Intellectual Property

  • September 12, 2024

    McKinsey Partner Can't Undo $11M Music Piracy Judgment

    An Eleventh Circuit panel Thursday upheld an $11 million federal default judgment against a McKinsey & Co. partner for pirating music, agreeing with the Georgia lower court that the motion to set aside the roughly 10-year-old order was untimely.

  • September 12, 2024

    Netgear Gets $135M In TP-Link IP Deal

    Netgear Inc. has received $135 million from TP-Link Systems Inc. as part of a settlement of the companies' patent and contract litigation over Wi-Fi routers in the U.S. International Trade Commission and California federal courts.

  • September 12, 2024

    Google Hit With 'Gemini' TM Suit Over AI Program Name

    Google LLC is facing a trademark infringement suit in California federal court by a small business that claims the tech giant made "the calculated decision to bulldoze over" its intellectual property rights by rebranding Google's large language model artificial intelligence program to Gemini.

  • September 12, 2024

    Court Seriously Overstepped In EUIPO Appeal, ECJ Told

    The General Court of the European Union overstepped when it decided to amend part of a decision by the EU intellectual property office based on a plea that it had raised in proceedings, an adviser told the bloc's highest court on Thursday.

  • September 12, 2024

    Lego Dodges German Rival's Block Design Challenges

    Lego has convinced European Union officials that two registered designs for its building blocks are valid, rebuffing challenges from a German toymaker claiming that the shapes should be nixed for lacking individual character.

  • September 12, 2024

    Ballard Spahr IP Pro Jumps To Taylor English In Atlanta

    Taylor English Duma LLP has expanded its Atlanta office with a patent procurement expert from Ballard Spahr LLP following the departures of nearly 20 lawyers who left the former in recent months for three other firms. 

  • September 12, 2024

    Stites & Harbison Eyes Conn. Office With Patent Team Pickup

    Stites & Harbison PLLC is stretching beyond its established offices in the South and Midwest with a planned Connecticut location, thanks to the pickup of three patent attorneys and three patent agents formerly with Cantor Colburn LLP.

  • September 12, 2024

    LG, Vodafone Join Sisvel's 'Internet Of Things' Patent Pool

    Telecommunication giants LG Electronics, Vodafone and KT Corp. of Korea have joined Sisvel's patent pool for cellular "Internet of Things" technology.

  • September 12, 2024

    Air Con Biz Frozen Out Of Bid To Revive Refrigerant Patent

    A Japanese air conditioning company cannot keep its patent over a refrigerant chemical because its distinguishing compounds would be an obvious addition to earlier iterations, an appeals panel has ruled.

  • September 12, 2024

    Sanofi Sets €320M Licensing Deal With US, French Biotechs

    Pharmaceutical giant Sanofi SA said Thursday that it will pay up to €320 million ($353 million) to U.S. biotechnology group RadioMedix Inc. and French medicine developer Orano Med for an exclusive license for a radiation treatment for rare cancers.

  • September 11, 2024

    Litigation Spending To Rise As Cases Grow More Aggressive

    A substantial number of large companies are expecting to increase their litigation spending by double digits next year in the face of more complex and hard-fought cases — and they are more open to bringing in new legal talent to navigate the matters, according to a report released Thursday. 

  • September 11, 2024

    The Firms That Handle The Most Trade Secrets Work

    Gordon Rees remains the most active law firm representing plaintiffs in trade secrets disputes, according to a new report by Lex Machina analyzing a three-year period from 2021 to 2023, while Littler Mendelson continues to lead the pack on the defendants' side during that same timeframe.

  • September 11, 2024

    Dua Lipa Can't Slip Copyright Claim In 'Levitating' IP Suit

    Pop singer Dua Lipa wasn't able to persuade a California federal judge to toss a copyright infringement claim in a suit over her hit song "Levitating" by a producer who alleges some of his samples were used without permission, but did get an accounting claim thrown out.

  • September 11, 2024

    Fed. Circ. Lets Roku IP Dispute Move From Texas To Calif.

    The Federal Circuit on Wednesday declined to reverse a Texas district court's transfer of a suit accusing Roku of infringing patents on automatic content recognition technology for commercial advertising, holding the Texas court wasn't wrong to find California had a stronger local interest in the dispute.

  • September 11, 2024

    AGIS Accuses General Dynamics Stole Comms System Tech

    AGIS Inc. hit General Dynamics Corporation with a patent infringement suit in Texas federal court on Tuesday, accusing the global defense company of ripping off technology for a handheld communications device utilized by first responders.

  • September 11, 2024

    Reality Star Says Cosmetic Co. Can't 'Give Them Lala'

    Lala Kent, one of the stars of Bravo's "Vanderpump Rules," has hit a cosmetic company with a suit alleging it violated her intellectual property rights by selling an unauthorized lip product under her "Give Them Lala" brand.

  • September 11, 2024

    Kirkland Can't Shake Former Associate's Bias Suit

    A California federal judge has mostly rejected efforts by Kirkland & Ellis to pare down the discrimination suit of a former intellectual property associate, while also backing a prior order that prevented the firm from subpoenaing her former BigLaw employers for confidential personnel information.

  • September 11, 2024

    Full Fed. Circ. Snubs Google's Fight Over ITC's Powers

    The full Federal Circuit has shot down Google LLC's bid for review of a ruling that it infringed Sonos audio patents in light of a U.S. Supreme Court case that abolished deference to government agencies.

  • September 11, 2024

    Phelps Dunbar Recruits 6 Litigators In Raleigh

    Phelps Dunbar LLP has hired six lawyers in Raleigh to serve the business and litigation needs of companies in North and South Carolina, adding strength in health care, construction, employment and intellectual property.

  • September 11, 2024

    EasyGroup Loses TMs After Suing For Infringement

    A London judge rejected a claim on Wednesday by easyGroup that EasyFundraising Ltd. was infringing its trademarks, as it concluded that the low-cost giant's brands covered different services.

  • September 11, 2024

    Trademarks Surge As UKIPO Transforms Digital Platform

    The U.K. Intellectual Property Office said Wednesday it has shown "continued high performance" amid accelerating demand over the past year as its digital transformation marches on.

  • September 11, 2024

    Lenovo Pushes For Its Own SEP Ban In Global Ericsson Fight

    Lawyers for Lenovo urged a London appeals court on Wednesday to prevent Ericsson from infringing one of its wireless patents while their dispute rumbles on, as the electronics giants wage a global battle over a cross-licensing deal for intellectual property deemed essential to 5G technology.

  • September 11, 2024

    IP Boutique Hires Murgitroyd Pro For Life Sciences Team

    Haseltine Lake Kempner LLP has hired a new partner from rival Murgitroyd & Co. for its chemistry and life sciences team as the firm looks to expand its patent capabilities in the northern English city of Leeds.

  • September 11, 2024

    Agricultural Co. Can't Nix Rival's IP Rights Over Mandarins

    A European Union court said Wednesday that a French company can keep its plant breeding rights over Nadorcott mandarins, chucking its rival's claim that the variety is not novel.

  • September 11, 2024

    Sandoz Can't Patent Generic Hypertension Drug

    Pharmaceuticals maker Sandoz has lost a patent for the formulation of a generic drug used to treat high blood pressure in the lungs, as a European appellate panel ruled that the ingredient that makes it more stable was obvious.

Expert Analysis

  • Considerations When Using Publicly Available Data To Train AI

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    To maximize the benefits and mitigate the risks of using publicly available data to train artificial intelligence models, companies should maintain a balance between openness and protection, and consider certain best practices, says Michael Cole at Mercedes-Benz Research & Development North America.

  • Parsing NJ Court's Rationale For Denying Lipitor Class Cert.

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    A New Jersey federal court's recent Lipitor rulings granting summary judgment and denying motions for class certification for two plaintiff classes offer insight into the level of rigorous analysis required by both parties and their experts to satisfy the requirements of class certification, says Catia Twal at Edgeworth Economics.

  • Opinion

    USPTO AI Patent Guidance Leaves Questions Unanswered

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    The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office’s recent guidance on artificial intelligence patent eligibility is unlikely to answer many of the open questions that AI patent applicants face, as it includes nominally new analysis that applicants can adopt to analyze their inventions, say attorneys at Fenwick & West.

  • Gilead Drug Ruling Creates Corporate Governance Dilemma

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    If upheld, a California state appellate court's decision — finding that Gilead is liable for delaying commercialization of a safer HIV drug to maximize profits on another drug — threatens to undermine long-standing rules of corporate law and exposes companies to liability for decisions based on sound business judgment, says Shireen Barday at Pallas.

  • Jarkesy Ruling May Redefine Jury Role In Patent Fraud

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    Regardless of whether the U.S. Supreme Court’s Jarkesy ruling implicates the direction of inequitable conduct, which requires showing that the patentee made material statements or omissions to the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, the decision has created opportunities for defendants to argue more substantively for jury trials than ever before, say attorneys at Cadwalader.

  • 3 Leadership Practices For A More Supportive Firm Culture

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    Traditional leadership styles frequently amplify the inherent pressures of legal work, but a few simple, time-neutral strategies can strengthen the skills and confidence of employees and foster a more collaborative culture, while supporting individual growth and contribution to organizational goals, says Benjamin Grimes at BKG Leadership.

  • Attorneys Can Benefit From Reverse-Engineering Their Cases

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    Trial advocacy programs often teach lawyers to loosely track the progression of a lawsuit during preparation — case analysis, then direct examination, then cross-examination, openings and closings — but reverse-engineering cases by working backward from opening and closing statements can streamline the process and also improve case strategy, says Reuben Guttman at Guttman Buschner.

  • Opinion

    Chevron Reversal May Protect IP Rights Under Bayh-Dole

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    The U.S. Supreme Court's overturning of Chevron deference may block the Biden administration's nearly finalized guidance reinterpreting the Bayh-Dole Act, protecting intellectual property rights and preventing harm to innovation and economic activity, says Brian O'Shaughnessy at Dinsmore & Shohl.

  • E-Discovery Quarterly: Rulings On Hyperlinked Documents

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    Recent rulings show that counsel should engage in early discussions with clients regarding the potential of hyperlinked documents in electronically stored information, which will allow for more deliberate negotiation of any agreements regarding the scope of discovery, say attorneys at Sidley.

  • Loper Bright Limits Federal Agencies' Ability To Alter Course

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    The U.S. Supreme Court's recent decision to dismantle Chevron deference also effectively overrules its 2005 decision in National Cable & Telecommunications Association v. Brand X, greatly diminishing agencies' ability to change regulatory course from one administration to the next, says Steven Gordon at Holland & Knight.

  • How To Deploy AI In A Dangerous Threat Landscape

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    Businesses are feeling immense pressure to deploy generative artificial intelligence tools to accelerate profits and demonstrate their technological superiority to investors and consumers, and there are a few steps they can take when using AI tools to mitigate liability risks, say B. Stephanie Siegmann and Julianna Malogolowkin at Hinckley Allen.

  • Calif. Out-Of-State Noncompete Ban Faces Several Hurdles

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    California's attempt to bolster its noncompete law has encountered significant procedural and constitutional challenges, and litigating parties must carefully analyze not only the restrictive covenants contained in their agreements, but also the forum-selection and choice-of-law provisions, say Jennifer Redmond and Gal Gressel at Sheppard Mullin.

  • Defamation Suit Tests Lanham Act's Reach With Influencers

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    Recently filed in the Northern District of Texas, Prime Hydration v. Garcia, alleging defamation and Lanham Act violations based on the defendant's social media statements about the beverage brand, allows Texas courts and the Fifth Circuit to take the lead in interpreting the act as it applies to influencers, says attorney Susan Jorgensen.

  • Series

    Teaching Scuba Diving Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    As a master scuba instructor, I’ve learned how to prepare for the unexpected, overcome fears and practice patience, and each of these skills – among the many others I’ve developed – has profoundly enhanced my work as a lawyer, says Ron Raether at Troutman Pepper.

  • Navigating The Murky Waters Of Patent Infringement Damages

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    Recent cases show that there is no easy way to isolate an infringed patent’s value, and it would serve all sides well for courts to thoroughly examine expert opinions of this nature and provide consistent guidance for future cases, say Manny Caixeiro and Elizabeth Manno at Venable.

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