Intellectual Property

  • April 30, 2025

    DraftKings Wants MLB Players' IP Case Sent To 3rd Circ.

    Sports betting company DraftKings Inc. told a Pennsylvania federal judge Wednesday that she was wrong to allow an MLB players organization's suit over unlicensed use of athletes' likenesses to proceed, arguing that the Third Circuit should weigh in on potentially novel legal issues that could quickly end the case.

  • April 30, 2025

    PTAB Axes AbbVie Unit's Cancer Drug Patent As Invalid

    The Patent Trial and Appeal Board has found claims in a patent owned by AbbVie's Pharmacyclics unit related to its cancer drug Imbruvica were invalid, the latest in a larger intellectual property fight with BeiGene.

  • April 30, 2025

    Lego Says Toy Co.'s Tiny Figurines Are Big IP Infringement

    Lego sued Veux Toys LLC in Connecticut federal court Tuesday, seeking to block the California-based toy retailer from selling figurines that are "substantially similar" to its copyrighted products, such as Spider-Man toy men.

  • April 30, 2025

    Cahill Gordon Adds King & Spalding IP Litigation Trio In DC

    Cahill Gordon & Reindel LLP has added a three-partner intellectual property group from King & Spalding LLP for its new technology IP litigation practice in Washington, D.C., the firm said Wednesday.

  • April 30, 2025

    Foley & Lardner Adds 5 IP Attys From Perkins Coie, K&L Gates

    Foley & Lardner LLP is expanding its intellectual property team in California, announcing Wednesday the addition of five IP attorneys — four from Perkins Coie LLP in San Diego and one from K&L Gates LLP in San Francisco.

  • April 30, 2025

    NBA Looks To Keep Knockoff Sales At Bay Amid IP Suit

    The NBA's licensing arm has asked an Illinois federal judge to extend a ban on the illicit sales of counterfeit goods while freezing the assets of alleged culprits, saying without this, defendants in a copyright infringement suit may attempt to move their money to offshore accounts.

  • April 30, 2025

    Boston Lab Says Exec Took Trade Secrets To Rival

    An executive departing a Boston contract research lab allegedly downloaded confidential and proprietary documents before he left to join a competing business in a move that breached his noncompete contract, according to a trade secrets lawsuit filed Tuesday in Massachusetts federal court.

  • April 30, 2025

    NJ Panel Declines To Revive Tobacco Co.'s Tax Refund Claim

    A tobacco company cannot revive its claim for a tax refund, a New Jersey appeals court found, agreeing with the state's tax court that 2020 amendments to a regulation limiting a royalty add-back deduction must be applied retroactively.

  • April 29, 2025

    5th Circ. Hints Exclusivity Could End Tata's $168M Woe

    A Fifth Circuit panel asked whether Tata Consultancy Services had taken trade secrets to solely build a product for a specific customer, questioning Tuesday whether to keep intact a $168 million judgment finding Tata stole an IT company's technology concerning source code and life insurance software documentation.

  • April 29, 2025

    9th Circ. Revives Copyright Fight Over Sam Smith Tune

    The Ninth Circuit on Tuesday resurrected a copyright lawsuit over pop stars Sam Smith and Normani's 2019 hit "Dancing With a Stranger," saying a reasonable jury could find that the song's hook shares protectable lyrics, pitches and rhythm with that of a 2015 track called "Dancing With Strangers."

  • April 29, 2025

    Apple Settles Harvard Profs' IPhone Night Vision Patent Suit

    Apple has agreed in principle to settle a suit brought by a startup company owned by two Harvard professors who claimed the tech giant infringed patents related to cameras that can render night vision images.

  • April 29, 2025

    Mercedes-Benz Wins Remand From Top PTAB Judges

    A panel of the top judges at the patent board has agreed that Mercedes-Benz deserves another chance to invalidate a processor patent issued over a decade ago to engineers at Intel Corp. and later assigned to a company that's asserting it against the automaker and others.

  • April 29, 2025

    Meta Seeks Punitives For NSO WhatsApp Hack As Trial Opens

    Meta's counsel told a California federal jury during trial openings Tuesday that Israeli spyware-maker NSO Group owes nearly $445,000 plus punitive damages for its "despicable" conduct hacking 1,400 WhatsApp users' devices, while NSO's counsel denied owing Meta anything and criticized Meta's case as a PR attempt to "own the narrative."

  • April 29, 2025

    Sports Illustrated Owner Ends TM Row With Former Publisher

    Sports Illustrated's owner has agreed to permanently end its trademark dispute against its former publisher over claims that the publisher tore apart a long-standing licensing agreement while sabotaging the brand and holding hostage valuable intellectual property, according to a stipulation filed Tuesday in New York federal court. 

  • April 29, 2025

    Photog Owes $67K For Skipping Deposition In Copyright Feud

    A federal judge in the Southern District of New York on Tuesday ordered a photographer suing a fashion website over a photo of actor Jonah Hill to cough up nearly $67,000 for skipping his own deposition in the case, among other conduct. 

  • April 29, 2025

    USPTO Flouted Labor Law At Examiner Meeting, Union Says

    The labor union representing the federal government's patent examiners has filed a formal complaint alleging a representative for the union was blocked from being able to talk at a meeting between the workers and the federal patent office.

  • April 29, 2025

    Key Takeaways From Patent Office's New Denial Process FAQ

    The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office on Friday released answers to an extensive list of frequently asked questions about its new process for deciding whether to deny patent challenges for discretionary reasons. Here's a look at some of the most significant details.

  • April 29, 2025

    4th Circ. Rules Honeywell Royalty Fight Belongs In Fed. Circ.

    The Fourth Circuit on Tuesday found that a fight over royalty payments between technology conglomerate Honeywell and its Japan-based rival should be kicked to the Federal Circuit, which has jurisdiction over all patent-related lawsuits.

  • April 29, 2025

    Full Fed. Circ. Urged To Undo 'Onerous' Jepson Claim Ruling

    Xencor has urged the full Federal Circuit to review a decision rejecting its application for an antibody patent that used the so-called Jepson claim format, saying the case set an "onerous requirement" that is nearly impossible to meet and "eliminates any incentive" to use the format.

  • April 29, 2025

    NCAA Says NY Case's Demise Dooms NC State '83 Team's Suit

    The NCAA told North Carolina's business court that a New York federal judge's decision to throw out a proposed antitrust class action against it brought by former men's basketball players should also doom a similar suit brought by the 1983 North Carolina State University men's basketball national championship team.

  • April 29, 2025

    Fed. Circ. Backs TM Denial Of Dark Green Gloves As Generic

    The Federal Circuit on Tuesday adopted a test for determining if trademarks are generic when considering claims on distinctive colors, affirming a trademark board precedent used to reject an Indonesian medical supply company's efforts to claim a trademark for dark green surgical gloves.

  • April 29, 2025

    Chicken Joint Sticky's Gets $2M Sale After Turnaround Woes

    Chicken restaurant Sticky's won a Delaware bankruptcy judge's tentative permission Tuesday to sign a contract to sell its assets to an investment fund for $2 million after surging poultry prices and New York City's congestion pricing program imperiled the company's Chapter 11 turnaround plan.

  • April 29, 2025

    Drinkers Not Vexed By Brand In 'Sea Of Tequilas,' 5th Circ. Told

    A Fifth Circuit panel seemed hesitant to accept a U.S. tequila startup's argument that it was selling its product in a "sea of tequilas" that all have similar marks, questioning Tuesday whether its branding had enough similarities to an older Mexican brand called "Clase Azul" to confuse consumers.

  • April 29, 2025

    Mexico Put On Latest USTR Priority IP Watch List

    The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative on Tuesday issued its annual global intellectual property report that has placed close trading partner Mexico on its list of countries to keep the closest eye on.

  • April 29, 2025

    Cooley Life Sciences Ace Rejoins Latham In Bay Area

    Latham & Watkins LLP has welcomed back an intellectual property attorney who spent the past nine years at Cooley LLP to bolster its healthcare and life sciences practice, including advising clients about licensing and transactional matters.

Expert Analysis

  • Exploring Venue Strategy For Trump-Era Regulatory Litigation

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    Litigation will likely play a prominent role in shaping policy outcomes during the second Trump administration, and stakeholders have several tools at their disposal to steer regulatory litigation toward more favorable venues, say attorneys at Covington.

  • How The UPC, ITC Complement Each Other In Patent Law

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    Attorneys at Ropes & Gray discuss the similarities and differences between the Unified Patent Court and the International Trade Commission, as well as recent matters litigated in both venues and why parties choose to file at these forums.

  • Series

    Playing Esports Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Competing in a global esports tournament at Wimbledon last year not only fulfilled my childhood dream, but also sharpened skills that are essential to my day job, including strategic thinking, confidence and networking, says AJ Schuyler at Jackson Lewis.

  • Identifying Deepfakes During Evidence Collection, Discovery

    Excerpt from Practical Guidance
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    Attorneys must familiarize themselves with the tools used to create and detect deepfakes — media manipulated by artificial intelligence to convincingly mimic real people and events — as well as best practices for keeping this fabricated evidence out of court, says Bijan Ghom at Saxton & Stump.

  • Fed. Circ. In December: A Patent Prosecution History Lesson

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    Despite relying on two rock-solid principles of patent law, DDR lost its Federal Circuit case against Priceline.com, highlighting how a change in the scope of the invention from the provisional to the nonprovisional application can affect the court's analysis of how a skilled artisan would understand claim terms after reading the prosecution history, say attorneys at Knobbe Martens.

  • An Associate's Guide To Career Development In 2025

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    As the new year begins, associates at all levels should consider establishing career metrics, fostering key relationships and employing other specific strategies to help move through the complexities of the legal profession with confidence and emerge as trailblazers, say EJ Stern and Amanda George at Fractional Law Firm.

  • 2025 Patent And TM Policy At USPTO: What We Know So Far

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    This upcoming year at the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office promises a continued focus on artificial intelligence-related policies, as well as initiatives to drive efficiency and modernize standard processes, say attorneys at Knobbe Martens.

  • Reviewing 2024's Crucial Patent Law Developments

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    As 2024 draws to a close, significant rulings and policies aimed at modernizing long-standing legal practices or addressing emerging challenges have reached patent law, says Michael Ellenberger at Rothwell Figg.

  • How White Collar Enforcement May Shift In Trump's 2nd Term

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    After President-elect Donald Trump returns to the White House next month, the administration’s emphasis on immigration laws, drug offenses and violent crime will likely reduce the focus on white collar crime overall, but certain areas within the white collar world may see increased activity, say attorneys at Keker Van Nest.

  • Series

    Fixing Up Cars Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    From problem-solving to patience and adaptability to organization, the skills developed working under the hood of a car directly translate to being a more effective lawyer, says Christopher Mdeway at Kaufman Dolowich.

  • 2024's Most Notable FTC Actions Against Dark Patterns And AI

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    In 2024 the Federal Trade Commission ramped up enforcement actions related to dark patterns, loudly signaling its concern that advertisers will use AI to manipulate consumer habits and its intention to curb businesses' use and marketing of AI to prevent alleged consumer deception, say attorneys at Goodwin.

  • Making The Pitch To Grow Your Company's Legal Team

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    In a compressed economy, convincing the C-suite to invest in additional legal talent can be a herculean task, but a convincing pitch — supported by metrics and cost analyses — may help in-house counsel justify the growth of their team, say Elizabeth Smith and Roger Garceau at Major Lindsey.

  • 4 Trade Secret Pointers From 2024's Key IP Law Developments

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    Four significant 2024 developments in trade secret law yield practical tips about defending trade secrets overseas, proving unjust enrichment claims, forcing compliance with posttrial orders and using restrictive covenants to prevent employee leaks of confidential intellectual property, say attorneys at Faegre Drinker.

  • Trends In Section 101 Motions 6 Years After Berkheimer

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    A half-dozen years after the Federal Circuit's landmark patent eligibility ruling in Berkheimer, empirical data offers practitioners some noteworthy insights on Section 101 motions, both nationally and across four exemplary jurisdictions, says Alexa Reed at Fisch Sigler.

  • Opinion

    1 Year After Rule 702 Changes, Courts Have Made Progress

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    In the year since amendments to the Federal Rules of Evidence went into effect, many federal judges have applied the new expert witness standard correctly, excluding unreliable testimony from their courts — but now state courts need to update their own rules accordingly, says Lee Mickus at Evans Fears.

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