Intellectual Property

  • March 25, 2024

    Berkshire Hathaway Unit's Patent Must Undergo 3 PGRs

    The Patent Trial and Appeal Board has instituted three post-grant reviews challenging a single Columbia Insurance Co. fire wall hanger patent, following petitions from Simpson Strong-Tie Company Inc.

  • March 25, 2024

    Fed. Circ. Dissent Raises Alarm Over IP Safe Harbor Use

    A California federal judge rightly dismissed Edwards Lifesciences Corp.'s infringement suit against Meril Life Sciences Pvt. Ltd., the Federal Circuit held Monday, with a dissent arguing such a holding would "create future mischief."

  • March 25, 2024

    FTC Intervenes In Teva-Amneal Row To Push Patent Delisting

    The Federal Trade Commission waded into another patent fight Friday with a New Jersey federal court amicus brief targeting the same Teva Pharmaceuticals asthma inhaler patents it has already included in a roster of over 100 it believes were improperly listed in a key federal database.

  • March 25, 2024

    InBev's Modelo Loses 2nd Circ. Appeal In Hard Seltzer Fight

    The Second Circuit said Monday that a licensing agreement between Anheuser-Busch InBev SA and Constellation Brands was ambiguous about whether hard seltzers are beer, affirming a New York federal judge's order to let jurors decide the question at a trial where Constellation Brands prevailed against claims of trademark infringement.

  • March 25, 2024

    Jury Hands Mortgage Co. $73K Win In Trade Secrets Fight

    An Ohio federal jury has found that Revolution Mortgage owes just over $73,700 to competitor Equity Resources in a case where Equity accused its rival of misappropriation of trade secrets.

  • March 25, 2024

    Bloomberg Asks To Toss Ex-Gov. Huckabee's AI Class Action

    Media company Bloomberg has asked a Manhattan federal judge to dismiss it from a proposed class action led by former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, arguing that the plaintiffs' complaint lacks specifics detailing how their e-books' copyrights were allegedly infringed to train Bloomberg's large language model.

  • March 25, 2024

    Ownership Suit Over McCartney, Jagger Recordings Is Tossed

    A Pennsylvania federal judge said Monday that no copyright dispute exists between the son of a music producer who recorded interviews with rock icons such as Paul McCartney and Mick Jagger and a man who sold the collection, reasoning that the son had no right to the recordings because they were never registered for copyrights with the federal government.

  • March 25, 2024

    Pool Co. Objects To Rival Counsel's Exit After $15M Verdict

    A swimming pool equipment supply company that won a $15 million verdict against a competitor in North Carolina federal court is now attempting to block the rival's counsel from leaving the case, saying the company may use the loss of its attorneys as justification for delaying final judgment.

  • March 25, 2024

    3rd Circ. Won't Rethink AbbVie Privilege Ruling

    The Third Circuit refused Monday to reconsider a ruling that found AbbVie was unable to show a lower court went against precedent or made errors when ordering the drugmaker to turn over attorney communications from a patent case allegedly meant to delay an AndroGel rival.

  • March 25, 2024

    Vidal Vacates Denials Of Challenges To Neo Wireless IP

    U.S. Patent and Trademark Office Director Kathi Vidal has thrown out Patent Trial and Appeal Board decisions not to review whether Neo Wireless patents are invalid in challenges brought by Honda and others.

  • March 25, 2024

    Schuh, Simmi Want To Give Naked Wolfe Designs The Boot

    Two U.K. shoe retailers have accused the owner of the Naked Wolfe brand of bringing meritless intellectual property claims against them, because its shoe designs weren't original enough to deserve protection in the first place.

  • March 22, 2024

    Gilead's Win Upheld In Billion-Dollar HIV Drug Patent Case

    A Delaware federal judge on Friday largely upheld a jury's verdict rejecting the government's potentially billion-dollar claim that Gilead Sciences Inc. infringed patents covering HIV drugs, ruling that the jury was correct in finding Gilead didn't cause doctors and patients to infringe.

  • March 22, 2024

    Jury Says Dexcom Infringed 1 Abbott Patent In Mixed Verdict

    A Delaware federal jury decided Friday that Dexcom infringed a glucose monitor patent owned by an Abbott Laboratories unit, cleared it of infringing two others and hung on a fourth, setting up a later damages trial in the latest facet of a globe-spanning legal dispute between the companies.

  • March 22, 2024

    Disney Can't Slip Patent Claims In Suit Over Thanos VFX Tech

    A California federal judge has kept alive a visual effects company's patent infringement claims alleging The Walt Disney Co. unlawfully used its technology to create iconic Marvel film characters, such as Thanos and the Hulk, but once again tossed its claims of copyright infringement.

  • March 22, 2024

    Edible Arrangements' Prior Deal Forecloses IP Row With Rival

    A Georgia federal judge ended Edible Arrangements' trademark suit accusing 1-800-Flowers.com of bidding on and buying keywords related to Edible's products for search engine advertisements, finding the parties' prior settlement releasing 1-800-Flowers from similar conduct challenged by Edible in Connecticut federal court years ago barred its current action.

  • March 22, 2024

    Intel Seeks Delay Of VLSI Damages Retrial Due To Patent Ax

    Intel has asked Western District of Texas Judge Alan Albright to hold off on a damages retrial in a case where the Federal Circuit vacated a $1.5 billion chip patent verdict won by VLSI, saying the case should be held while VLSI appeals a decision invalidating the patent.

  • March 22, 2024

    Md. University Says Psilocybin Trade Theft Suit Belongs In US

    A London-based biochemical company cannot be allowed to escape across the pond with trade secrets related to using psilocybin as a mental health treatment, the University of Maryland, Baltimore, told a federal court, saying the company's minimum contacts with the state was its "months-long fraudulent scheme" to swipe intellectual property.

  • March 22, 2024

    Justices Asked To Review $36M Sanctions Order In TM Case

    A man who works in the field of marketing and ad copywriting has asked the U.S. Supreme Court to overturn a $36 million sanctions order against him and several companies in a trademark case.

  • March 22, 2024

    Inventor Urges High Court To Look At Fed. Circ. 1-Line Orders

    A businesswoman behind a small printing company is the latest litigant to head to the U.S. Supreme Court with complaints about the Federal Circuit's practice of issuing one-sentence Rule 36 orders.

  • March 22, 2024

    Artists Fight Image Generator Cos.' Bid To End Copyright Suit

    Artists suing four companies that make or distribute software that creates images with text prompts urged a California federal court to keep their proposed class action alive, telling a judge who dismissed most of their copyright claims that their amended complaint withstands the defendants' arguments for dismissal.

  • March 22, 2024

    Lutron Cleared On Shade Trade Dress Claims

    A New York federal judge has thrown out trade dress claims that GeigTech brought against home lighting fixtures company Lutron, writing that "there is no evidence that Lutron wanted members of the consuming public to think that it was selling J. Geiger shades."

  • March 22, 2024

    Accused Purveyor Of Tesla Trade Secrets Poised To Get Bail

    A New York federal judge on Friday agreed to let a China-based businessman out on bail under strict conditions while he faces accusations of plotting to sell trade secrets concerning battery technology that were stolen from Tesla.

  • March 22, 2024

    $900M Trade Secrets Case Against Kaiser Foundation Flops

    A California state judge has ruled that, after more than five years of litigation against the Kaiser Foundation, a pastor's small medical technology startup cannot "explain what was unique or secret about its conception for transmitting patient data" that was purportedly worth beyond $900 million.

  • March 22, 2024

    Vanda's Obviousness Appeal Isn't Worthwhile, Teva Tells Justices

    Teva Pharmaceuticals and Apotex have said the U.S. Supreme Court should reject a petition from Vanda Pharmaceuticals, which said the Federal Circuit "charted its own course" when it invalidated its sleep drug patents as obvious.

  • March 22, 2024

    DraftKings' Suit Is 'Character Assassination,' Former VP Says

    A former DraftKings executive picked apart a trade secret suit brought against him in Massachusetts federal court by his ex-employer, saying it's an attempt to "torch his reputation" with questionable evidence that also demonstrates the company's practice of smearing employees who leave for better opportunities.

Expert Analysis

  • What's At Play In Rising Lanham Act Cases At The ITC

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    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.

  • Key Factors In Establishing Compelling Merits At The PTAB

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    A look at over 450 Patent Trial and Appeal Board decisions between June 2022 and now provides insights into strategies for petitioners and patent owners in establishing compelling merits arguments in post-grant proceedings, say David Holman and Tyler Liu at Sterne Kessler.

  • Business Litigators Have A Source Of Untapped Fulfillment

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    As increasing numbers of attorneys struggle with stress and mental health issues, business litigators can find protection against burnout by remembering their important role in society — because fulfillment in one’s work isn’t just reserved for public interest lawyers, say Bennett Rawicki and Peter Bigelow at Hilgers Graben.

  • Takeaways From USPTO's AI-Assisted Invention Guidance

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    Recently issued guidance from the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office clarifies how patent inventorship is to be determined when AI is involved, and while the immediate risk of prosecution for failing to meet the new standards appears low, the extent of examiners’ scrutiny remains to be seen, say attorneys at Foley & Lardner.

  • The Taylor Swift Effect: Leveraging IP Thresholds In Ads

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    The Cetaphil #GameTimeGlow commercial, which aired before the Super Bowl, has garnered attention for its indirect use of Taylor Swift-related symbols that were easily spotted by fans — sparking questions about the legality of nodding to the iconic pop star without violating intellectual property rights, say attorneys at ​​​​​​​Brooks Kushman.

  • 5 Ways To Hone Deposition Skills And Improve Results

    Excerpt from Practical Guidance
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    Depositions must never be taken for granted in the preparations needed to win a dispositive motion or a trial, and five best practices, including knowing when to hire a videographer, can significantly improve outcomes, says James Argionis at Cozen O'Connor.

  • Series

    Skiing Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    A lifetime of skiing has helped me develop important professional skills, and taught me that embracing challenges with a spirit of adventure can allow lawyers to push boundaries, expand their capabilities and ultimately excel in their careers, says Andrea Przybysz at Tucker Ellis.

  • Can A DAO Be Sued? SDNY Case May Hold The Answer

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    A case pending in the Southern District of New York will examine whether decentralized crypto co-op MakerDAO is a partnership with the capacity to be sued in federal court, and the decision could shape how legal frameworks will adapt to accommodate blockchain technologies moving forward, say attorneys at Haynes Boone.

  • Navigating Trade Secret Litigation In A High-Stakes Landscape

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    Recent eye-popping verdicts are becoming increasingly common in trade secret litigation — but employers can take several proactive steps to protect proprietary information and defend against misappropriation accusations in order to avoid becoming the next headline, say Jessica Mason and Jack FitzGerald at Foley & Lardner.

  • Disney Copyright Expiration Spurs Trademark Questions

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    While the recent expiration of Disney’s Steamboat Willie copyright is not likely to have an immediate impact, it could provide clarity on the extent to which trademark rights in character names and appearance affect what others can do with characters from works whose copyright has expired, says Bryan Wheelock at Harness IP.

  • Think Like A Lawyer: Forget Everything You Know About IRAC

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    The mode of legal reasoning most students learn in law school, often called “Issue, Rule, Application, Conclusion,” or IRAC, erroneously frames analysis as a separate, discrete step, resulting in disorganized briefs and untold obfuscation — but the fix is pretty simple, says Luke Andrews at Poole Huffman.

  • Opinion

    There Is No NCAA Supremacy Clause, Especially For NIL

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    A recent Tennessee federal court ruling illustrates the NCAA's problematic position that its member schools should violate state law rather than its rules — and the organization's legal history with the dormant commerce clause raises a fundamental constitutional issue that will have to be resolved before attorneys can navigate NIL with confidence, says Patrick O’Donnell at HWG.

  • Valeant Ruling May Pave Way For Patent-Based FCA Suits

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    The Ninth Circuit’s recent ruling in Silbersher v. Valeant marks a significant development in False Claims Act jurisprudence, opens new avenues for litigation and potentially raises the stakes for patent applicants who intend to do business with the government, say Joshua Robbins and Rick Taché at Buchalter.

  • Webpages Must Meet Accessibility Standard To Be Prior Art

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    The Patent Trial and Appeal Board's First Solar Inc. v. Rovshan Sade decision, that an available internet resource doesn't necessarily qualify as a prior art "printed publication" that is publicly accessible, serves as a reminder of the unforgiving requirements that must be satisfied to establish that a reference is a printed publication, say attorneys at Akin.

  • The Pros And Cons Of Protecting AI As Trade Secrets

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    Despite regulatory trends toward greater transparency of artificial intelligence models, federal policy acknowledges, and perhaps endorses, trade secret protection for AI information, but there are still hurdles in keeping AI information a secret, say Jennifer Maisel and Andrew Stewart at Rothwell Figg.

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