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Telecommunications
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August 22, 2024
USPTO Tells High Court To Skip Double-Patenting Fight
The U.S. patent office told the U.S. Supreme Court that fears stoked by a patent licensing outfit complaining about current Federal Circuit jurisprudence surrounding "obviousness-type double patenting" has already been resolved by a different ruling by the same court earlier this month.
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August 22, 2024
Ex-Avaya Execs Snag Early Exit From Investor Suits In NC
Three former executives at telecom giant Avaya Inc. have escaped separate lawsuits in the North Carolina Business Court accusing them of painting an inaccurately rosy picture for investors before finances tanked and the company was forced to declare bankruptcy.
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August 22, 2024
Voter Claims NC 'Ballot Selfie' Laws Violate Free Speech
A North Carolina voter hopes to take down the state's so-called ballot selfie laws, which make it illegal to take a photo with a completed ballot, arguing in a new federal lawsuit filed Thursday that the statutes trample her free speech rights.
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August 22, 2024
Telephone Cos. Want In On Tribal Broadband Grant Row
The two Alaskan telecoms that received the U.S. Department of Agriculture grants now at the center of a suit from local tribes say they want in on the litigation, telling an Alaska federal judge that they should get a chance to defend their grants alongside the USDA as intervenors.
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August 22, 2024
Borrowed Claims Revived In CenturyLink Merger Suit
A Colorado Court of Appeals panel said Thursday that attorneys can borrow confidential witness statements from other lawsuits without speaking to the witnesses as long as they take other investigatory steps, reinstating a shareholder suit against CenturyLink.
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August 21, 2024
Legal, Policy Orgs Urge Justices To Toss FCA Interpretation
Two groups are defending AT&T subsidiary Wisconsin Bell Inc. in its challenge to the use of the False Claims Act for E-Rate program reimbursement fraud, telling the Supreme Court in amicus briefs Tuesday that the Seventh Circuit's ruling in the case would make the FCA's qui tam powers too expansive.
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August 21, 2024
Telecom Will Pay $1M For Carrying Biden Deepfake Robocalls
Lingo Telecom will pay the FCC $1 million for not properly validating the caller ID information of a Democratic consultant who used a deepfake of President Joe Biden's voice to make robocalls urging voters not to participate in the New Hampshire primary, the commission announced Wednesday.
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August 21, 2024
AT&T, Verizon, T-Mobile Accused Of Blocking Wi-Fi Calling
A patent-holding company said Wednesday it has filed a lawsuit accusing AT&T, Verizon, T-Mobile and Deutsche Telekom of blocking the emergence of a market for Wi-Fi calling by tying the service to voice and text offerings.
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August 21, 2024
NC Biz Court Bulletin: Wrinkle In Textile Family's $17M Fight
The fate of a $17 million trust battled over by its trustees and Atrium Health, as well as attorney fees in a $1.1 million data breach settlement were cemented by the North Carolina Business Court in the first half of August. In case you missed those and others, here are the highlights.
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August 21, 2024
Mich. Families Drop Virtual Jail Visit Suit Against Telecom
Families of inmates in the St. Clair County Jail have dropped their claims against a jail telecommunication provider after a Michigan state judge ruled that the families' constitutional rights were not violated by the jail's decision to replace in-person visitation with video calling.
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August 21, 2024
Justices Urged To Take Up 9th Circ. $1.3B Award Suit
The corporate arm of India's space agency is trying to downplay how big of a circuit split the Ninth Circuit created when it ruled it had no jurisdiction over a $1.3 billion arbitral award, but the company's attempts are "unconvincing," an Indian satellite telecom has told the U.S. Supreme Court.
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August 21, 2024
Chamberlain Hrdlicka Can't Nix $700K Award To Consultant
A Lone Star State appellate court has sided with a cost-cutting consulting firm in preserving a $700,000 judgment it was awarded following a 2022 jury trial against Chamberlain Hrdlicka White Williams & Aughtry, rejecting the law firm's argument that its liability was limited to a far lower amount under their contract.
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August 20, 2024
OnePlus Gets Do-Over For 'Excessive' $10M Pantech Verdict
Chinese phone company OnePlus can have a new trial on damages after it was hit with a $10 million infringement verdict in Pantech Corp.'s patent dispute over technology used to comply with 5G wireless standards, a Texas federal judge ruled, saying, "There is no question this verdict is excessive."
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August 20, 2024
9th Circ. Revives Google Chrome Users' Data Privacy Suit
The Ninth Circuit on Tuesday reversed the dismissal of a proposed class action accusing Google of surreptitiously collecting Chrome users' data, finding that the lower court had relied on the incorrect standard in determining whether a "reasonable" consumer would think they had consented to the disputed practice.
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August 20, 2024
FCC Urged To Boost Middle-Mile Support For Alaska Telecoms
Alaskan telecoms are telling the Federal Communications Commission that their state needs special rules for middle-mile support, saying that Alaska's short construction season, roadless areas and other unique challenges mean that more support will be needed to achieve widespread connectivity.
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August 20, 2024
Don't Nix 'Band Manager' Approach In 4.9 GHz, FCC Told
Public interest groups have urged the Federal Communications Commission to preserve its original plan to use a national band manager to oversee a 4.9 gigahertz spectrum revamp rather than turning it over to FirstNet through a nationwide license.
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August 20, 2024
USDOT Floats Vehicle-To-Everything Deployment Plan
The U.S. Department of Transportation is setting out an aspirational timeline for vehicle-to-everything infrastructure deployment, saying it wants to see the technology deployed on 50% of the nation's highways by 2031.
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August 20, 2024
Apple Says iCloud Monopoly Suit Can't Stay Afloat
Apple has told a California federal judge that it's time to boot a proposed class action that accuses it of flouting federal antitrust laws by blocking third-party cloud storage services from accessing and storing certain files on its smartphones.
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August 20, 2024
Cox, Music Publishers Ask Justices To Review Copyright Row
Cox Communications and music publishers led by Sony Music Entertainment have petitioned the U.S. Supreme Court to review a Fourth Circuit ruling — with music companies asking for clarity on the scope of liability for internet service providers for online piracy and Cox asking whether it can be responsible for copyright infringement for merely providing an internet connection.
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August 20, 2024
FCC Says No To 8 Nonprofit Stations In Texas
The Federal Communications Commission says it is not approving eight applications for new low power FM stations because the Christian entities that applied for them appear to actually all be part of the same organization, which does not qualify as an educational nonprofit.
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August 20, 2024
Verizon Customer Says Stalker Got Her Info, Arrived With Knife
A Verizon Communications Inc. customer alleges in a North Carolina federal court complaint that the telecom violated federal privacy law when it gave her private information to a stalker who was threatening to kill her, allowing him to arrive at her house with a knife.
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August 20, 2024
Fed. Circ. Flips Samsung's Win In 'Slide To Unlock' Patent Suit
The Federal Circuit on Tuesday revived part of a small smartphone company's patent suit against Samsung over its "swipe to unlock" feature, saying that one of Neonode Smartphone's core patent claims was more definite in its scope than the lower court gave it credit for.
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August 20, 2024
FCC Can't Subsidize Off-Campus Wi-Fi, Think Tank Argues
A free-market group criticized the Federal Communications Commission's new program to subsidize Wi-Fi service for schools and libraries, saying it is not just a dubious policy choice but breaks with the statutory limits that Congress set for the E-Rate program.
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August 20, 2024
Epic Will Pay Google $400K For Play Store Contract Breach
Epic Games has agreed to pay Google around $400,000 for implementing its own payment method in "Fortnite" and getting booted from the Play Store, as the court continues to mull what changes Google will have to make after a jury found that its policies violate antitrust law.
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August 20, 2024
Feds Launch Probe Into Wi-Fi Technology Imports
The U.S. International Trade Commission opened an investigation into a domestic semiconductor company's claims that a Chinese rival was selling Wi-Fi technology in the U.S. that infringes on its intellectual property.
Expert Analysis
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7th Circ. Ruling Sheds Light On Extraterritoriality In IP Law
A recent Seventh Circuit decision involving the Defend Trade Secrets Act, allowing for broader international application of trade secrets laws, highlights a difference in how trade secrets are treated compared to other areas of intellectual property law, say Armin Ghiam and Maria Montenegro-Bernardo at Hunton.
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Mirror, Mirror On The Wall, Is My Counterclaim Bound To Fall?
A Pennsylvania federal court’s recent dismissal of the defendants’ counterclaims in Morgan v. Noss should remind attorneys to avoid the temptation to repackage a claim’s facts and law into a mirror-image counterclaim, as this approach will often result in a waste of time and resources, says Matthew Selmasska at Kaufman Dolowich.
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Series
Playing Dungeons & Dragons Makes Me A Better Lawyer
Playing Dungeons & Dragons – a tabletop role-playing game – helped pave the way for my legal career by providing me with foundational skills such as persuasion and team building, says Derrick Carman at Robins Kaplan.
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3 Notes For Arbitration Agreements After Calif. Ruling
After last month's California Supreme Court decision in Ramirez v. Charter Communications invalidated several arbitration clauses in the company's employee contracts as unconscionable, companies should ensure their own arbitration agreements steer clear of three major pitfalls identified by the court, say attorneys at Cooley.
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3 Leadership Practices For A More Supportive Firm Culture
Traditional leadership styles frequently amplify the inherent pressures of legal work, but a few simple, time-neutral strategies can strengthen the skills and confidence of employees and foster a more collaborative culture, while supporting individual growth and contribution to organizational goals, says Benjamin Grimes at BKG Leadership.
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How Justices' E-Rate Decision May Affect Scope Of FCA
The U.S. Supreme Court’s eventual decision in Wisconsin Bell v. U.S., determining whether reimbursements paid by the E-rate program are "claims" under the False Claims Act, may affect other federal programs that do not require payments to be made by the U.S. Department of the Treasury, says David Colapinto at Kohn Kohn.
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E-Discovery Quarterly: Rulings On Hyperlinked Documents
Recent rulings show that counsel should engage in early discussions with clients regarding the potential of hyperlinked documents in electronically stored information, which will allow for more deliberate negotiation of any agreements regarding the scope of discovery, say attorneys at Sidley.
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Loper Bright Limits Federal Agencies' Ability To Alter Course
The U.S. Supreme Court's recent decision to dismantle Chevron deference also effectively overrules its 2005 decision in National Cable & Telecommunications Association v. Brand X, greatly diminishing agencies' ability to change regulatory course from one administration to the next, says Steven Gordon at Holland & Knight.
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What Cos. Should Note In DOJ's New Whistleblower Pilot
After the U.S. Department of Justice unveiled a new whistleblower pilot program last week — continuing its efforts to incentivize individual reporting of misconduct — companies should review the eligibility criteria, update their compliance programs and consider the risks and benefits of making their own self-disclosures, say attorneys at Skadden.
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Series
Teaching Scuba Diving Makes Me A Better Lawyer
As a master scuba instructor, I’ve learned how to prepare for the unexpected, overcome fears and practice patience, and each of these skills – among the many others I’ve developed – has profoundly enhanced my work as a lawyer, says Ron Raether at Troutman Pepper.
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Lawyers Can Take Action To Honor The Voting Rights Act
As the Voting Rights Act reaches its 59th anniversary Tuesday, it must urgently be reinforced against recent efforts to dismantle voter protections, and lawyers can pitch in immediately by volunteering and taking on pro bono work to directly help safeguard the right to vote, says Anna Chu at We The Action.
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Pros And Cons Of 2025 NDAA's Space Contracting Proposal
The introduction of a Commercial Augmentation Space Reserve fleet in the pending 2025 National Defense Authorization Act presents a significant opportunity for space and satellite companies — despite outstanding questions, and potential risks, for operators, say attorneys at Wiley.
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How To Grow Marketing, Biz Dev Teams In A Tight Market
Faced with fierce competition and rising operating costs, firms are feeling the pressure to build a well-oiled marketing and business development team that supports strategic priorities, but they’ll need to be flexible and creative given a tight talent market, says Ben Curle at Ambition.
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Considerations For Federal Right Of Publicity As AI Advances
Amid rapid advances in generative artificial intelligence technology, Congress should consider how a federal right of publicity would interact with the existing patchwork of state name, image and likeness laws, as well as other issues like scope, harm recognized and available relief, says Ross Bagley at Pryor Cashman.
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What Patent Litigators Should Know About CHIPS Act Grants
With the U.S. Department of Commerce now actively awarding grants under the CHIPS and Science Act, recipients should ensure they understand the implications of promises to construct new semiconductor manufacturing facilities, especially in jurisdictions with active patent litigation dockets, say Gabriel Culver and Peter Hillegas at Norton Rose.