Intellectual Property

  • September 10, 2024

    Distillery Tries To Lasso Booze Trademark, Suit Says

    Dynasty Spirits told a Colorado federal court Monday that Lasso Whiskey is infringing on its Lasso Motel trademark.

  • September 10, 2024

    British Artists Call For IP Overhaul Amid AI Concerns

    More than 4,000 arts professionals have signed a joint letter urging the government to ensure that artists have control over whether copyrighted works are used for training artificial intelligence, highlighting the "significant challenges" faced by creatives in Britain.

  • September 10, 2024

    Ugg Maker Ends IP Boot Suit Against Costco

    Deckers Outdoor Corp. has dropped its suit in California federal court accusing Costco Wholesale Corp. of infringing a design patent and trade dress for Ugg "Classic Ultra Mini" boots with the retailer's Kirkland-branded footwear.

  • September 10, 2024

    Photographer Aims To Squash Pest Control Co. Use Of Ant Pic

    A biologist and photographer sued a Houston-area pest control company in Texas federal court for copyright infringement alleging the company stole his ant picture to promote their services online.

  • September 10, 2024

    Amazon Must Trim 'Halo' TM For EU Market

    Amazon Technologies could not convince the EU's intellectual property office to let it register trademarks for "halo" unscathed, with the office backing a Californian health technology company's bid to trim key protections for medical monitoring devices and health assessment services.

  • September 10, 2024

    T-Mobile Can't Change 4th Circ. Loss In 'Simply Prepaid' Fight

    T-Mobile failed Tuesday to undercut a Fourth Circuit decision that revived a Virginia-based cellphone company's infringement claims over the phrase "Simply Prepaid," with a panel of judges declining to grant the telecommunications giant's request for a second look.

  • September 10, 2024

    House Reps. Float Bill To Limit Patent Invalidations

    A bipartisan bill that would reset patent eligibility standards has been introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives, over a year after a similar Senate bill was put forward that drew opposition from much of the tech and retail industry.

  • September 10, 2024

    Cult Gaia Importer Beats Champagne Bid To Bar Dress Sales

    A Dutch importer of Cult Gaia dresses has seen off a bid from a body representing the Champagne region's interests to bar it from selling "champagne" colored dresses after a court ruled it was clear it had no connection to the sparkling wine.

  • September 10, 2024

    Philips Balks At Dentons' Request To Exit IP Case

    Dutch health technology conglomerate Philips Medical Systems Nederland BV is balking at Dentons US LLP's request to withdraw as counsel for Transtate Equipment Co. Inc. in a wide-ranging copyright and unfair competition case, insinuating that the move is a stalling tactic to avoid a final judgment.

  • September 10, 2024

    Phone Maker Vivo Joins Via LA's Audio Patent Licensing Pool

    Via Licensing Alliance said Tuesday it has inked a deal with Chinese smartphone maker Vivo to join its patent pool for standardized audio coding technology.

  • September 10, 2024

    Ex-Michigan Football Stars Hit NCAA With $50M NIL Suit

    A group of former University of Michigan football players are seeking more than $50 million in damages through a proposed class action filed Tuesday that alleges a decades-long scheme by the NCAA and Big Ten Network to unlawfully exploit athlete names, images and likenesses for commercial gain.

  • September 10, 2024

    Cypriot Cheesemakers Lose Challenge To 'Grilloumi' TM

    A group of Cypriot halloumi producers has lost its attempt to overturn a decision that allowed a Swedish cheesemaker to register its "Grilloumi" and "Grilloumaki" trademarks in the U.K., as a London court ruled the marks are sufficiently different.

  • September 10, 2024

    Car Parts Maker Defends Heat-Resistant Steel Patent At EPO

    A Chinese car parts manufacturer can keep its European patent for a heat-resistant steel alloy because its combination of elements is sufficiently inventive over previous formulae, an appeals panel has ruled.

  • September 10, 2024

    Apple Illegally Obtained €13B In State Aid, Top EU Court Rules

    The European Union's highest court ruled on Tuesday that Ireland illegally granted Apple state aid in past tax rulings, requiring the U.S. technology giant to repay €13 billion ($14.3 billion) in back taxes as well as interest.

  • September 09, 2024

    White Stripes Sue Trump For Using Hit 'Seven Nation Army'

    Disbanded rock duo White Stripes on Monday sued former President Donald Trump in New York federal court for using the iconic introductory riff of its Grammy-winning song "Seven Nation Army" on a social media clip without permission, and despite its members publicly denouncing the hit's use during Trump's 2016 presidential run.

  • September 09, 2024

    Fed. Circ. Undoes Alice Ax Of Camera Patents In GoPro Case

    The Federal Circuit on Monday reversed a decision invalidating two video camera patents that GoPro Inc. is accused of infringing, ruling that the patents cover technological improvements, and not only an abstract idea, as a California federal judge had ruled.

  • September 09, 2024

    Judge Again Says Yearbook Site Can't Force Arbitration

    A Washington federal judge has said the company behind Classmates.com can't force a privacy rights suit into arbitration, in a ruling that determined the plaintiff's attorney opted out of a terms-of-service provision.

  • September 09, 2024

    NC Dance Teachers Fend Off Injunction Bid In Trademark Feud

    A North Carolina charter school can't prevent two former teachers from soliciting students for their dance team using the name "Inspire" amid claims of trademark infringement and false advertising, a federal judge ruled Monday.

  • September 09, 2024

    Brighthouse Hits Rival With TM Suit Over 'Shield' Mark

    Annuity and life insurance provider Brighthouse Financial on Friday accused competitor American Equity Investment Life Insurance Co. of trademark infringement, claiming in a North Carolina federal court that American Equity is using Brighthouse's decade-old "shield" mark to sell similar, overlapping or nearly identical annuity products and services.

  • September 09, 2024

    Purdue Sees Another OxyContin Patent Axed

    A Delaware federal court decided on Monday that yet another patent issued to bankrupt OxyContin maker Purdue Pharma is invalid, a year and a half after a similar ruling was issued in another case about the company's efforts to assert different patents to stop the same prospective Indian manufacturer of generic painkillers.

  • September 09, 2024

    Qorvo Gets Nearly $12M In Fees After $39M Trade Secrets Win

    A federal judge said Monday that wireless company Qorvo Inc. was entitled to more than $11.7 million in legal fees after a jury earlier this year awarded the business $38.6 million in a trade secrets case against Akoustis Technologies Inc.

  • September 09, 2024

    Denver Court Knocks Out 'Breathable' Fabric Patent Claims

    After almost a decade of litigation over "breathable" waterproof fabric in Colorado federal court, a judge in Denver has decided that some of the claims describing a patent failed to hold up to legal scrutiny. 

  • September 09, 2024

    FTC Backs Teva Orange Book Delisting At Fed. Circ.

    The Federal Trade Commission is continuing to back Amneal's efforts to have Teva's inhaler patents delisted from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's Orange Book, telling the Federal Circuit that a lower court was right in determining that Teva's patents do not satisfy the registry's requirements.

  • September 09, 2024

    Fed. Circ. Backs PTAB Ruling In Food Wrapping Feud

    The Federal Circuit has refused to revive claims in a trio of Converter Manufacturing LLC food wrapping patents, handing a win to patent challenger Tekni-Plex Inc. in the legal dispute.

  • September 09, 2024

    Wi-Fi Router Trade Dispute Paused While Makers Finalize Deal

    The U.S. International Trade Commission has stayed all deadlines in an intellectual property dispute between Netgear and TP-Link over TP-Link's Wi-Fi router imports as the pair finalizes a settlement resolving the case.

Expert Analysis

  • How Orange Book Antitrust Scrutiny Is Intensifying

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    Pharmaceutical patent holders should be reviewing Orange Book listing practices, as the Federal Trade Commission takes a more aggressive antitrust approach with actions such as the Teva listing probe, and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration calls attention to potentially improper listings, say attorneys at McDermott.

  • Trending At The PTAB: 1 Year Of Denials Of Institution

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    An analysis of Patent Trial and Appeal Board denials of institutions between May 2023 and May of this year highlights the board’s common reasons for denial, which can provide insight to both petitioners and patent owners in future proceedings, say Kevin Rodkey and Victor Palace at Finnegan.

  • Questions Linger About DTSA's Scope After Motorola Ruling

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    The Seventh Circuit’s recent ruling in Motorola v. Hytera, which held that the Defend Trade Secrets Act applies extraterritorially, does not address whether an act that furthers misappropriation must be committed by the defendant in order to satisfy the law's extraterritoriality requirement, say Ilissa Samplin and Grace Hart at Gibson Dunn.

  • Opinion

    Conception Is The Proper Test For AI-Assisted Inventions

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    The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office should adopt the conception standard for reviewing AI-assisted inventions, and require the disclosure of artificial intelligence prompts and responses because they are material to patentability, which would then simplify the patent examiner’s invention decision, says Thomas Hamlin at Robins Kaplan.

  • What High Court TM Rulings Tell Us About Free Speech

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    Recent U.S. Supreme Court rulings show tension between free speech and trademark law, highlighting that while political mockery is protected, established brands may be forced to adapt to evolving cultural values, says William Scott Goldman at Goldman Law Group.

  • Series

    Being A Luthier Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    When I’m not working as an appellate lawyer, I spend my spare time building guitars — a craft known as luthiery — which has helped to enhance the discipline, patience and resilience needed to write better briefs, says Rob Carty at Nichols Brar.

  • Series

    After Chevron: Uncertainty In Scope Of ITC Oversight

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    The U.S. International Trade Commission's long-standing jurisprudence on some of the most disputed and controversial issues is likely to be reshaped by the Federal Circuit, which is no longer bound by Chevron deference in the wake of the U.S. Supreme Court’s Loper Bright decision, say Kecia Reynolds and Madeleine Moss at Paul Hastings.

  • Lead Like 'Ted Lasso' By Embracing Cognitive Diversity

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    The Apple TV+ series “Ted Lasso” aptly illustrates how embracing cognitive diversity can be a winning strategy for teams, providing a useful lesson for law firms, which can benefit significantly from fresh, diverse perspectives and collaborative problem-solving, says Paul Manuele at PR Manuele Consulting.

  • How In-House IP Counsel Can Deal With AI's Rise

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    Generative artificial intelligence is poised to revolutionize intellectual property law, especially for smaller and midsize enterprises, meaning IP in-house counsel need to prioritize AI implementation to navigate the coming changes, says Friedrich Laub at Diasorin.

  • 7th Circ. Motorola Ruling Raises Stakes Of DTSA Litigation

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    The Seventh Circuit’s recent ruling in Motorola v. Hytera gives plaintiffs a powerful tool to recover damages, greatly increasing the incentive to bring Defend Trade Secrets Act claims against defendants with large global sales because those sales could generate large settlements, say attorneys at MoFo.

  • 1 Year At The UPC: Implications For Transatlantic Disputes

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    In its first year, the Unified Patent Court has issued important decisions on procedures like provisional measures, but complexities remain when it comes to coordinating proceedings across jurisdictions like the U.S. due to differences in timelines and discovery practices, say attorneys at McDermott.

  • Patent Ruling Shows A Minor Typo Can Lead To A Major Loss

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    A federal court’s recent ruling in SIPCO v. Jasco, where patent infringement claims were dismissed because of a typo made during prosecution, highlights key moments in the terminal disclaimer application process where double-checking the patent number is especially crucial, say attorneys at Mintz.

  • Opinion

    Now More Than Ever, Lawyers Must Exhibit Professionalism

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    As society becomes increasingly fractured and workplace incivility is on the rise, attorneys must champion professionalism and lead by example, demonstrating how lawyers can respectfully disagree without being disagreeable, says Edward Casmere at Norton Rose.

  • Leveling Up IP Protections For Video Game Icons' Film Debuts

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    Video game creators venturing into new realms of entertainment that include their iconic characters, such as television and film adaptations, should take specific steps to strengthen their intellectual property rights, say Joshua Weigensberg and Parmida Enkeshafi at Pryor Cashman.

  • Series

    Serving In The National Guard Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    My ongoing military experience as a judge advocate general in the National Guard has shaped me as a person and a lawyer, teaching me the importance of embracing confidence, balance and teamwork in both my Army and civilian roles, says Danielle Aymond at Baker Donelson.

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