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Intellectual Property
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July 10, 2024
Vidal Directs PTAB To Review Nerf 'GelFire' Toy Gun Patents
The director of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office has overturned Patent Trial and Appeal Board decisions not to institute reviews of three patents covering Hasbro Inc.'s Nerf "GelFire" toy gun.
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July 10, 2024
Pokemon Go Maker Escapes Gaming Patent Suit
A California federal judge has let the developer of smartphone game Pokemon Go out of a patent infringement suit, deciding that a patent related to augmented reality technology covers an abstract idea.
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July 10, 2024
Cheech And Chong's Co. Hits Colo. Cannabis Cos. With IP Suit
Cheech and Chong's Cannabis Co. has filed an infringement lawsuit against a Colorado entrepreneur, accusing him of using the comedy duo's likeness after being explicitly warned not to, according to a lawsuit filed in Colorado state court.
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July 10, 2024
HP Can't Use 'Wex' Name During Pending Trademark Case
A Maine federal judge has issued a preliminary injunction holding that HP Inc. may not use the word "Wex" for a planned product launch for the duration of trademark litigation brought by financial technology provider Wex Inc., finding that there's a "risk of saturating the market with potential infringement."
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July 10, 2024
10th Circ. Now Seems Unsure 'Tiger King' Violated Copyright
A Tenth Circuit panel that cited the U.S. Supreme Court's Warhol decision in holding that Netflix Inc. could not dodge a copyright complaint for including a funeral video clip in its "Tiger King" docuseries sounded more skeptical about the plaintiffs' arguments during a rehearing Wednesday, grilling counsel about why the short video was not fair use.
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July 10, 2024
CBP Clears Apple Watch Of Infringing Heart Monitor IP
U.S. Customs and Border Protection has ruled that redesigned versions of the Apple Watch do not infringe AliveCor's electrocardiogram patents and can be imported, a decision that comes ahead of a consolidated hearing at the Federal Circuit over the same patents.
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July 10, 2024
Buyers Say Teva Had Multipart Scheme To Delay Inhaler Rivals
Employee benefit funds accusing Teva of orchestrating a decadelong scheme to delay generic competition for its QVAR asthma inhalers told a Massachusetts federal court the drugmaker is trying to end the case by addressing merely one aspect of a multipart scheme.
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July 10, 2024
Ga. Eatery, Conn. Brewery End TM Fight Over Similar Names
An Atlanta restaurant owner and the New Britain, Connecticut, brewery it accused of using effectively the same name and signage despite the Georgia businessman's trademark rights have agreed to drop their dispute in Connecticut federal court, according to a new stipulation filed by both parties.
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July 10, 2024
Fantasy Sports Co. Can't Duck Claims It Ripped Off IP
A Georgia federal judge on Tuesday declined to dismiss a patent infringement suit between two fantasy sports tech companies, siding with a special master's finding that the technologies in question are likely concrete enough to warrant intellectual property protection.
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July 10, 2024
Intel Asks Del. Court To Affirm It Has License To VLSI Patents
Intel has launched a suit in Delaware federal court asking for an order that it already has a license to various VLSI patents, the latest in a sprawling legal fight between the two parties over microchips.
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July 10, 2024
Nike Wins Another Look At TM Atty Fees Ruling At 3rd Circ.
The Third Circuit on Wednesday undid a $5 million attorney fee award to a Pennsylvania clothing manufacturer that sued Nike Inc. for trademark infringement, ordering a federal trial court to look more closely at the specifics of the case to determine if the outcome was truly "exceptional."
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July 10, 2024
Walmart IP Foe May Face $2.9M Penalty After Jury Win Tossed
Counsel for a food tech startup that saw its $115 million patent infringement verdict against Walmart nixed may be ordered to pay the retail giant's $2.9 million legal bill due to misrepresentations about a key piece of evidence, an Arkansas federal judge said.
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July 10, 2024
Maynard Nexsen IP Trio Joins Nixon Peabody In Calif.
Nixon Peabody LLP is continuing to grow its intellectual property practice on the West Coast, adding three former Maynard Nexsen PC partners, including a former practice chair.
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July 10, 2024
Longtime Axinn Atty To Chair Polsinelli's Hatch-Waxman Team
A practice leader from Axinn Veltrop & Harkrider LLP, known in part for his high-profile work on behalf of pharmaceutical clients, is joining Polsinelli PC to chair its Hatch-Waxman and biologics practice, the firm announced on Tuesday.
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July 09, 2024
Nirvana, Marc Jacobs Reach Deal In Smiley Face Logo Fight
The rock band Nirvana, the fashion brand Marc Jacobs International LLC and a former record company employee have reached a settlement resolving a yearslong dispute over Nirvana's "smiley face" logo, according to a joint report filed in California federal court Tuesday.
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July 09, 2024
Bard Fights 'Patent Misuse' Ruling In $53M Suit At 9th Circ.
Bard urged the Ninth Circuit on Tuesday to reverse a lower court's finding that its attempt to collect $53 million in licensing payments from a medical-device company was a clear case of "patent misuse," arguing that the parties' licensing agreement allows for Bard to collect payments even after the patents-in-suit expired.
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July 09, 2024
South Africa Drops J&J Probe After TB Drug Price Cuts
South Africa's antitrust office has said it's going to drop its investigation over whether Johnson & Johnson engaged in anticompetitive conduct by filing a patent there for a tuberculosis drug, after the drugmaker agreed to lower the cost of bedaquiline by 40% and allow generic versions of the drug on the market.
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July 09, 2024
Chase Bank Reaches Deal In Data Security Patent Suit
JPMorgan Chase Bank NA indicated Tuesday that it has settled a lawsuit in Texas federal court over data security patents developed by a former Israeli air defense officer who worked on technological solutions for "survivability capabilities against systemic failures."
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July 09, 2024
HEC Can't Get Damages Over Injunction In Novartis Feud
A Delaware federal court on Tuesday shot down HEC Pharm Co.'s bid for damages stemming from a preliminary injunction against it over the launch of a generic version of Novartis Pharmaceuticals' blockbuster multiple sclerosis treatment Gilenya.
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July 09, 2024
Like Lions, Statue Co. Wants Out Of Barry Sanders Photo Row
The company responsible for sculpting a bronze statue of legendary Detroit Lions running back Barry Sanders wants out of the lawsuit filed by a professional photographer who claims his copyrighted photo was the unauthorized inspiration for the structure.
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July 09, 2024
Steve Madden Blasts Skechers' TM Suit Over Shoes
The Steve Madden brand pushed back Tuesday against a lawsuit in California federal court from Skechers alleging that one of Steve Madden's companies, Dolce Vita Footwear, infringed its trademark and design patent rights, rejecting Skechers' contention that its "S" marks are famous.
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July 09, 2024
Fight Over Golf-Aid Sales Puts Amazon In RICO Hot Seat
A pair of golf marketing companies conspired with Amazon to cash in on the sale of popular equipment endorsed by top-ranked golfer Scottie Scheffler after tricking the manufacturer into selling it to them wholesale, the equipment-maker claimed in a fraud and RICO suit filed in California federal court on Tuesday.
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July 09, 2024
Fed. Circ. Won't Revive Patent Fights Against Dating Apps
The Federal Circuit on Tuesday quickly shot down appeals from a patent litigation outfit trying to breathe life back into its failed legal campaign against a handful of prominent dating apps.
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July 09, 2024
9th Circ. Lets Librarian's Suit Against Dun & Bradstreet Go On
The Ninth Circuit has backed a California federal court's decision not to throw out a suit claiming Dun & Bradstreet Holdings sold personal information of individuals without consent, saying the proposed class action can move forward.
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July 09, 2024
Newman Loses Suit Against Fed. Circ. Over Suspension
A D.C. federal judge on Tuesday dismissed the lawsuit Federal Circuit Judge Pauline Newman filed against her colleagues over her suspension for refusing to undergo medical tests, saying she failed to prove the judicial conduct law at issue is unconstitutional.
Expert Analysis
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Compliance Steps After ABA White Collar Crime Conference
Senior law enforcement officials’ statements this month at the American Bar Association's white collar crime conference suggest government enforcement efforts this year will increasingly focus on whistleblower incentives, artificial intelligence and data protection, and companies will need to update their compliance programs accordingly, say attorneys at Baker McKenzie.
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2 Issues For Venture-Backed Climate Tech Startups To Avoid
As climate tech startups become more common, poor equity dilution management and stacked seed financing are two common pitfalls that apply more acutely to climate tech startups than to the broader venture-backed startup space, say attorneys at Goodwin.
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Cannabis Case Lights Up Benefits Of Creative IP Protection
A recently filed California federal court case, The Holding Company v. Pacific West Distributors, illustrates potential creative strategies cannabis companies can use to build intellectual property rights, such as combining federal and state registrations for copyrights and trademarks, say attorneys at Seyfarth.
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Spartan Arbitration Tactics Against Well-Funded Opponents
Like the ancient Spartans who held off a numerically superior Persian army at the Battle of Thermopylae, trial attorneys and clients faced with arbitration against an opponent with a bigger war chest can take a strategic approach to create a pass to victory, say Kostas Katsiris and Benjamin Argyle at Venable.
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Uncertainty Surrounds Patent Eligibility Restoration Bill
A recent U.S. Senate hearing regarding the Patent Eligibility Restoration Act, a bill that aims to overhaul patent eligibility law and establish clearer statutory exclusions, marks a pivotal moment in the ongoing patent eligibility debate, but the law’s fate remains uncertain as discussions continue, say attorneys at Marshall Gerstein.
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3 Litigation Strategies To Combat 'Safetyism'
Amid the rise of safetyism — the idea that every person should be free from the risk of harm or discomfort — among jurors and even judges, defense counsel can mount several tactics from the very start of litigation to counteract these views and blunt the potential for jackpot damages, says Ann Marie Duffy at Hollingsworth.
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Infringement Policy Lessons From 4th Circ. Sony Music Ruling
The Fourth Circuit's recent decision in Sony Music v. Cox Communications, which in part held that the internet service provider was liable for contributing to music copyright infringement, highlights the importance of reasonable policies to terminate repeat infringers, and provides guidance for litigating claims of secondary liability, say Benjamin Marks and Alexandra Blankman at Weil.
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What Recent Study Shows About AI's Promise For Legal Tasks
Amid both skepticism and excitement about the promise of generative artificial intelligence in legal contexts, the first randomized controlled trial studying its impact on basic lawyering tasks shows mixed but promising results, and underscores the need for attorneys to proactively engage with AI, says Daniel Schwarcz at University of Minnesota Law School.
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Tips On Numerical Range From Fed. Circ. Philip Morris Ruling
The Federal Circuit's recent RAI v. Philip Morris decision that a patent provided sufficient written description to support a claimed numerical range offers several takeaways for practitioners, including the need for a cautious approach to criticism of ranges, say attorneys at BCLP.
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UMG-TikTok IP Rift Highlights Effective Rights Control Issues
Despite Universal Music Group's recent withdrawal of TikTok's licensing rights to its music catalog, the platform struggles to control uploads and reproductions of copyrighted material, highlighting the inherent tension between creative freedom and effective rights control in the age of social media, says Simon Goodbody at Bray & Krais.
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5 Things Trial Attorneys Can Learn From Good Teachers
Jennifer Cuculich at IMS Legal Strategies recounts lessons she learned during her time as a math teacher that can help trial attorneys connect with jurors, from the importance of framing core issues to the incorporation of different learning styles.
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Fed. Circ. Patent Lesson: No Contradiction, No Indefiniteness
The Federal Circuit’s recent ruling in Maxwell v. Amperex Technology highlights the complexities of construing patent claims when seemingly contradictory limitations are present, and that when a narrowing limitation overrides a broader one, they do not necessarily contradict each other, says Roy Wepner at Kaplan Breyer.
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Data-Driven Insights On Optimizing PTAB Institution Decisions
A look at Patent Trial and Appeal Board institution decisions from the last six years highlights critical information a patent owner should know regarding trends in the board’s decision making when patents come under challenge, and which arguments to raise in preliminary responses, say Jacob Golan and Benjamin Anger at Knobbe Martens.
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Golf Course Copyright Bill Implications Go Beyond The Green
A new federal bill, the BIRDIE Act, introduced in February would extend intellectual property protections to golf course designers but could undercut existing IP case law and raise broader questions about the scope of copyright protection for works that involve living elements or nonhuman authorship, say attorneys at Bradley Arant.
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What's At Play In Rising Lanham Act Cases At The ITC
Amid an uptick in Lanham Act claims involving false advertising related to medical devices at the U.S. International Trade Commission, Brian Busey and Maryrose McLaughlin at MoFo discuss recent ITC complaints from Eli Lilly and R.J. Reynolds, Lanham Act claim limits under the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act, and the issues practitioners face in this realm.