Intellectual Property

  • June 12, 2024

    Colo. Tech Co. Says Startup Founder Can't Shield Sale Docs

    A Colorado technology company is arguing that the founder of a startup it acquired shouldn't be allowed to withhold nearly half of the documents it is seeking by asserting privilege in his $15 million fraud suit, as he claimed to rely on his law firm's advice when he approved the deal.

  • June 12, 2024

    Gaming Co. Derides DraftKings' $2.3M Fee Bid In Patent Suit

    The fallout from a testy patent dispute over DraftKings' geolocation technology intensified this week as Interactive Games pushed back against the online gambling giant's request for $2.3 million in legal fees in Delaware federal court.

  • June 12, 2024

    Nike 'Footware' TM Too Descriptive To Defeat Puma Challenge

    Nike cannot resurrect its trademark for the phrase "footware," a European Union court ruled on Wednesday, siding with rival Puma that the word was too descriptive to warrant intellectual property protections.

  • June 12, 2024

    Pool Co. Hits Ch. 11 After 'Crippling' $16M False Ads Verdict

    The American arm of a Chinese swimming pool products manufacturer has declared bankruptcy after it was slapped with a $16 million false advertising and unfair business practices judgment in North Carolina that the company previously warned would put it out of business.

  • June 11, 2024

    Martin Shkreli Told To Hand Over Wu-Tang Album

    A New York federal judge ordered Martin Shkreli on Tuesday to hand over any copies he might have of the Wu-Tang Clan's album he once bought before it was sold off by the federal government to settle a $7.3 million tab from Shkreli's criminal judgment on securities fraud.

  • June 11, 2024

    Calif. Judge Won't Let Apple Escape Tech Patent Case

    A California federal judge has found Apple can't dodge a patent suit, allowing claims to move forward that the tech giant's "back tap" feature infringes a patent owned by technology company Haptic Inc.

  • June 11, 2024

    Quinn Emanuel Swapped Sides For X Suit, Data Co. Says

    Israeli data collector Bright Data Ltd. asked a California federal judge on Tuesday to disqualify law firm Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan LLP from representing social media company X Corp., which is suing Bright Data over its data-scraping practices, accusing the firm, which was once contracted by the data company for advice in a similar matter, of switching sides.

  • June 11, 2024

    Fed. Circ. Reinstates Parts Of Blood Analyzer Secrets Verdict

    The Federal Circuit decided Tuesday that a Rhode Island jury was right to find that an Italian company's blood analyzer computer code was stolen by a U.S. rival, but another jury will have to determine any damages.

  • June 11, 2024

    AI No Scarier Than Nail Guns Or Microscopes, Kappos Says

    Former U.S. Patent and Trademark Office Director David Kappos cautioned attorneys Tuesday to "keep ourselves grounded" about the use of artificial intelligence in intellectual property, saying it's just a tool like a microscope or nail gun, rather than something justifying "panic."

  • June 11, 2024

    6th Circ. Judge Wary Of Party Dissenters' 'Right' To Use Logo

    A Sixth Circuit judge seemed skeptical on Tuesday that limiting a dissenting faction of the Libertarian Party of Michigan's use of the name and logo of the Libertarian National Committee infringes the group's speech rights, saying members can still voice their opinions.

  • June 11, 2024

    NCAA Hit With NIL Suit By '83 Wolfpack Players

    Members of North Carolina State University's 1983 championship basketball team have accused the National Collegiate Athletic Association of exploiting their names, images and likenesses for profit.

  • June 11, 2024

    Adeia, X Reach Deal In IP Dispute

    A California federal judge has agreed to stay a case where X, formerly known as Twitter, filed a declaratory judgment action against Adeia, while the parties work through a settlement.

  • June 11, 2024

    Ex-DraftKings Exec Seeks Fast Trial To Test Noncompete Law

    A former DraftKings executive wants a snap trial to unwind a noncompete blocking him from work at sports-betting rival Fanatics, calling the fiercely litigated, bicoastal dispute a "test case" for California's recent law reinforcing a ban on restrictive covenants.

  • June 11, 2024

    ArentFox Adds 17-Person Team From Burns & Levinson

    A few months after adding a four-partner automotive team from Burns & Levinson LLP, ArentFox Schiff LLP on Tuesday announced the addition of 17 more attorneys and professionals from the firm with experience ranging from intellectual property matters to business litigation.

  • June 11, 2024

    Cigar Co. Can Keep Using Contested 'Dragon' Name For Now

    A tobacco company facing a rival's copyright infringement lawsuit over its "Year of the Dragon" cigar boxes can keep using the phrase on products, a Florida federal judge ruled, declining to say the plaintiff is the true owner of the phrase because the company hasn't secured the trademark just yet.

  • June 11, 2024

    Paramount Asks Court To Send 'Top Gun' IP Suit Packing

    Paramount Pictures has asked a California federal court to dismiss a right of publicity complaint from the actor who played Henry "Wolfman" Ruth in the original "Top Gun" movie, saying his claim over a photo of his character included in the film's sequel without his permission falls squarely under the so-called Rogers test, a free speech doctrine that protects expressive works.

  • June 11, 2024

    10 Firms Seek $13M Fee For Effexor Antitrust Deal

    Ten law firms asked a New Jersey federal judge on Monday to award $13 million in counsel fees and an additional $2.1 million in costs for representing direct buyers in a $39 million settlement with Pfizer Inc. unit Wyeth over an alleged scheme to delay generic competition for the antidepressant drug Effexor XR.

  • June 11, 2024

    Longtime Orrick IP Partner Jumps To White & Case In DC

    An Orrick Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP partner, who spent over 14 years with the firm litigating a range of patent and other matters, has joined White & Case LLP to continue working on intellectual property appellate issues, the firm announced Tuesday.

  • June 11, 2024

    After Circling Globe, IP Litigator Returns To Fish & Richardson

    Fish & Richardson PC has strengthened its intellectual property litigation group in Houston with a familiar face who left the firm over a year ago to trot the globe with his wife.

  • June 11, 2024

    Immigration Firm Says Rival Poached Workers And Stole TM

    A Washington immigration law firm specializing in visas for domestic violence and sex trafficking victims is accusing a competing Texas firm of poaching its employees and stealing a Spanish phrase covered by its trademark — "Arreglar sin salir!" — which translates to "fix without leaving."

  • June 10, 2024

    Microsoft Wants $242M IP Verdict Axed Or Cut To $1.9M

    Microsoft has urged a Delaware federal judge to toss a $242 million jury verdict that found Microsoft's virtual assistant Cortana infringed a patent originally issued to a company that developed Apple's Siri software, arguing infringement wasn't proven and the "grossly inflated" award should at least be cut to $1.95 million.

  • June 10, 2024

    5 Teva Inhaler Patents Kicked Out Of Orange Book

    A New Jersey federal judge said Monday that a handful of patents covering Teva-brand asthma inhalers were "improperly listed in the Orange Book," a legal holding that U.S. Federal Trade Commission Chair Lina Khan quickly took some credit for.

  • June 10, 2024

    Biz Defends $525M Data Storage Patent Win Against Amazon

    Efforts by Amazon to dislodge a $525 million jury verdict are too late and amount to sour grapes, a small Chicago software company that won the amount has told an Illinois federal court.

  • June 10, 2024

    USPTO Makes Filing Delist Requests Slightly Easier

    The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office will begin to make it easier for anybody to ask the agency to delist "precedential" administrative board rulings, it announced by email on Monday.

  • June 10, 2024

    Software Alliance Urges Congress To Tackle Deepfakes

    The Software Alliance, a trade group that includes Microsoft Corp., Adobe Inc. and IBM, urged Congress Monday to pass legislation that addresses the proliferation of digital replicas made possible with artificial intelligence, telling lawmakers that unauthorized deepfakes harm artists who rely on their reputation and public recognition.

Expert Analysis

  • How Real Estate Cos. Can Protect Their IP In The Metaverse

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    The rise of virtual and augmented reality creates new intellectual property challenges and opportunities for real estate owners, but certain steps, including conducting a diligence investigation to develop an understanding of current obligations, can help companies mitigate IP issues in the metaverse, says George Pavlik at Levenfeld Pearlstein.

  • Using A Children's Book Approach In Firm Marketing Content

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    From “The Giving Tree” to “Where the Wild Things Are,” most children’s books are easy to remember because they use simple words and numbers to tell stories with a human impact — a formula law firms should emulate in their marketing content to stay front of mind for potential clients, says Seema Desai Maglio at The Found Word.

  • Patent Lessons From 4 Federal Circuit Reversals In April

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    Four Federal Circuit decisions in April that reversed or vacated underlying rulings provide a number of takeaways, including that obviousness analysis requires a flexible approach, that an invalidity issue of an expired patent can be moot, and more, say Denise De Mory and Li Guo at Bunsow De Mory.

  • How To Use Exhibits Strategically Throughout Your Case

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    Exhibits, and documents in particular, are the lifeblood of legal advocacy, so attorneys must understand how to wield them effectively throughout different stages of a case to help build strategy, elevate witness preparation and effectively persuade the fact-finders, say Allison Rocker at Baker McKenzie and Colorado prosecutor Adam Kendall.

  • Tips For Companies Tapping Into Commercial Cleantech

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    A recent report from the European Patent Office and European Investment Bank examining the global financing and commercialization of cleantech innovation necessary for the green energy transition can help companies understand and solve the issues in developing and implementing the full potential of cleantech, says Eleanor Maciver at Mewburn Ellis.

  • Opinion

    USPTO's Proposed Disclaimer Rule Would Harm Inventors

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    The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office’s recently proposed rule on terminal disclaimers will make the patent system less available to inventors and will unfairly favor defendants in litigation, say Stephen Schreiner at Carmichael IP and Sarah Tsou at Omni Bridgeway.

  • Series

    Being An EMT Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    While some of my experiences as an emergency medical technician have been unusually painful and searing, the skills I’ve learned — such as triage, empathy and preparedness — are just as useful in my work as a restructuring lawyer, says Marshall Huebner at Davis Polk.

  • 15 Quick Tips For Uncovering And Mitigating Juror Biases

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    As highlighted by the recent jury selection process in the criminal hush money trial against former President Donald Trump, juror bias presents formidable challenges for defendants, and attorneys must employ proactive strategies — both new and old — to blunt its impact, say Monica Delgado and Jonathan Harris at Harris St. Laurent.

  • Tips For Keeping Trade Secrets In The Vault

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    Key practices aimed at maintaining confidentiality can help companies establish trade secret status as the Federal Trade Commission's ban on noncompetes makes it prudent to explore other security measures, says John Baranello at Moses & Singer.

  • Reducing Patent Litigation Costs Starts With Early Strategy

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    With the average cost ranging from $1 million to $4 million, defending a patent case can create a serious strain on resources, particularly for midsize or smaller companies, so certain cost-cutting steps should be considered at the outset — even if some seem counterintuitive, say Jeffrey Ahdoot and Wendy Verlander at Verlander.

  • Legal Issues To Watch As Deepfake Voices Proliferate

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    With increasingly sophisticated and accessible voice-cloning technology raising social, ethical and legal questions, particularly in the entertainment industry and politics, further legislative intervention and court proceedings seem very likely, say Shruti Chopra and Paul Joseph at Linklaters.

  • Opinion

    'Natural Person' Or Not, AI-Made IP Deserves Protection

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    The entire legal edifice rests on a determination that an artificial system is not a so-called natural person, and although this may appear to be straightforward on its face, rapid advances in technology may soon force us to revisit our understanding of a natural person, says Manav Das at McDonnell Boehnen.

  • Lessons On Challenging Class Plaintiffs' Expert Testimony

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    In class actions seeking damages, plaintiffs are increasingly using expert opinions to establish predominance, but several recent rulings from California federal courts shed light on how defendants can respond, say Jennifer Romano and Raija Horstman at Crowell & Moring.

  • Exploring An Alternative Model Of Litigation Finance

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    A new model of litigation finance, most aptly described as insurance-backed litigation funding, differs from traditional funding in two key ways, and the process of securing it involves three primary steps, say Bob Koneck, Christopher Le Neve Foster and Richard Butters at Atlantic Global Risk LLC.

  • Businesses Should Take Their AI Contracts Off Auto-Renew

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    When subscribing to artificial intelligence tools — or to any technology in a highly competitive and legally thorny market — companies should push back on automatic renewal contract clauses for reasons including litigation and regulatory risk, and competition, says Chris Wlach at Huge Inc.

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