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Intellectual Property

  • Top Story

    3 Takeaways From Delaware's TC Heartland Venue Guidance

    The District of Delaware's chief judge recently held in two rulings that companies must have permanent ties to the state to face patent suits there following the U.S. Supreme Court's TC Heartland ruling, and his analysis could keep many generic-drug cases in his court. Here's what attorneys can learn from the decisions.

  • January 2, 2006

    Sony Surrenders In Anti-Piracy Scandal

    Bombarded by class action lawsuits over its failed anti-piracy technology, music entertainment giant Sony BMG has tentatively agreed to settle a lawsuit brought by plaintiffs that accused the company of putting consumers’ computers at risk.

  • January 2, 2006

    Patent Suits Break Decade-Old Trend, Drop In '05

    2005 was a big year for intellectual property lawsuits, with combined patent, copyright and trademark cases jumping 14% over 2004, according to a survey conducted by IP Law Bulletin. But behind those numbers is a surprising trend: patent litigation is on the decline in the U.S., while copyright litigation is exploding thanks to aggressive enforcement actions by the entertainment industry.

  • January 2, 2006

    LCD Makers Settle Patent Dispute

    Amid a wave of litigation over lucrative flat-panel display technology, Hong Kong electronics maker Proview and Japanese rival Hitachi have settled a U.S. lawsuit brought by Hitachi over LCD monitor patents.

  • January 2, 2006

    Baxter Launches At-Risk Generic During Appeal

    Baxter Healthcare Corp. has ignored an appeal by rival Abbott Laboratories to launch at risk a generic version of Abbot’s popular inhaled anesthetic Ultane in the United States, Europe and Japan in 2006.

  • January 1, 2006

    Google In $5B Suit Over Online Phone Product

    Internet search company Google Inc. has been sued for $5 billion for allegedly violating patents for voice over internet protocol (VoIP) technology held by a small patent holding firm.

  • January 1, 2006

    Apple Sued Over Keyboard Technology

    Apple Computer Inc. is being challenged by a United Kingdom-based company over keyboard technology used in its Mac G4 line of PowerBooks and iBooks.

  • January 1, 2006

    MEMC Files Semiconductor Patent Suit After Raid

    Semiconductor giant MEMC Electronic Materials Inc. has sued French chip equipment maker Soitec S.A. for violation of MEMC's European patents on defect-free silicon, or “perfect Silicon”.

  • January 1, 2006

    Nokia Loses Final Appeal To Avoid $252M Payment

    Finish mobile phone maker Nokia Corp. has lost its final bid to avoid paying a $252 million award to wireless technology firm InterDigital Communications Corp. to settle drawn-out arbitration between the two rivals.

  • December 22, 2005

    Dow Chemical Prevails In Canola Patent Challenge

    Cargill Inc.’s patent challenge against Dow Chemical Co. deflated once again in federal court after a jury found Cargill had withheld information from the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.

  • December 22, 2005

    Jury Rejects Avery's Patent Challenge Against 3M

    Following a four-year skirmish, a patent held by 3M Co. was found to be valid in federal court after being challenged by a competitor.

  • December 21, 2005

    Texas Expands Suit Vs. Sony BMG

    Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott has expanded his lawsuit against Sony BMG Music Entertainment in the wake of a spyware scandal surrounding the music publisher’s failed anti-piracy technology on music CDs.

  • December 22, 2005

    "Jews For Jesus" Sues Google Over Trademark

    Just days before Christmas, the Christian evangelical group Jews for Jesus Inc. sued Google Inc. in federal court, accusing the search engine powerhouse of trademark infringement in one of its 8 billion web pages.

  • December 22, 2005

    Ranbaxy Abandons Bid For Early Generic Provigil

    Pharmaceutical company Cephalon Inc. dropped its lawsuit Thursday against generic drug maker Ranbaxy Laboratories Ltd. over the sleeping disorder treatment Provigil.

  • December 21, 2005

    Celebrity Doctor Prevails In Skin Care Case

    A federal appeals court has reversed a lower court decision that deemed invalid several skincare patents, in a case that pitted a celebrity doctor and best-selling author against a pharmaceutical corporation.

  • December 21, 2005

    Tiny Biotech Company Wins $48M Trade Secret Award

    After a six-year feud over a potential blockbuster drug, a small family-owned pharmaceutical company has been awarded $48 million from a biotechnology firm accused of illegally licensing its patents.

  • December 21, 2005

    ITC To Probe Medical Device Patent Infringement Claims

    The U.S. International Trade Commission has launched an investigation into a Canadian company’s possible infringement of patents held by medical device maker Varian Medical Systems.

  • December 21, 2005

    Mylan's Levaquin Appeal Shot Down By Federal Circuit

    In a victory for Johnson & Johnson, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit affirmed a lower court’s ruling preventing drug maker Mylan Laboratories Inc. from duplicating its lucrative anti-infective drug Levaquin.

  • December 20, 2005

    Honeywell, Citizen In LCD Patent Row

    Electronics maker Honeywell International has filed another suit in its quest to protect its intellectual property covering LCD technology, this time targeting Citizen Watch Co.

  • December 20, 2005

    Lipitor Case Proves Strength Of Molecular Patents

    Pfizer's victory in the Lipitor trial may bring a chill to the generic drug industry, which has been increasingly bold in its legal maneuvers in recent years.

  • December 20, 2005

    Andrx, Glaxo In New Row Over Wellbutrin

    Extending the drawn-out legal row over generic Wellbutrin, a subsidiary of Andrx Pharmaceuticals LLC has sued British rival GlaxoSmithKline PLC, alleging the company’s current formula for the antidepressant infringes Andrx’s patent.