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Intellectual Property
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May 24, 2024
DraftKings' Noncompete Win Shuns Calif. Law, 1st Circ. Told
A former DraftKings Inc. executive who was blocked from taking a job in Los Angeles at rival sportsbook Fanatics told the First Circuit that a Massachusetts federal judge should have applied a worker-friendly California law to the trade secrets spat.
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May 23, 2024
Bungie Cheat Code Sellers Dinged At Trial For Deleting Docs
A Seattle federal judge overseeing a trial of Bungie's copyright claims against a group of cheat code sellers instructed jurors Thursday that the defendants intentionally destroyed evidence by deleting records they had a duty to preserve once they were aware of the game studio's claims.
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May 23, 2024
Sonos Gets Fed. Circ. To Affirm Axed Google Patent Claims
Google failed on Thursday to persuade Federal Circuit judges to breathe new life into patent claims the tech giant has asserted in its legal fight with the Sonos speaker brand.
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May 23, 2024
Micron Owes $445M In Netlist Chip Patent Case, Jury Says
Micron Technology Inc. willfully infringed a pair of Netlist computer memory patents, a Texas federal jury determined Thursday, saying the chipmaker owes $425 million in damages for one patent and $20 million for the other.
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May 23, 2024
Israeli Attys Complain To USPTO After Pro-Gaza Reddit Post
Various groups of Israeli lawyers have told the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office that they are concerned about the "potential influence that individual political views may have on the examination of patent applications of Israel applicants."
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May 23, 2024
Judge Won't Strike $12.5M Suit Over LifeWallet Software
A Florida judge refused Thursday to strike a lawsuit accusing John Ruiz and his company, MSP Recovery, of failing to pay $12.5 million promised for LifeWallet software, finding that Ruiz had not met his burden of showing the lawsuit was a sham.
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May 23, 2024
Dyson Says It Deserves Counterfeiters' Profits
Dyson told the Seventh Circuit on Thursday that a district court's refusal to award it profits from several e-commerce shops that defaulted in a trademark counterfeiting lawsuit should be reversed because it essentially "punished" the company by requiring it to provide proof that defendants should have offered.
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May 23, 2024
USPTO Issues Guidance On New Fed. Circ. Design Patent Test
The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office has issued guidance laying out how to apply the Federal Circuit's Tuesday en banc decision, making the standard for obviousness in design patents more flexible.
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May 23, 2024
House Money: The Path To A Landmark NCAA NIL Settlement
The NCAA is expected to pay more than $2.7 billion to settle a yearslong antitrust class action lawsuit featuring hundreds of thousands of former college athletes who alleged the organization owed them for years of unpaid name, image and likeness compensation. Here, Law360 walks you down the winding path that led to the massive reported settlement.
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May 23, 2024
Old Case Can't Nix $181M AT&T, Nokia Verdict, Fed. Circ. Told
Finesse Wireless LLC pushed back at the Federal Circuit against AT&T and Nokia's appeal of a more than $181 million verdict in Texas federal court for infringing Finesse's patents on reducing radio frequency interference, saying the companies' reliance on a 140-year-old Supreme Court case was misplaced.
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May 23, 2024
NCAA, Athletes Settle NIL Class Action Over Billions In Pay
The NCAA said Thursday it has reached a settlement with the former college athletes who had filed an antitrust class action demanding billions in potential compensation allegedly denied to them for decades before the U.S. Supreme Court overturned the NCAA's compensation ban.
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May 23, 2024
VW And Porsche Largely Invalidate Headlight Patent At PTAB
The Patent Trial and Appeal Board has invalidated the vast majority of an Israeli inventor's patent covering adaptive headlights challenged by Volkswagen and Porsche, finding all but three challenged claims were obvious.
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May 23, 2024
Proposal To Expand PTAB Practitioners Divides Atty Groups
Patent lawyers and others have chimed in on proposed plans from the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office that would potentially "designate nonregistered practitioners" to litigate at the Patent Trial and Appeal Board, with some urging the agency to let nonpatent lawyers argue there, while others warn it could "dilute the importance of the registration process."
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May 23, 2024
Fed. Circ. Upends Inventors' Interference Win Over Time-Bar
The Patent Trial and Appeal Board wrongly chose inventors tied to Cook Medical, rather than ones tied to Medtronic, when determining who should prevail in an interference proceeding over catheters, the Federal Circuit held Thursday.
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May 23, 2024
Fed. Circ. Says Winery Minority Owner Can't Try To Cancel TM
The Federal Circuit has affirmed a Trademark Trial and Appeal Board decision that a family trust that is a minority owner of Paul Hobbs Winery, which owns the trademark registration on the name of winemaker Paul Hobbs, does not have the right to seek cancellation of registrations on certain trademarks.
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May 23, 2024
Man Behind NH Primary Deepfake Faces Charges, FCC Fines
The Democratic consultant accused of making robocalls with a cloned voice of President Joe Biden discouraging voters from taking part in the New Hampshire primary faces a state indictment on 13 felony voter suppression charges and $6 million in potential federal fines.
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May 23, 2024
Legal Marketer, Ark. Firm Agree To End Trade Secrets Suit
A legal marketing business has agreed to dismiss a Georgia federal lawsuit accusing an Arkansas law firm and others of stealing and profiting off its trade secrets, including a database of client leads for mass torts over talcum powder and heartburn medication.
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May 23, 2024
Ex-Shook Hardy IP Team Joins Boies Schiller In DC
Boies Schiller Flexner has beefed up its intellectual property services in Washington, D.C., with the addition of a trio of attorneys who previously practiced together for nearly a decade at Shook Hardy & Bacon, the firm announced Thursday.
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May 22, 2024
Pryor Cashman Atty Accused Of 'Brazen' Hose Patent Fraud
An attorney for Pryor Cashman LLP and his client were accused Wednesday in Florida federal court of engaging in a "brazen" scheme to usurp a hose company's rights to a patent portfolio while also defrauding the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.
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May 22, 2024
Salesforce Gets Texas Judge To Move Patent Suit To California
For at least the second time in a week, a federal judge in Austin, Texas, has explained why he has shipped a patent lawsuit from his court to the Northern District of California — this time in a case brought by a bankrupt startup against one of Salesforce's brands.
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May 22, 2024
Inventor To Take $102M IP Malpractice Row To Ga. High Court
A neurosurgeon pursuing a nearly $102 million legal malpractice case against FisherBroyles LLP and a legal services contractor over a missed patent filing deadline said Wednesday that he is planning to take the dispute to the highest court in the Peach State.
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May 22, 2024
Record Co. Worker Can't Appeal Before Nirvana Logo Trial
A former record company employee who claims he created Nirvana's "smiley face" logo can't immediately appeal a ruling denying his ownership claim or delay trial in the band's copyright suit against designer Marc Jacobs International LLC over the logo, a California federal judge has ruled.
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May 22, 2024
NFL Escapes Sanders Statue Spat As Getty Eyes Arbitration
The NFL has escaped a New York federal lawsuit filed by a professional photographer who claims his copyrighted photo was unlawfully used to create a statue of legendary running back Barry Sanders, while Getty Images Inc. hopes to settle through arbitration.
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May 22, 2024
PTAB Finds Inergy's Chip Patent Challenges 'Compelling'
The Patent Trial and Appeal Board has decided to review Force Mos Technology chip patents, saying it won't rely on a 2020 precedent to discretionarily deny challenges by Inergy Technology Inc. in light of a looming district court trial because the petitions raise "compelling evidence of unpatentability."
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May 22, 2024
Justices' CFPB Alliance May Save SEC Courts, Not Chevron
A four-justice concurrence to the U.S. Supreme Court's decision upholding the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's unique funding scheme last week carries implications for other cases pending before the court that challenge the so-called administrative state, or the permanent cadre of regulatory agencies and career government enforcers who hold sway over vast swaths of American economic life.
Expert Analysis
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Don't Use The Same Template For Every Client Alert
As the old marketing adage goes, consistency is key, but law firm style guides need consistency that contemplates variety when it comes to client alert formats, allowing attorneys to tailor alerts to best fit the audience and subject matter, says Jessica Kaplan at Legally Penned.
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Series
Walking With My Dog Makes Me A Better Lawyer
Thanks to my dog Birdie, I've learned that carving out an activity different from the practice of law — like daily outdoor walks that allow you to interact with new people — can contribute to professional success by boosting creativity and mental acuity, as well as expanding your social network, says Sarah Petrie at the Massachusetts Attorney General’s Office.
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The Secret Sauce For Trademarking Viral Food Products
Three recent high-profile trademark disputes in the food industry illustrate the importance of protecting brands early — especially for any company aiming for viral fame — and underscore the value of intent-to-use applications, say Elliot Gee and Matthew Dowd at Dowd Scheffel.
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Chanel TM Ruling Shows Resellers Must Tread Carefully
The Southern District of New York's recent jury verdict in Chanel v. What Goes Around Comes Around, in which Chanel brought trademark infringement and false association claims, serves as a reminder that businesses must routinely ensure their practices are protected by the first sale and fair use doctrines, say Stephen Barrett and Gabriela Rios at Wilson Elser.
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Think Like A Lawyer: Follow The Iron Rule Of Trial Logic
Many diligent and eager attorneys include every good fact, point and rule in their trial narratives — spurred by the gnawing fear they’ll be second-guessed for leaving something out — but this approach ignores a fundamental principle of successful trial lawyering, says Luke Andrews at Poole Huffman.
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Fed. Circ. Ruling Shows Difficulty Of Proving Deceptive Intent
The Federal Circuit’s recent Freshub v. Amazon decision demonstrates how proving the deceptive intent requirement for inequitable conduct can be challenging, even when there is a five-year delay after abandonment before revival, say attorneys at BCLP.
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The Art Of Asking: Leveraging Your Contacts For Referrals
Though attorneys may hesitate to ask for referral recommendations to generate new business, research shows that people want to help others they know, like and trust, so consider who in your network you should approach and how to make the ask, says Rebecca Hnatowski at Edwards Advisory.
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Breaking Down The EPO's Revised Practice Guidelines
The European Patent Office's updated guidelines for examination recently took effect and include significant changes related to the priority right presumption, the concept of plausibility and artificial intelligence, providing invaluable insight on obtaining patents from the office, say lawyers at Finnegan.
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Trending At The PTAB: Permissible New Reply Arguments
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.
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Exploring A New Era Of IP Law Amid The Rise Of Generative AI
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.
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Fed. Circ. Defines Foreign IP Damages, Raises New Questions
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.
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Series
Being An Equestrian Makes Me A Better Lawyer
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.
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Teach Your Party Representative The Art Of Nonverbal Cues
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.
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Fintiv Denials Are On The Rise At PTAB
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.
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4 Ways To Refresh Your Law Firm's Marketing Strategy
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.