Expert Analysis

• Trade Secret Practice Tips From The 1st Half Of 2026

  

  Intellectual property attorneys should consider what several significant developments in 2026 thus far mean for how they protect, litigate and value trade secrets, focusing on new state noncompete bans, cases scrutinizing how plaintiffs identify trade secrets and federal rulings on damages doctrines, say attorneys at Faegre Drinker.

• Quantifying Damages In Product Launch Delay Allegations

  

  In delayed generic-drug entry cases that have generated substantial settlements in recent years, damages are often measured by profits lost during the delay window, but this model can fail to account for potentially significant economic harm that occurs after that window, say analysts at Kroll.

• Fed. Circ. Licensing Rulings Shed Light On Patentee Standing

  

  Two recent decisions from the Federal Circuit provide a useful framework for evaluating whether a patent license agreement preserves a sufficient exclusionary interest to support future patent infringement claims, say attorneys at Venable.

• Protecting Quantum Innovation As The Sector Commercializes

  

  As quantum technologies continue to attract growing commercial investment and government interest, intellectual property protection is becoming an increasingly important consideration, says Michael Schallop at Van Pelt Yi.

• Series

  Being A Magician Makes Me A Better Lawyer

  

  The skills I've developed as a lifelong magician have translated directly into tangible benefits in the courtroom because performing magic and trying cases both live at the intersection of psychology, storytelling, timing and disciplined rehearsal, says Mark Dombroff at Fox Rothschild.

• Who Owns The Data Behind The Beautiful Game?

  

  Every match at the 2026 FIFA World Cup generates enormous volumes of information that can improve performance, enhance fan engagement and create new revenue streams, but that same data can also create significant legal exposure if rights and responsibilities are not clearly defined, say attorneys at Morgan Lewis.

• Reel Justice: 'Obsession' And The Importance Of Precision

  

  In “Obsession,” the main character’s failure to define the limits of his wish results in an unexpectedly horrifying outcome, highlighting for attorneys why careful word choice is essential not only in briefs, but also in charging decisions, statutory interpretation and all stages of criminal litigation, says Veronica Finkelstein at Widener-Delaware Law.

• How Pfizer Won Fed. Circ. Patent Dispute By 1 Carbon Atom

  

  The Federal Circuit's recent refusal to revive a patent in Enanta Pharmaceuticals v. Pfizer over an alleged typo creating a one-atom difference in a COVID-19 treatment application hands defendants a template for potentially converting a triable fact question into an early dispositive ruling, say attorneys at Polsinelli.

• Fed. Circ. Ruling Highlights The Cost Of Incorrect Inventorship

  

  The Federal Circuit's recent decision in Fortress Iron v. Digger Specialties, affirming that a fencing company's patents were invalid due to a missing co-inventor, is a reminder that confirming correct inventorship should be a critical part of every patent invalidity workup, say attorneys at Neal Gerber.

• Shopify Settlement Clouds Open-Source Copyright Limits

  

  Shopify's confidential copyright settlement with Shopline, which agreed to stop distributing a disputed storefront theme, raises questions about how far copyright law can protect open-source software without undermining the collaboration that drives development, says Lindsey Sasson at Hach Rose.

• What Data Says About Biologics-Related Ex Parte Challenges

  

  An analysis of the 67 ex parte reexaminations used to challenge biologics patents over the last 13 years reveals that reexamination may emerge as an alternative to inter partes review and postgrant review, despite facing a number of procedural disadvantages, say attorneys at Steptoe.

• CFIUS' Mandate Misses Foreign Risk In Project Subcontracts

  

  Recent calls for the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States to review equity transactions like the Paramount Skydance-Warner Bros. deal miss a consequential oversight gap — CFIUS' inability to review the subcontracting layer of U.S. infrastructure projects, says Thibaut Giret at Alstef Group.

• Looking At Drake's Diss Track Appeal Through An IP Lens

  

  Though Drake's pending Second Circuit appeal over UMG's promotion of Kendrick Lamar's "Not Like Us" is formally about defamation, it shows that IP considerations can help identify records showing how a work traveled, which may guide courts when deciding context, says attorney Abdul Abdullahi.

• Series

  Bass Fishing Makes Me A Better Lawyer

  

  Landing a trophy striped bass and closing a big deal both require cultivating the patience to finesse — not force — your way to desired outcomes, changing course when your old approach isn’t working and learning from the ones that got away, says Jon Ruiss at Alston & Bird.

• Roundup

  The Most Talked-About Supreme Court Decisions Of 2026

  

  This term, 11 U.S. Supreme Court decisions quickly became hot topics among Law360's guest writers.