Intellectual Property

The 'Post-Fact' Jury In The 'Fake News' Era

The "fake news" phenomenon is ever more prominent in the political arena — but not in the jury box. At a trial, jurors don’t have to rely on the media or any other source to tell them the facts and issues, since they have a front-row seat to the action, says Ross Laguzza, a consultant at R&D Strategic Solutions LLC.

FDA Biosimilars Plan Draws From Experience With Generics

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration recently unveiled its Biosimilars Action Plan, intended to help streamline the development of biosimilars and promote competition across the market. This is similar to the FDA's 2017 plan focused on generic drugs, but key differences may help the BAP fare better at achieving its objectives, say attorneys at Morgan Lewis & Bockius LLP.

Opinion

Fixing Rule 41: A Balanced Approach To Voluntary Dismissal

As written and often applied, Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 41 — governing voluntary dismissal — allows claimants to aggressively pursue baseless claims, essentially risk-free. A simple change would recalibrate the rule to allocate risk more rationally, properly align incentives and better protect parties responding to meritless suits, say attorneys at Cooley LLP.

Series

Judging A Book: Lipez Reviews 'Last Great Colonial Lawyer'

In his new book, "The Last Great Colonial Lawyer: The Life and Legacy of Jeremiah Gridley," Charles McKirdy argues that Gridley — someone I had never heard of — was the last great colonial lawyer, and that his cases illuminate his times. The author largely substantiates both claims, says First Circuit Judge Kermit Lipez.

How FIRRMA Will Change National Security Reviews: Part 2

The newly enacted Foreign Investment Risk Review Modernization Act significantly expands the authority of the U.S. government to review and restrict foreign investments on national security grounds. But FIRRMA also has provisions that may exempt some transactions from review, and accelerate review of others, say Jeffrey Bialos and Mark Herlach of Eversheds Sutherland LLP.

How FIRRMA Will Change National Security Reviews: Part 1

The Foreign Investment Risk Review Modernization Act empowers the U.S. government to review a far broader group of transactions than ever before to determine if they threaten national security. FIRRMA's expansive new coverage includes oversight of real estate investments and transfers of "emerging and foundational technologies," say Jeffrey Bialos and Mark Herlach of Eversheds Sutherland LLP.

How Courts Approach Trade Secret Identification: Part 2

Early trade secret identification is a thorny issue on which courts and commentators have not reached consensus. Attorneys at Crowell & Moring LLP propose a model trade secret identification process that serves the interests of both sides in a dispute.

Rebuttal

A Decade Of US Patent Reform Has Gone Too Far

In a recent Law360 guest article, John Thorne of the High Tech Inventors Alliance argued that enactment of the Restoring America's Leadership in Innovation Act would threaten positive changes in patent quality and American innovation. However, many of those same changes have had a serious negative impact on the patent system and the innovation economy, says Boyd Lemna of Personalized Media Communications LLC.

Ensnarement — A 2nd Bite At The Noninfringement Apple

Ensnarement is a potent defense to a finding of infringement under the doctrine of equivalents, as seen last month when a Massachusetts federal court granted Celltrion’s motion for summary judgment of noninfringement, holding that Janssen’s proposed hypothetical claims ensnared the prior art, say Brian D. Coggio and Ron Vogel of Fish & Richardson PC.

Using Ex Parte Seizures Abroad To Obtain IP Evidence

Practitioners should know how to use foreign search and seizure law to secure evidence of wrongdoing that can be introduced in U.S. intellectual property lawsuits. A recent copyright case, CoStar Group v. Xceligent, illustrates the benefits of invoking these ex parte provisions, say Nicholas J. Boyle and C. Bryan Wilson of Williams & Connolly LLP.