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Intellectual Property
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August 05, 2024
No Atty Fees For Either Side After $8K Copyright Verdict
A Washington federal judge refused Monday to grant plaintiff Enterprise Management's request for over $920,000 in fees after winning an $8,000 copyright verdict, finding that although it was the prevailing party, it "filed meritless claims, knowingly pursued baseless claims, and sought settlement amounts that exceeded the value of this case."
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August 05, 2024
$96M Award Cut To $34M After Justices' Lanham Act Ruling
An Oklahoma federal judge on Monday reduced a $96 million trademark infringement award that went to the U.S. Supreme Court to about $34.4 million after justices concluded last year the Lanham Act applies only to domestic conduct in commerce.
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August 05, 2024
30 Wig Cos. Targeted At ITC In Patent Suit By JBS Hair
A small Georgia company that calls itself "a leading innovator in the synthetic and human hair industry" is going to the U.S. International Trade Commission to complain about some 30 rivals it says are importing patent-infringing synthetic wigs, including one that was promoted by actress Vivica Fox.
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August 05, 2024
Inari Agriculture Can't Sink Patent Case Over Corn Seed
A legal fight between a DowDuPont spinoff and a Massachusetts plant breeding startup over the exporting of patent-protected corn seed will continue to grow in Delaware federal court, unimpeded by DuPont researchers' decision to publicly deposit their seeds.
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August 05, 2024
Fanatics Wants Disputed Deal With Cardinals Rookie Sealed
Seeking to protect "sensitive, nonpublic commercial information" about its breach of contract suit against NFL rookie Marvin Harrison Jr., Fanatics asked a New York state court Monday to seal all unredacted parts of the complaint and of several related filings, including Harrison's motion to dismiss the suit.
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August 05, 2024
Full Fed. Circ. Won't Eye Ruling Clarifying Foreign Damages
The full Federal Circuit declined Monday to review a decision that clarified how to apply a 2018 U.S. Supreme Court ruling on foreign damages in patent cases while rejecting Trading Technologies' bid to increase a $6.6 million verdict it won against IBG LLC.
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August 05, 2024
Music, Movie Orgs. Address Deepfake Proposals
Representatives from the music, movie and video game industries were among the speakers Monday at a U.S. Patent and Trademark Office roundtable regarding what legislation may be needed to address the explosion of deepfakes created with the growing power of artificial intelligence.
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August 05, 2024
Google, OpenAI Accused Of Using YouTube Videos To Train AI
A California man has hit Google and OpenAI with separate proposed class actions in federal court accusing the companies of unlawfully transcribing YouTube videos and using them to train their large language model artificial intelligence products without the permission of the people who uploaded those videos.
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August 05, 2024
Pegasystems Slams Appian's 'Animus' After $2B Verdict Axed
Business software maker Pegasystems says rival Appian's "animus" is behind a series of what it says are irrelevant, premature and burdensome discovery requests, after a Virginia appeals court vacated a $2 billion trade secrets judgment against Pegasystems.
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August 05, 2024
J&J, Generics Spar In Remand On Schizophrenia Drug Patent
Following a Federal Circuit ruling that gave generics makers Teva and Viatris a new shot at trying to invalidate the last remaining patent on Johnson & Johnson's blockbuster schizophrenia drug Invega Sustenna, the parties are sparring over the impact of the appeals court's decision.
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August 05, 2024
Mattel Beats $46M Contract Suit Over Reality Show Idea
A California jury has entered a verdict for Mattel Inc. in a $46 million contract suit brought against it by the company of "Lone Survivor" producer Norton Herrick alleging that the toy-maker stole its idea for a reality show in which inventors pitch toys to child judges, concluding there was no contract breach.
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August 05, 2024
Musk Accuses OpenAI Of Fraud, RICO Over Business Model
Elon Musk on Monday accused OpenAI Inc. and its leaders of violating several laws related to fraud, conspiracy, contract violations and false advertising by claiming he was wrongly told the company would remain a nonprofit, in a suit filed in California federal court.
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August 05, 2024
Kirkland & Ellis Adds Ex-Prosecutor As IP Partner In Calif.
Kirkland & Ellis LLP has bolstered its intellectual property litigation capabilities in its Bay Area office with the addition of a seasoned senior federal prosecutor, who has experience with high-profile cases like that of the attempted kidnapping of then-Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi and the attack on her husband.
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August 02, 2024
Judge Knocks Stuffing Out Of Build-A-Bear's Missouri IP Suit
A Missouri federal judge on Friday tossed Build-A-Bear Workshop's lawsuit seeking a declaration that its new Skoosherz stuffed toy line doesn't infringe trade dress rights claimed by Kelly Toys' popular Squishmallows, finding that the Missouri court doesn't have jurisdiction over the IP dispute, which is also being litigated in California.
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August 02, 2024
Boeing Wins Trim Of Rival Engineering Co.'s IP Case, For Now
A Washington federal judge has significantly trimmed an aerospace engineering firm's suit accusing Boeing of stealing patented technology, agreeing with Boeing that many of the claims are inadequate to proceed at this stage, but giving the firm the opportunity to amend them.
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August 02, 2024
Ex-Exec Can't Escape Drug Co.'s Trade Secret Suit
The North Carolina Business Court refused to give a win before trial to the former president of a United Therapeutics Corp. subsidiary on a claim that he took trade secrets to a rival, with the court reasoning the drug company took reasonable steps to protect the secrets beyond a three-year limit in his employment agreement.
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August 02, 2024
Wheeling & Appealing: The Latest Must-Know Appellate Action
In this inaugural edition of Wheeling & Appealing, Law360 recaps recent appellate opinions that made waves, quizzes readers about a new word for judicial grievances, and previews August arguments in circuit courts over controversial wage rules and a seven-figure attorney fee award after a digital age intellectual property trial.
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August 02, 2024
Shopify Fights Off Infringement Suit Over Retail Patents
A Los Angeles federal judge has ruled that the CEO of a failed digital media startup can't sue using patents he landed a few years ago to cover ideas he says Shopify took from him years earlier because the patents aren't inventive enough.
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August 02, 2024
Microphone Co. Eyes Sanctions After Scoring Win In IP Row
A maker of microphone isolation products that won a trade dress infringement lawsuit at trial has asked a California federal court to order a rival and its counsel to pay its attorney fees because of a "repeated pattern of vexatious litigation in the face of overwhelming and contrary law."
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August 02, 2024
Bike Co. Says It's Lost 'Millions' From Royalty Deal Breaches
A Colorado bicycle company has sued machinery manufacturer Gates Corp. in Denver District Court for allegedly breaking promises under a joint licensing and distribution deal, claiming Gates may be trying to dodge millions of dollars in royalty payments by encouraging rival bicycle makers to use the Colorado company's invention for free.
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August 02, 2024
PNC Wants Court, Not Jury, To Hear Fintech Co. TM Defenses
PNC Financial Services Group wants a Pennsylvania federal judge, not a jury, to decide whether the bank did nothing with knowledge that Plaid Inc. was copying its logo and login screens when linking bank accounts to financial apps, PNC said in a court filing.
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August 02, 2024
Justices Urged To Hear Standing Issue For Patent Licensors
The U.S. Supreme Court has been asked to give its take on whether the terms of a decade-old loan can be used to create issues over legal standing and exclusionary rights in a lawsuit tied to radio frequency developed in the mid-2000s.
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August 02, 2024
US Cheerleading Org. Faces Fees Bid After Losing TM Suit
Bush Ross PA and the Underwood Law Firm PC are seeking more than $800,000 in attorney fees after a Florida federal judge handed their clients a summary judgment win in a trademark infringement lawsuit brought by the U.S. All Star Federation against its rivals, saying they deserve to be reimbursed for costs related to the case because it was "exceptional."
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August 02, 2024
Akin Debuts AI Law & Regulation Info Tracker
Global BigLaw firm Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP launched a tracker to help monitor changing policies related to artificial intelligence in various fields including intellectual property, data privacy, health and national security.
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August 02, 2024
PTAB Told To Punish Mylan For Allegedly Breaking Fintiv Vow
Novo Nordisk is urging the Patent Trial and Appeal Board to sanction Mylan for pursuing claims to invalidate a patent covering the blockbuster diabetes and weight loss drug Ozempic in Delaware district court, despite an explicit promise not to do so.
Expert Analysis
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Litigation Inspiration: Attys Can Be Heroic Like Olympians
Although litigation won’t earn anyone an Olympic medal in Paris this summer, it can be worthy of the same lasting honor if attorneys exercise focused restraint — seeking both their clients’ interests and those of the court — instead of merely pursuing every advantage short of sanctionable conduct, says Bennett Rawicki at Hilgers Graben.
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Lean Into The 'Great Restoration' To Retain Legal Talent
As the “great resignation,” in which employees voluntarily left their jobs in droves, has largely dissipated, legal employers should now work toward the idea of a “great restoration,” adopting strategies to effectively hire, onboard and retain top legal talent, says Molly McGrath at Hiring & Empowering Solutions.
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Momofuku Chili War May Chill Common Phrase TM Apps
Momofuku’s recent trademark battle over the “Chili Crunch” mark shows that over-enforcement when protecting exclusivity rights may backfire not just in the public eye, but with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office as well, says Anthony Panebianco at Davis Malm.
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Trademark In Artistic Works 1 Year After Jack Daniel's
In the year since the U.S. Supreme Court's Jack Daniel's v. VIP Products ruling, courts have applied Jack Daniel's inconsistently to deny First Amendment protection to artistic works, providing guidance for dismissing trademark claims relating to film and TV titles, say Hardy Ehlers and Neema Sahni at Covington.
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NCAA Settlement May End The NIL Model As We Know It
The recent House v. NCAA settlement in California federal court, in which the NCAA agreed to allow schools to directly pay March Madness television revenue to their athletes, may send outside name, image and likeness collectives in-house, says Mike Ingersoll at Womble Bond.
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Legal Battles Show Brands' Dilemma In Luxury Resale Trend
Recent litigation, such as Chanel's pending case against The RealReal, underscores the intricate balance luxury brands must strike between protecting their trademarks and embracing the burgeoning secondhand market that values sustainability, says Prachi Ajmera at Michelman & Robinson.
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AI-Generated Soundalikes Pose Right Of Publicity Issues
Artificial intelligence voice generators have recently proliferated, allowing users to create new voices or manipulate existing vocals with no audio engineering expertise, and although soundalikes may be permissible in certain cases, they likely violate the right of publicity of the person who is being mimicked, says Matthew Savare at Lowenstein Sandler.
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Why Jurors Balk At 'I Don't Recall' — And How To Respond
Jurors often react negatively to a witness who responds “I don’t remember” because they tend to hold erroneous beliefs about the nature of human memory, but attorneys can adopt a few strategies to mitigate the impact of these biases, say Steve Wood and Ava Hernández at Courtroom Sciences.
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Beware Of Trademark Scammers Leveraging USPTO Data
Amid a recent uptick in fraudulent communications directed at trademark applicants, registrants must understand how to protect themselves and their brand from fraudulent schemes and solicitation, say Michael Kelber and Alexandra Maloney at Neal Gerber.
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Series
Fishing Makes Me A Better Lawyer
Atop the list of ways fishing makes me a better lawyer is the relief it offers from the chronic stress of a demanding caseload, but it has also improved my listening skills and patience, and has served as an exceptional setting for building earnest relationships, says Steven DeGeorge at Robinson Bradshaw.
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10 Tips To Build Trust With Your Witness During Trial Prep
Preparing a witness for deposition or trial requires more than just legal skills — lawyers must also work to cultivate trust with the witness, using strategies ranging from wearing a hat when conducting mock cross-examination to offering them a ride to court before they testify, say Faye Paul Teller and Sara McDermott at Munger Tolles.
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A Healthier Legal Industry Starts With Emotional Intelligence
The legal profession has long been plagued by high rates of mental health issues, in part due to attorneys’ early training and broader societal stereotypes — but developing one’s emotional intelligence is one way to foster positive change, collectively and individually, says attorney Esperanza Franco.
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PTAB Rulings Shed Light On Quantum Computing Patents
Recent Patent Trial and Appeal Board decisions on enablement rejections against quantum computing patent claims provide patent practitioners with valuable guidance on best practices for avoiding and overcoming enablement, say Fred Qiu and Alex Nie at Sheppard Mullin.
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To Make Your Legal Writing Clear, Emulate A Master Chef
To deliver clear and effective written advocacy, lawyers should follow the model of a fine dining chef — seasoning a foundation of pure facts with punchy descriptors, spicing it up with analogies, refining the recipe and trimming the fat — thus catering to a sophisticated audience of decision-makers, says Reuben Guttman at Guttman Buschner.
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Circuit Judge Writes An Opinion, AI Helps: What Now?
Last week's Eleventh Circuit opinion in Snell v. United Specialty Insurance, notable for a concurrence outlining the use of artificial intelligence to evaluate a term's common meaning, is hopefully the first step toward developing a coherent basis for the judiciary's generative AI use, says David Zaslowsky at Baker McKenzie.