Intellectual Property

  • September 17, 2024

    JM Smucker Says Rival Is Spreading Uncrustable Lies

    A Los Angeles-based online snack retailer is smearing the image of J.M. Smucker Co.'s signature Uncrustables sandwiches through defamatory social media posts and false claims that its own products are nutritionally superior, the jam giant alleged Monday in an Ohio federal court complaint.

  • September 17, 2024

    2nd Circ. Lets American Girl Doll Counterfeit Case Proceed

    The Second Circuit on Tuesday held that doll manufacturer American Girl LLC could move ahead with its New York federal suit accusing a China-based company of selling counterfeit versions of its dolls, finding that American Girl showed the defendant transacted business in the state.

  • September 17, 2024

    Ford Barred From Using InterMotive Mark After $13M Verdict

    A Michigan federal judge permanently barred Ford Motor Co. from using the name of a California tech company's vehicle control module, following last year's jury award of more than $13 million to the tech maker for infringement by Ford.

  • September 17, 2024

    Flowers For Miley? Not Without Bruno Mars, Suit Says

    Singer Miley Cyrus is accused of lifting extensively from Bruno Mars' popular song "When I Was Your Man" to create her hit "Flowers," according to a copyright suit in California federal court that also targets Sony, Apple, Disney and several others.

  • September 17, 2024

    Brooklyn Feds Unveil Whistleblower Nonprosecution Plan

    The Brooklyn U.S. Attorney's Office on Tuesday announced an initiative to reward corporate whistleblowers with nonprosecution deals amid a broader effort by federal prosecutors to encourage voluntary disclosure of criminal activity.

  • September 17, 2024

    Tech Co. Takes Shot At Brooklyn Nets Over 'Netaverse' Use

    The Brooklyn Nets have damaged the reputation of hardware and software technology company Phinge Corp. by unlawfully using the phrase "netaverse," which Phinge has been using since 2022, for the team's virtual reality services, according to a new trademark infringement lawsuit lodged in California federal court.

  • September 17, 2024

    GC Base Salaries At Big Companies On The Rise

    General counsel base salaries at companies making $5 billion or more in revenue has increased from last year, while their total compensation has decreased, according to a report released Tuesday by the Association of Corporate Counsel and Empsight International LLC.

  • September 17, 2024

    Google Taps In-House Atty For Head Of General Litigation

    Google has promoted a longtime in-house attorney to be its head of general litigation, tapping a 13-year veteran of the tech giant who originally studied architectural engineering before going to law school. 

  • September 17, 2024

    Meta Deletes Photo Tagging IP At Fed. Circ.

    The Federal Circuit on Tuesday handed Meta Platforms Inc. a win in an infringement case, upholding the invalidation of a patent-holding company's patent on digitally tagging images and dismissing related patents on appeal after they failed to survive at the Patent Trial and Appeal Board.

  • September 17, 2024

    Addleshaw Goddard Expands IP Team With Five Stobbs Hires

    Addleshaw Goddard LLP has hired a five-lawyer team from an intellectual property boutique led by a veteran IP litigator from the high-profile Colin the Caterpillar case as it strives to grow a market-leading team.

  • September 17, 2024

    Toshiba Sheet-Counting Patent Gets Revoked On Appeal

    Toshiba has lost a patent over a sheet-inspecting machine that can count and reject banknotes, after European officials ruled that it was obvious in light of previous patents.

  • September 17, 2024

    Competitiveness Outranks Climate In New EU Commission

    European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen shifted her focus from climate change to boosting competitiveness as she proposed her team of commissioners for the next five-year mandate Tuesday, handing out key jobs covering everything from competition enforcement to trade policy.

  • September 17, 2024

    Nokia's UPC Clash With Rival Paused Amid German Case

    Nokia cannot press ahead with its bid to revoke an Israeli company's connectivity patent at the Unified Patent Court until its "almost identical" German case concludes, an appeals panel ruled Tuesday.

  • September 17, 2024

    Dutch Bike Maker Proves Rival's 'Fat Bike' Infringes Its Design

    A bicycle company has persuaded a Dutch court to prevent its rival from selling its "fat bikes" in the European Union, proving that the wide-tired mount infringes its design rights over a similar bicycle.

  • September 17, 2024

    EasyGroup Hits Bathroom Retailer For "Easy Bathrooms" TM

    Airline and hotel giant EasyGroup is suing a supplier of bathroom equipment for infringing its trademark by using an "Easy Bathrooms" logo reading, saying the company is unlawfully benefiting from its reputation.

  • September 16, 2024

    Teleflex Gets Another Chance In Catheter Patent Feud

    The Federal Circuit on Monday held that a Minnesota district court was wrong to invalidate claims in seven catheter patents Teleflex LLC asserted against Medtronic Inc. as indefinite, finding the lower court took an overly narrow view of how claims are construed.

  • September 16, 2024

    Injectable Analgesic Maker Wants Generic Version Blocked

    Mallinckrodt Pharmaceuticals has sued a rival drugmaker in Delaware federal court, alleging the company copied its injectable version of acetaminophen and infringed four patents in the process.

  • September 16, 2024

    IBM Wins $45M From Zynga In Gaming Patent Trial

    A Delaware federal jury has found that social game developer Zynga Inc. infringed two IBM patents with its interactive games and owes the tech giant $45 million.

  • September 16, 2024

    Texas Trio Ordered To Pay Lewis Brisbois $1.5M After TM Spat

    A Houston federal judge ordered a Texas trio to pay more than $1.5 million in statutory damages to Lewis Brisbois Bisgaard & Smith LLP after finding last month that the group willfully stole the BigLaw behemoth's name for its mediation business in 2022.

  • September 16, 2024

    Bayer Beats IP Firm's Bid To Nix European MRI Patent

    Bayer AG has seen off a challenge by law firm De Simone & Partners to scrap its patent for a type of contrast agent used to improve the quality of MRI scans after European patent officials confirmed that it contained a new compound.

  • September 16, 2024

    DraftKings, FanDuel Sued Over Use Of MLB Player Images

    Sports betting giants including DraftKings and FanDuel have been using photographs of MLB players to promote sports betting offerings despite knowing they do not have such rights, a division of the Major League Baseball Players Association alleged in separate lawsuits filed Monday in Pennsylvania and New York.

  • September 16, 2024

    Kimberly-Clark Loses EPO Bid For Moist Wipe Patent

    Kimberly-Clark Corporation, a personal care manufacturer known for its brands Andrex and Huggies, has lost its appeal at the European Patent Office for its wet wipes, with the authority finding that the product lacked an inventive step and did not sufficiently disclose any invention.

  • September 16, 2024

    Bosch Loses Fight For Machine-Learning Patent At EPO

    Bosch has failed to persuade the appellate panel at a European patent authority that its machine-learning invention warrants patent protection, as officials rejected arguments by the German engineering and technology giant that the current patent system is incompatible with modern AI-based inventions.

  • September 16, 2024

    Philips Hits Belkin With EU Injunction Over Wireless Charging

    Dutch conglomerate Philips has won an injunction against Belkin at the Unified Patent Court, as Philips convinced the court that the German technology company should be barred from selling products that infringe its patent.

  • September 16, 2024

    CoStar Subscriber Settles Suit Over Property Records Access

    Real estate data and analytics provider CoStar Group Inc. has reached a deal with former subscriber Leon Capital Group LLC to settle its claims that Leon downloaded property records from CoStar's database that it was not authorized to access, in a deal that permanently bars Leon Capital from accessing CoStar's data without authorization.

Expert Analysis

  • Open Questions 3 Years After 2nd Circ.'s Fugitive Ruling

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    The Second Circuit’s 2021 decision in U.S. v. Bescond, holding that a French resident indicted abroad did not meet the legal definition of a fugitive, deepened a circuit split on the fugitive disentitlement doctrine, and courts continue to grapple with the doctrine’s reach and applicability, say attorneys at Lankler Siffert.

  • Replacing The Stigma Of Menopause With Law Firm Support

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    A large proportion of the workforce is forced to pull the brakes on their career aspirations because of the taboo surrounding menopause and a lack of consistent support, but law firms can initiate the cultural shift needed by formulating thoughtful workplace policies, says Barbara Hamilton-Bruce at Simmons & Simmons.

  • Series

    After Chevron: The Future Of AI And Copyright Law

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    In the wake of the U.S. Supreme Court’s recent decision to overrule the Chevron doctrine, leaders in the artificial intelligence industry may seek to shift the balance of power to courts to exercise more independent statutory interpretation without constraints from the U.S. Copyright Office, says Greg Derin at Signature Resolution.

  • Leveraging Policy Changes To Achieve AI Patent Eligibility

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    With the latest U.S. Patent and Trademark Office guidance in hand and legislation looming in Congress, innovators should file their artificial intelligence patent applications now — and five strategies can maximize their chances of success, says Nicholas Gallo at Troutman Pepper.

  • Planning Law Firm Content Calendars: What, When, Where

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    During the slower month of August, law firms should begin working on their 2025 content calendars, planning out a content creation and distribution framework that aligns with the firm’s objectives and maintains audience engagement throughout the year, says Jessica Kaplan at Legally Penned.

  • Prior Art Takeaways From Fed. Circ. Public Disclosure Ruling

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    While the Federal Circuit’s recent ruling in Sanho v. Kaijet clarified that a private sale is not a public disclosure under patent law, there remains significant room for advocacy, as the opinion lacked meaningful guidance on how to satisfy the public disclosure exception to prior art, says Derrick Carman at Robins Kaplan.

  • Series

    Playing Golf Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Golf can positively affect your personal and professional life well beyond the final putt, and it’s helped enrich my legal practice by improving my ability to build lasting relationships, study and apply the rules, face adversity with grace, and maintain my mental and physical well-being, says Adam Kelly at Venable.

  • Law Firms Should Move From Reactive To Proactive Marketing

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    Most law firm marketing and business development teams operate in silos, leading to an ad hoc, reactive approach, but shifting to a culture of proactive planning — beginning with comprehensive campaigns — can help firms effectively execute their broader business strategy, says Paul Manuele at PR Manuele Consulting.

  • Tips For Revamping Patent Portfolio Strategy In AI Deal Era

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    Recent data suggests patents are significantly enhancing exit valuations, particularly with cutting-edge technologies like those powered by artificial intelligence, but it is necessary to do more than simply align patent strategy with business goals, says Keegan Caldwell at Caldwell Law.

  • From Muppet Heads To OJ's Glove: How To Use Props At Trial

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    Demonstrative graphics have become so commonplace in the courtroom that jurors may start to find them boring, but attorneys can keep jurors engaged and improve their recall by effectively using physical props at trial, says Clint Townson at Townson Consulting.

  • Opinion

    The Big Issues A BigLaw Associates' Union Could Address

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    A BigLaw associates’ union could address a number of issues that have the potential to meaningfully improve working conditions, diversity and attorney well-being — from restructured billable hour requirements to origination credit allocation, return-to-office mandates and more, says Tara Rhoades at The Sanity Plea.

  • Opinion

    It's Time For A BigLaw Associates' Union

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    As BigLaw faces a steady stream of criticism about its employment policies and practices, an associates union could effect real change — and it could start with law students organizing around opposition to recent recruiting trends, says Tara Rhoades at The Sanity Plea.

  • Takeaways From Virginia's $2B Trade Secrets Verdict Reversal

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    The Virginia Court of Appeals' recent reversal of the $2 billion damages award in Pegasystems v. Appian underscores the claimant's burden to show damages causation and highlights how an evidentiary ruling could lead to reversible error, say John Lanham and Kamran Jamil at Morrison Foerster.

  • How Justices Upended The Administrative Procedure Act

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    In its recent Loper Bright, Corner Post and Jarkesy decisions, the U.S. Supreme Court fundamentally changed the Administrative Procedure Act in ways that undermine Congress and the executive branch, shift power to the judiciary, curtail public and business input, and create great uncertainty, say Alene Taber and Beth Hummer at Hanson Bridgett.

  • 2 Years Of Waco: How Patent Case Distribution Has Changed

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    A look at the two years since the Western District of Texas randomization order was issued and an analysis of how judges in the district adjudicate cases assigned pursuant to the Waco wheel provides insights that may aid patent practitioners, says David Dyer at Norton Rose Fulbright.

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