

    Jetaire Patents Axed After Fla. Judge Backs Magistrate Report

    A Florida federal judge invalidated three "fuel tank ignition mitigation technology" patents held by Jetaire Aerospace LLC and granted its competitor AerSale Inc. an early win over the infringement claims Jetaire brought against it, fully adopting a magistrate judge's recommendation that the patents be axed under the on-sale bar.

  • August 12, 2024

    Proofpoint Seeks To Double $13.5M IP Trial Win At 9th Circ.

    Software company Proofpoint urged the Ninth Circuit to find the lower court erred in denying it exemplary damages that could have doubled its $13.5 million trade secret theft verdict, arguing that a jury should've decided the issue and the ruling violated Proofpoint's Seventh Amendment rights to a jury trial.

  • August 12, 2024

    Conn. Toothbrush Co. Says Rival In Poland Copied Design

    The manufacturer of the Autobrush automatic toothbrush said they have nothing to smile about regarding a Polish company's similar U-shaped toothbrush, claiming in Connecticut federal court that its patents have been infringed.

  • August 12, 2024

    Fed. Circ. Says Co. Can't Patent Coke Zero's Secret Sweetener

    A Federal Circuit panel found Monday that the company that developed the artificial sweetener used in Coke Zero can't patent its formula after it has already touched the lips of customers even if they kept the recipe secret, something that's consistent with "precedent going back to the 1800s."

  • August 12, 2024

    MSU Stole Hitler Quiz Question, Shifted Blame, Creator Says

    A quiz-making company and its owner have alleged that Michigan State University displayed a question about Adolf Hitler on the scoreboard video screen at a rivalry football game without permission and then publicly blamed the quiz-maker for its inclusion, putting the creator's reputation and revenue in jeopardy.

  • August 12, 2024

    Pacira Patent On Surgery Pain Drug Voided In Win For Generic

    Pacira Pharmaceuticals Inc.'s patent on a nonopioid painkiller is invalid, a New Jersey federal judge has ruled, opening the way for generic versions of Exparel, a long-acting injectable for managing postsurgical pain.

  • August 12, 2024

    Del. Judge Says Vaccine IP Claim Actually Mandates Vaccine

    Delaware's chief judge was baffled by Alnylam Pharmaceuticals' argument that the word "vaccine" in a patent it claims Pfizer and BioNTech have infringed doesn't actually require a vaccine, leading him to reject the trip down the rabbit hole presented by the company in exchange for "common sense."

  • August 12, 2024

    Texas Firm Says Recordings Show Call Center Deception

    A Texas personal injury law firm asked a federal judge to impose a preliminary injunction on a lawyer referral service, arguing that newly obtained audio recordings from the referral service's call center show the other company deliberately tries to trick the firm's potential clients into signing up with other lawyers.

  • August 12, 2024

    Celebrity Photo Companies Hit Ye With $1.5M Copyright Suit

    Ye, the musical artist formerly known as Kanye West, was hit with a $1.5 million copyright infringement suit by two celebrity photography companies that claimed he posted at least 10 of their photos to his Instagram account and his Yeezy website without permission.

  • August 09, 2024

    Takeda Should Face Certified Antitrust Classes, Judge Says

    A New York federal judge on Friday recommended certifying two classes of direct purchasers and end payors in consolidated antitrust actions accusing Takeda Pharmaceuticals Co. of unlawfully inflating the price of its diabetes treatment Actos by delaying entry of generic alternatives.

  • August 09, 2024

    Delaware Jury Says Fecal Treatment Patents Are Worth $25M

    A Delaware federal jury decided Friday that a Swiss drugmaker owes a smaller drug rival at least $25 million in a patent case involving an experimental enema used to treat a particularly deadly form of diarrhea.

  • August 09, 2024

    VLSI Sues USPTO For Records Related To Intel IP Disputes

    VLSI Technology has sued the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office and the U.S. Department of Commerce in D.C. federal court claiming the agencies have stalled on its public records request for documents relating to ongoing litigation involving Intel Corp. and the invalidation of one of VLSI's microchip patents.

  • August 09, 2024

    Valeant's Legal Gripe A Total 'Nothingburger,' Justices Told

    A lawyer who assembled a whistleblower lawsuit against a major pharmaceutical company using publicly available patent board filings says the larger legal question of whether he can do that is way too niche for the U.S. Supreme Court to bother thinking about.

  • August 09, 2024

    Intel Hit With Copyright Suit Over Expired Anaconda License

    Software company Anaconda Inc., which describes itself as "the operating system for AI," has accused Intel Corp. of copyright infringement, alleging in a complaint in Delaware federal court that Intel has been using Anaconda's technology for its artificial intelligence development platform without paying.

  • August 09, 2024

    Vidal Can't Be Used Against Ex-Client At PTAB, Fed. Circ. Says

    The Federal Circuit said Friday that the initial involvement of U.S. Patent and Trademark Office Director Kathi Vidal in a handful of patent challenges during her private practice days at Winston & Strawn LLP isn't enough to prevent the patent board from ever deciding on those petitions.

  • August 09, 2024

    Akoustis Blames Qorvo's Experts For $38M Trade Secrets Win

    Akoustis Technologies Inc. has asked a Delaware federal court to overturn a May jury verdict against it for stealing trade secrets and the $38.3 million in damages awarded to wireless company Qorvo Inc., arguing that two Qorvo experts "eschewed the well-established and accepted methods" to measure unjust enrichment for misappropriation.

  • August 09, 2024

    Novartis Wants DC Judge To Quickly Block Entresto Generic

    Novartis Pharmaceuticals urged a D.C. federal judge Friday to temporarily restrain the U.S. Food and Drug Administration from officially approving a generic version of the company's blockbuster heart failure medication Entresto.

  • August 09, 2024

    IP Row Over Beyoncé's 'Renaissance' Sample Dropped

    A New Orleans music group has voluntarily dropped its claims accusing Beyoncé, Jay-Z, Sony Music Entertainment and others of infringing the group's copyright in Beyoncé's song "Break My Soul" and her film discussing the world tour of her "Renaissance" album that features the track.

  • August 09, 2024

    Vidal's Sanctions Make It Clear: Don't Mess With The PTAB

    The Patent Trial and Appeal Board has only faced a handful of instances where sanctions took center stage, but the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office director's rulings have made attorneys increasingly aware that pushing ethical boundaries at the board could put their cases and their careers at risk.

  • August 09, 2024

    Mich. Pot Co. Alleges IP Atty, Wife Are Ruining Its Reputation

    Efforts by a Montana intellectual property attorney and his wife to hit back after losing money in an alleged investment scam have missed the mark by targeting a Michigan cannabis company that was also ripped off, the company claimed Wednesday.

Expert Analysis

  • Series

    After Chevron: Expect Limited Changes In USPTO Rulemaking

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    The U.S. Supreme Court’s recent ruling overturning Chevron deference will have limited consequences for the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office given the USPTO's unique statutory features, but it is still an important decision for matters of statutory interpretation, especially those involving provisions of the America Invents Act, say Andrei Iancu and Cooper Godfrey at Sullivan & Cromwell.

  • Fed. Circ. Skinny Label Ruling Guides On Infringement Claims

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    The Federal Circuit's recent decision in Amarin v. Hikma shows generic drug manufacturers must pay close attention to the statements in their abbreviated new drug application labels to put themselves in the best position in defending against an induced infringement claim, say Luke Shannon and Roshan Shrestha at Taft Stettinius.

  • How To Clean Up Your Generative AI-Produced Legal Drafts

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    As law firms increasingly rely on generative artificial intelligence tools to produce legal text, attorneys should be on guard for the overuse of cohesive devices in initial drafts, and consider a few editing pointers to clean up AI’s repetitive and choppy outputs, says Ivy Grey at WordRake.

  • USPTO Disclaimer Rule Would Complicate Patent Prosecution

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    The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office's proposed changes to terminal disclaimer practice could lead to a patent owner being unable to enforce a valid patent simply because it is indirectly tied to a patent in which a single claim is found anticipated or obvious in view of the prior art, say attorneys at Sterne Kessler.

  • Series

    Boxing Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Boxing has influenced my legal work by enabling me to confidently hone the skills I've learned from the sport, like the ability to remain calm under pressure, evaluate an opponent's weaknesses and recognize when to seize an important opportunity, says Kirsten Soto at Clyde & Co.

  • Opinion

    Industry Self-Regulation Will Shine Post-Chevron

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    The U.S. Supreme Court's Loper decision will shape the contours of industry self-regulation in the years to come, providing opportunities for this often-misunderstood practice, says Eric Reicin at BBB National Programs.

  • When Patents As Loan Collateral Can Cost You Standing

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    The Federal Circuit's recent decision in Intellectual Tech v. Zebra Technologies shines a light on loan default provisions' implications for patent infringement litigation, as a default may inadvertently strip a patent owner of constitutional standing to sue over a patent pledged as collateral, say Joseph Marinelli and Suet L. Lee at Irwin IP.

  • 3 Ways Agencies Will Keep Making Law After Chevron

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    The U.S. Supreme Court clearly thinks it has done something big in overturning the Chevron precedent that had given deference to agencies' statutory interpretations, but regulated parties have to consider how agencies retain significant power to shape the law and its meaning, say attorneys at K&L Gates.

  • Roundup

    After Chevron

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    In the month since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned the Chevron deference standard, this Expert Analysis series has featured attorneys discussing the potential impact across 26 different rulemaking and litigation areas.

  • How Life Science Companies Are Approaching UPC Opt-Outs

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    A look at recent data shows that one year after its launch, the European Union's Unified Patent Court is still seeing a high rate of opt-outs, including from large U.S.-based life science companies wary of this unpredictable court — and there are reasons this strategy should largely remain the same, say Sanjay Murthy and Christopher Tuinenga at McAndrews Held.

  • Series

    After Chevron: Expect Few Changes In ITC Rulemaking

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    The U.S. Supreme Court's opinion overruling the Chevron doctrine will have less impact on the U.S. International Trade Commission than other agencies administering trade statutes, given that the commission exercises its congressionally granted authority in a manner that allows for consistent decision making at both agency and judicial levels, say attorneys at Polsinelli.

  • 6 PTAB Events To Know From The Last 6 Months

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    The first half of 2024 brought a flurry of Patent Trial and Appeal Board developments that should be considered in post-grant strategies, including proposed rules on discretionary denial and director review, and the first decisions of the Delegated Rehearing Panel, say attorneys at Fish & Richardson.

  • Opinion

    Atty Well-Being Efforts Ignore Root Causes Of The Problem

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    The legal industry is engaged in a critical conversation about lawyers' mental health, but current attorney well-being programs primarily focus on helping lawyers cope with the stress of excessive workloads, instead of examining whether this work culture is even fundamentally compatible with lawyer well-being, says Jonathan Baum at Avenir Guild.

  • FTC Focus: Competition And The Right To Repair

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    If the Federal Trade Commission includes commercial and industrial products as part of copyright exemptions that allow consumers to modify or repair products, then businesses and affected rights holders will need to consider copyrights' impact on infringement issues, say attorneys at Proskauer.

  • The Fed. Circ. In May: A Major Shift In Design Patent Law

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    The Federal Circuit's recent en banc decision in LKQ v. GM overruled three decades of precedent and adopted a new standard for assessing the obviousness of design patents, leaving many questions unanswered, say Sean Murray and Jeremiah Helm at Knobbe Martens.

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