Intellectual Property

  • September 05, 2024

    NCAA's $2.78B NIL Deal Misses 1st Shot At Initial OK

    A California federal judge declined Thursday to preliminarily approve a $2.78 billion deal to settle an antitrust class action targeting the NCAA's name, image and likeness compensation rules, saying counsel must "go back to the drawing board" on some of the deal's terms.

  • September 05, 2024

    TM Ruling Creates Way To Pierce Corporate Veil, Justices Told

    A conservative legal group says that a Fourth Circuit ruling the justices have agreed to review over a $43 million trademark award in a fight between two businesses that use the name "Dewberry" provides a new way to pierce the corporate veil that "veers far from acceptable legal principles."

  • September 05, 2024

    Lupin Infringes Exeltis Contraceptive Patents, Judge Finds

    Mumbai-based generic-pharmaceuticals company Lupin Pharmaceuticals Inc. has infringed five patents of the estrogen-free contraceptive Slynd, a Delaware federal judge said Wednesday, finding in favor of Spanish pharmaceutical company Insud Pharma and its New Jersey-based division Exeltis USA Inc. on all asserted claims.

  • September 05, 2024

    ITC To Investigate Synthetic Hair Cos. For Patent Violations

    The U.S. International Trade Commission said it's launching an investigation after Atlanta-based JBS Hair Inc. claimed rival companies are importing synthetic hair that infringes ts patents.

  • September 05, 2024

    Guess What? The Guess Who Settled Their Intra-Band TM Suit

    The trademark dispute between two halves of the Canadian rock band The Guess Who ended Thursday when the four rockers filed a joint stipulation asking a California federal judge to toss the lead singer and lead guitarist's claims that their two former bandmates were using the group's trademarks without permission.

  • September 05, 2024

    OpenAI Slams YouTuber's AI Training Class Action

    OpenAI told a California federal judge that a proposed class action accusing it of unjustly enriching itself by training its large language model programs with transcripts of YouTube videos is just a "carbon copy" of similar claims already thrown out by the courts, arguing the complaint should be dismissed.

  • September 05, 2024

    Norton, Quinn Emanuel Decry $600M Patent, Contempt Ruling

    NortonLifeLock and Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan LLP again urged the Federal Circuit to overturn a $600 million patent infringement verdict against the company that was in part based on the firm's being held in contempt, with both saying the holding has serious flaws.

  • September 05, 2024

    Shoemaker Can't Avoid Birkenstock's Copycat Suit

    A Massachusetts-based shoemaker and its manufacturer must face almost every intellectual property claim brought against it by Birkenstock after a federal judge declined to dismiss all but one claim in the popular brand's suit alleging design patent, trademark and trade dress infringement.

  • September 05, 2024

    UK Screen Directors Tap Ex-Disney GC To Seek Royalties

    One year ago this month, Peter Wiley walked away from his job as chief international counsel for the Walt Disney Co., saying he wanted to "take a short break." And he did.

  • September 05, 2024

    Veteran Atty Launches Solo Patent Boutique In Va.

    Longtime patent attorney Michael Kiklis — a former partner at both Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP and Oblon McClelland Maier & Neustadt LLP who has represented companies including SLB, Thermo Fisher Scientific's Life Technologies Corp. and Steuben Foods Inc. — has launched his own patent boutique in Alexandria, Virginia.

  • September 05, 2024

    Ex-Siemens Exec Concedes Trade Secret Caper Merits Prison

    A former executive of Siemens Energy Inc. has told a Virginia federal judge that he recognizes that a period of incarceration is merited after he pled guilty to stealing trade secrets from General Electric Co. and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd. to undercut their bids to build a gas turbine plant.

  • September 05, 2024

    Chile Approves Trade Protections For US Cheeses, Meats

    Chile approved an agreement with the U.S. that will allow U.S. exporters to continue selling prosciutto, cheddar and dozens of other meats and cheeses under their current names in the Chilean market.

  • September 12, 2024

    Bird & Bird Recruits M&A Partner In Frankfurt Amid Growth

    Bird & Bird LLP has hired a business expert as a partner in Frankfurt as the firm bolsters its growing corporate practice internationally, with a keen eye on its new office in Japan.

  • September 04, 2024

    'I Was Blown Away': Tiny Harris Says MGA Stole Group's Look

    Tameka "Tiny" Harris testified Wednesday in California federal court that she was taken aback the first time she saw MGA Entertainment's line of O.M.G. dolls because she believed they ripped off the OMG Girlz pop group she created, and said a survey of her Instagram followers confirmed her reaction.

  • September 04, 2024

    Who Wore '8' Better? Jackson, Aikman Locked In TM Battle

    Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson is banking his popularity will make consumers think of him when they see the number "8" on products he sells, but a beer company associated with Hall of Fame quarterback Troy Aikman — who wore the same jersey number — doesn't see it that way, as the players square off in a trademark fight.

  • September 04, 2024

    Leech Tishman Combines With Calif. Firm Nelson Hardiman

    Leech Tishman is set to add California-based healthcare and life science law firm Nelson Hardiman's 17 attorneys to its Los Angeles office this fall and will do business in the Golden State under the combined name Leech Tishman Nelson Hardiman, the firm announced Tuesday.

  • September 04, 2024

    Fed. Circ. Told To Skip Dish's Review Bid Of $3M Fee Ruling

    A patent litigation company and its former counsel have shot back at an attempt to get the full Federal Circuit to weigh in on whether Dish Network LLC can collect more than $3 million in legal fees directly from the lawyers who filed the failed patent case.

  • September 04, 2024

    Nonsolicits Don't Need Geographic Terms, Ga. Justices Say

    The Supreme Court of Georgia said on Wednesday that restrictive covenants don't need to contain an explicit territorial component for them to be deemed reasonable under state law, reviving a marketing organization's attempt to enforce a nonsolicitation provision in its contracts with independent agents.

  • September 04, 2024

    Dynapass Drops Patent Suit Against Bank Of America

    A litigation outfit has agreed to drop its patent infringement allegations against Bank of America, ending a lawsuit in the Eastern District of Texas over the programming behind user-authentication software.

  • September 04, 2024

    Bid To Nix Expert Fails As Fed. Circ. OKs $2.3M Patent Verdict

    The Federal Circuit on Wednesday upheld a $2.3 million patent verdict against dental imaging device maker Planmeca USA Inc., rejecting the company's argument that plaintiff Osseo Imaging LLC's technical expert was not qualified because his experience came after the invention.

  • September 04, 2024

    Honda Again Loses Patent Challenge After Reprieve From Vidal

    Months after U.S. Patent and Trademark Office Director Kathi Vidal said the Patent Trial and Appeal Board wrongly refused to review a Neo Wireless patent targeted by Honda because Volkswagen had already challenged it, the board again has rejected Honda's petition.

  • September 04, 2024

    CommScope Must Pay $5.4M Atop $11M IP Verdict

    A Texas federal judge has ordered North Carolina network infrastructure business CommScope Holding Co. Inc. and its related companies to pay $5.4 million in addition to the $11 million in patent infringement damages CommScope already must pay to a licensing company that prevailed in its claims asserting six patents.

  • September 04, 2024

    AI Co. Keeps Engine Supplier In Trade Secrets Suit

    An artificial intelligence software developer can continue pursuing a case seeking at least $500 million in Delaware state court from an engine manufacturer over claims that it misappropriated its trade secrets after canceling a deal they had to develop an AI tool.

  • September 04, 2024

    NC Biz Court Bulletin: Blackbeard IP Fight, Firm Data Breach

    As summer winds down, the North Carolina Business Court tackled usage rights pertaining to footage and artifacts from Blackbeard's shipwreck while grappling with uncovering the details of a cyberattack that exposed the data of Cadwalader Wickersham & Taft LLP. In case you missed those and others, here are the highlights.

  • September 04, 2024

    OpenAI Wants News Org.'s Copyright Suit Cut To Core Issue

    OpenAI has asked a New York federal judge to dismiss multiple claims from a copyright suit brought against it and Microsoft Corp. by the Center for Investigative Reporting Inc., arguing the case should be pared down to the "core issue" of how the fair use doctrine applies to artificial intelligence training.

Expert Analysis

  • Series

    After Chevron: Rethinking Agency Deference In IP Cases

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    The U.S. Supreme Court’s recent overturning of Chevron deference could make it simpler to challenge the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office’s proposed rule on terminal disclaimers and U.S. International Trade Commission interpretations, says William Milliken at Sterne Kessler.

  • Series

    Solving Puzzles Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Tackling daily puzzles — like Wordle, KenKen and Connections — has bolstered my intellectual property litigation practice by helping me to exercise different mental skills, acknowledge minor but important details, and build and reinforce good habits, says Roy Wepner at Kaplan Breyer.

  • Opinion

    'Trump Too Small' Ruling Overlooks TM Registration Issues

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    The U.S. Supreme Court's decision last month in Vidal v. Elster, which concluded that “Trump Too Small” cannot be a registered trademark as it violates a federal prohibition, fails to consider modern-day, real-world implications for trademark owners who are denied access to federal registration, say Tiffany Gehrke and Alexa Spitz at Marshall Gerstein.

  • Texas Ethics Opinion Flags Hazards Of Unauthorized Practice

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    The Texas Professional Ethics Committee's recently issued proposed opinion finding that in-house counsel providing legal services to the company's clients constitutes the unauthorized practice of law is a valuable clarification given that a UPL violation — a misdemeanor in most states — carries high stakes, say Hilary Gerzhoy and Julienne Pasichow at HWG.

  • In Memoriam: The Modern Administrative State

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    On June 28, the modern administrative state, where courts deferred to agency interpretations of ambiguous statutes, died when the U.S. Supreme Court overruled its previous decision in Chevron v. Natural Resources Defense Council — but it is survived by many cases decided under the Chevron framework, say Joseph Schaeffer and Jessica Deyoe at Babst Calland.

  • Series

    After Chevron: Expect Limited Changes In USPTO Rulemaking

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    The U.S. Supreme Court’s recent ruling overturning Chevron deference will have limited consequences for the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office given the USPTO's unique statutory features, but it is still an important decision for matters of statutory interpretation, especially those involving provisions of the America Invents Act, say Andrei Iancu and Cooper Godfrey at Sullivan & Cromwell.

  • Fed. Circ. Skinny Label Ruling Guides On Infringement Claims

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    The Federal Circuit's recent decision in Amarin v. Hikma shows generic drug manufacturers must pay close attention to the statements in their abbreviated new drug application labels to put themselves in the best position in defending against an induced infringement claim, say Luke Shannon and Roshan Shrestha at Taft Stettinius.

  • How To Clean Up Your Generative AI-Produced Legal Drafts

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    As law firms increasingly rely on generative artificial intelligence tools to produce legal text, attorneys should be on guard for the overuse of cohesive devices in initial drafts, and consider a few editing pointers to clean up AI’s repetitive and choppy outputs, says Ivy Grey at WordRake.

  • USPTO Disclaimer Rule Would Complicate Patent Prosecution

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    The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office's proposed changes to terminal disclaimer practice could lead to a patent owner being unable to enforce a valid patent simply because it is indirectly tied to a patent in which a single claim is found anticipated or obvious in view of the prior art, say attorneys at Sterne Kessler.

  • Series

    Boxing Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Boxing has influenced my legal work by enabling me to confidently hone the skills I've learned from the sport, like the ability to remain calm under pressure, evaluate an opponent's weaknesses and recognize when to seize an important opportunity, says Kirsten Soto at Clyde & Co.

  • Opinion

    Industry Self-Regulation Will Shine Post-Chevron

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    The U.S. Supreme Court's Loper decision will shape the contours of industry self-regulation in the years to come, providing opportunities for this often-misunderstood practice, says Eric Reicin at BBB National Programs.

  • When Patents As Loan Collateral Can Cost You Standing

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    The Federal Circuit's recent decision in Intellectual Tech v. Zebra Technologies shines a light on loan default provisions' implications for patent infringement litigation, as a default may inadvertently strip a patent owner of constitutional standing to sue over a patent pledged as collateral, say Joseph Marinelli and Suet L. Lee at Irwin IP.

  • 3 Ways Agencies Will Keep Making Law After Chevron

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    The U.S. Supreme Court clearly thinks it has done something big in overturning the Chevron precedent that had given deference to agencies' statutory interpretations, but regulated parties have to consider how agencies retain significant power to shape the law and its meaning, say attorneys at K&L Gates.

  • Roundup

    After Chevron

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    In the month since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned the Chevron deference standard, this Expert Analysis series has featured attorneys discussing the potential impact across 26 different rulemaking and litigation areas.

  • How Life Science Companies Are Approaching UPC Opt-Outs

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    A look at recent data shows that one year after its launch, the European Union's Unified Patent Court is still seeing a high rate of opt-outs, including from large U.S.-based life science companies wary of this unpredictable court — and there are reasons this strategy should largely remain the same, say Sanjay Murthy and Christopher Tuinenga at McAndrews Held.

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