Intellectual Property

  • June 21, 2024

    Ex-CEO Found Liable For $1 Now Seeks Atty Fees For Del. Suit

    The ex-CEO of a biopharma company who was found liable in 2021 for breaching his fiduciary duties but ordered to pay just $1 in damages after Delaware's Court of Chancery found that no real harm had been done is now suing for his attorney's fees and court costs.

  • June 21, 2024

    Zoom Latest Tech Giant Accused Of Infringing NM Co.'s Patent

    A New Mexico company has hit videoconferencing behemoth Zoom with a patent suit in Colorado federal court, alleging that Zoom is knowingly infringing a patent for identifying voices across multiple telephone networks.

  • June 21, 2024

    Kona Ice Nabs $533K In Toppings Dispenser Patent Trial

    A Florida federal jury has come to the conclusion that a small shaved ice franchise from Boca Raton owes the Kona Ice brand a little over half a million dollars for infringing a patent covering a "liquid toppings dispensing system."

  • June 21, 2024

    Skiplagged Removes Motion After Judge's Rebuke

    Airfare search engine Skiplagged Inc. has settled its differences with American Airlines in a discovery dispute that prompted an "exasperated" Texas federal judge to order the parties to mediation, saying both sides had addressed the concerns that prompted Skiplagged to file for a protective order.

  • June 21, 2024

    UK Litigation Roundup: Here's What You Missed In London

    This past week in London has seen JD Wetherspoon sue a Welsh pub over its name in the Intellectual Property Court, ex-professional boxer Amir Khan and his wife file libel action against an influencer, the Performing Right Society hit with a competition claim over music licensing, and Manolete Partners bring action against the directors of a bust investment firm. Here, Law360 looks at these and other new claims in the U.K.

  • June 20, 2024

    Patent Owners, Challengers Spar Over PTAB Rule Proposal

    The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office's scaled-back package of Patent Trial and Appeal Board rules has drawn a mixed reaction from legal and industry groups, which offered praise and concern about both the proposal and the topics it does not address.

  • June 20, 2024

    'Jetflicks' Piracy Trial Results In 5 Convictions In Las Vegas

    Following a trial that stretched on for half a month, a federal jury in Las Vegas convicted a group of people who were accused of making more than $1 million running an illegal streaming website called "Jetflicks."

  • June 20, 2024

    Eli Lilly Launches Round Of Diabetes Drug Suits

    Eli Lilly on Thursday hit various compounding pharmacies and medical spas in five states and the District of Columbia with suits saying that they trick consumers into thinking that they sell Eli Lilly medications that treat diabetes and obesity when actually they are copycats and are untested by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

  • June 20, 2024

    Judge Backs Virgin Over Boeing In Clash Over IP Injunction

    A Virginia federal judge on Thursday ruled that Virgin Galactic can share allegedly proprietary Boeing documents with partner companies to help develop a space plane carrier aircraft, amid Boeing's breach of contract and misappropriation of trade secrets suit against Virgin.

  • June 20, 2024

    Rockwell Wins Treble Damages After $4M Gray Market Verdict

    A Delaware federal judge agreed Tuesday to award treble damages to Rockwell Automation, which is behind the Allen-Bradley brand of factory equipment, bringing its total recovery to nearly $9 million after a jury found it was owed more than $4 million in August.

  • June 20, 2024

    Finance Co. Asks Fed. Circ. To Read Its 1.4K Pages Of Evidence

    A patent outfit connected to a man behind one of the world's first money market funds says that a Texas court's decision to throw out a patent case against online stockbroker TD Ameritrade went against the weight of some "1,400 pages of credible evidence," and is something that the full Federal Circuit should look into.

  • June 20, 2024

    Waffle Cone Cos. Settle TM War Over Chocolate-Filled Treats

    A maker of chocolate-filled waffle cone treats has resolved its claims against a rival over alleged trademark violations, according to a stipulation filed Thursday in New Jersey federal court.

  • June 20, 2024

    1st Circ. Says Song Royalties Go To Artists, Not Band Owners

    The First Circuit ruled that members of musical groups, not their owners or managers, are due royalties as featured "recording artists" under federal law.

  • June 20, 2024

    Theravance, Mylan Say Chinese Co. Copied COPD Drug

    Theravance Biopharma and Mylan Specialty have sued a Chinese drugmaker, alleging it copied Yupelri, one of its chronic obstructive pulmonary disease drugs, and infringed several patents in the process.

  • June 20, 2024

    USPTO's AI-Assisted Inventions Guidance Irks ABA IP Section

    The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office's guidance on when inventions developed using artificial intelligence can be patented generated criticism from the American Bar Association's Section of Intellectual Property Law, expressing concern that it could be detrimental as it "casts doubt on inventorship through general acts of human direction."

  • June 20, 2024

    First Amendment Bars Models' Likeness Suit, Strip Clubs Say

    Three Philadelphia-area strip clubs facing a suit by Carmen Electra and other models over using their likeness without permission told a federal judge the plaintiffs' complaint is barred by the First Amendment because they are public figures "or limited purpose public figures."

  • June 20, 2024

    Patent Office Elevates Acting Solicitor To Official Position

    The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office on Thursday announced that its longtime litigator Farheena Y. Rasheed has been appointed solicitor and deputy general counsel for the agency.

  • June 18, 2024

    Qualcomm Investors Ink $75M Deal Over Licensing Practices

    Qualcomm Inc. investors asked a California federal judge to greenlight a $75 million settlement that would resolve their claims that the chipmaker misled the market by stating it kept its licensing and chip-supply businesses separate when it regularly bundled the two in negotiations and agreements.

  • June 18, 2024

    Microsoft Reaches Deal With Patent Biz After $242M Verdict

    Microsoft indicated on Tuesday that it has decided to settle a fight with a litigation outfit that won a $242 million verdict from a Delaware federal jury over patents bought from a company that developed Apple's Siri software.

  • June 18, 2024

    Fed. Circ. Won't Revive Philips Communication Patent Claims

    The Federal Circuit on Tuesday sided with Patent Trial and Appeal Board judges who gutted claims in a Philips patent challenged by a Chinese chipmaker that is facing an infringement suit in Delaware.

  • June 18, 2024

    USPTO Hears Array Of Ideas For Altering Director Review

    Numerous groups have offered suggestions to the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office on the process where the agency's director reviews Patent Trial and Appeal Board decisions, from adjusting which cases are subject to review to barring the director from personally making decisions.

  • June 18, 2024

    11th Circ. Orders New Shrimp Secrets Trial Over Judge's Exit

    The Eleventh Circuit ordered a new trial in a trade secrets dispute involving breeders of disease-resistant shrimp, saying Tuesday that a magistrate judge who oversaw the trial's conclusion so that a federal judge could catch a flight exceeded his authority by answering jury questions and rejecting a defense counsel's request for clarification on damages awarded.

  • June 18, 2024

    Megan Thee Stallion Escapes IP Suit Over 'Savage' Song

    A Manhattan federal judge concluded Tuesday that rapper and songwriter Megan Thee Stallion did not rip off music from a hip-hop producer to create her hit song "Savage" in 2020, saying the plaintiff failed to show that she and the other defendants had access to his composition or that the two songs are substantially or strikingly similar.

  • June 18, 2024

    Starbucks Among Eateries Facing IP Suits Over Ordering Tech

    Starbucks, Denny's and three other restaurants are the latest to face a patent-licensing company's lawsuits in Texas for allegedly infringing a patent that lets customers place mobile orders on an app or website using a real-time menu that can make personalized suggestions.

  • June 18, 2024

    ITC To Eye Samsung Loss In LCD Patent Suit Against Rival

    The U.S. International Trade Commission decided Monday to review several issues in a judge's decision that cleared Manufacturing Resources International Inc. in a suit by Samsung accusing it of infringing LCD digital display patents.

Expert Analysis

  • Trending At The PTAB: Permissible New Reply Arguments

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    In the time since the Federal Circuit’s Axonics ruling, the Patent Trial and Appeal Board has allowed petitioners to raise new unpatentability grounds in response to unforeseeable claim constructions in petitions, and reiterated that a petition need not anticipate every argument that may be raised in the response, say Joseph Myles and Timothy May at Finnegan.

  • Exploring A New Era Of IP Law Amid The Rise Of Generative AI

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    Attorneys at Hogan Lovells explore the effects of generative artificial intelligence in three areas of intellectual property, recent updates and emerging trends, and its significance on the IP landscape now and moving forward.

  • Fed. Circ. Defines Foreign IP Damages, Raises New Questions

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    In Brumfield v. IBG, the Federal Circuit recently clarified which standard determines the extraterritoriality of the patent statute after the U.S. Supreme Court's WesternGeco decision, opening a new avenue of damages for foreign activities resulting from certain domestic activities while also creating some thorny questions, say Amol Parikh and Ian Howard at McDermott.

  • Series

    Being An Equestrian Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Beyond getting experience thinking on my feet and tackling stressful situations, the skills I've gained from horseback riding have considerable overlap with the skills used to practice law, particularly in terms of team building, continuing education, and making an effort to reset and recharge, says Kerry Irwin at Moore & Van Allen.

  • Teach Your Party Representative The Art Of Nonverbal Cues

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    As illustrated by recent reports about President Donald Trump’s nonverbal communication in court, jurors notice what’s happening at counsel table, which may color their perceptions of the case as a whole, so trial attorneys should teach party representatives to self-monitor their nonverbal behaviors, says Clint Townson at Townson Consulting.

  • Fintiv Denials Are On The Rise At PTAB

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    Following last year's CommScope v. Dali decision, the Patent Trial and Appeal Board is increasingly using Fintiv factors to discretionarily deny inter partes review petitions — and attorneys ignore it at their peril, say Josepher Li and Michelle Armond at Armond Wilson.

  • 4 Ways To Refresh Your Law Firm's Marketing Strategy

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    With many BigLaw firms relying on an increasingly obsolete marketing approach that prioritizes stiff professionalism over authentic connection, adopting a few key communications strategies to better connect with today's clients and prospects can make all the difference, say Eric Pacifici and Kevin Henderson at SMB Law.

  • What Law Firms Should Know Amid Rise In DQ Motions

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    As disqualification motions proliferate, law firms need to be aware of the types of conflicts that most often lead to disqualification, the types of attorneys who may be affected and how to reduce their exposure to these motions, says Matthew Henderson at Hinshaw.

  • What Have We Learned In The Year Since Warhol?

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    In the almost year since the U.S. Supreme Court decided Andy Warhol Foundation v. Goldsmith, which was widely seen as potentially chilling to creative endeavors, seven subsequent decisions — while illuminating to some extent — do not indicate any trend toward a radical departure from prior precedents in fair use cases, says ​​​​​​​Jose Sariego at Bilzin Sumberg.

  • Practical Pointers After Fed. Circ. Double-Patenting Decision

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    With the Federal Circuit recently denying a full court review of In re: Cellect, a decision regarding obviousness-type double-patenting, affected patent family holders should evaluate their rights through both patent prosecution and future litigation lenses to minimize risks, say Austin Lorch and Jeff Wolfson at Haynes Boone.

  • Clemson's ACC Exit Fee Suit May Have Major Consequences

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    Clemson University's recent suit in South Carolina state court against the Atlantic Coast Conference, which challenges the ACC's $140 million exit fee and its ownership of member schools' media rights, would likely have enormous ramifications for ACC members in the event of a definitive court ruling, say William Sullivan and Alex Anderson at Pillsbury.

  • How Duty Of Candor Figures In USPTO AI Ethics Guidance

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    The duty of candor and good faith is an important part of the artificial intelligence ethics guidance issued last week by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, and serious consequences can visit patent and trademark applicants who violate that duty, not just their attorneys and agents, says Michael Cicero at Taylor English.

  • Patent Lessons From 8 Federal Circuit Reversals In March

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    A number of Federal Circuit patent decisions last month reversed or vacated underlying rulings, providing guidance regarding the definiteness of a claim that include multiple limitations of different scopes, the importance of adequate jury instruction, the proper scope of the precedent, and more, say Denise De Mory and Li Guo at Bunsow De Mory.

  • Tenn. Law Protecting Artists From AI Raises Novel Issues

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    Tennessee recently enacted a law that extends the right of publicity protection to individuals' voices in an attempt to control the proliferation of artificial intelligence in the music industry, presenting fascinating questions about the First Amendment, the fair use doctrine and more, say attorneys at Davis Wright.

  • A Look At Ex Parte Seizures 8 Years Post-DTSA

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    In the eight years since the Defend Trade Secrets Act was enacted, not much has changed for jurisprudence on ex parte seizures, but a few seminal rulings show that there still isn’t a bright line on what qualifies as extraordinary circumstances warranting a seizure, say attorneys at Finnegan.

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