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Intellectual Property
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Featured
The Biggest TM Rulings Of 2025: A Midyear Report
Justices overturned a trademark award of more than $40 million in a long-running case in which lower courts put a company's affiliates on the hook for the amount, and a pair of precedential decisions from the Federal Circuit provided guidance on whether colors can be protected trade dress. Here is Law360's list of the biggest trademark decisions so far this year.
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July 14, 2025
Artists' Expert Can't View Some Material In Stability AI Row
A California federal magistrate judge on Monday blocked artists' expert from accessing the confidential information and source code of Stability AI and other artificial intelligence platforms in copyright infringement litigation, ruling that the expert's work makes him a "functional competitor" of the companies.
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July 14, 2025
Sirius XM Can't Escape WCPA Suit Over Music Royalty Fees
A Washington federal judge allowed Sirius XM subscribers to proceed with their proposed class action alleging the company tricks them into paying a 21.4% per month "U.S. Music Royalty Fee" without describing the charges, ruling Monday they sufficiently allege a claim under the state's consumer protection statute.
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July 14, 2025
'It Is The Same Photo': 9th Circ. Questions Von D's Tattoo Win
A Ninth Circuit panel grappled Monday with tattoo artist Kat Von D's jury win over a photographer who claimed she infringed his copyrighted photo of Miles Davis with a tattoo she inked, with one judge noting the panel disagrees with the jury's finding the two works aren't substantially similar.
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July 14, 2025
Judge Stops Artist's Fight Against Music Co. After Deal
A Texas federal judge has closed a dispute between a Houston hip-hop artist and his longtime business partner over the management of his music production company's funds, following the two agreeing to end the case.
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July 14, 2025
House Committee Proposes Commerce, Science Cuts
A House Appropriations Committee bill released Monday would provide $76.8 billion in funding to agencies including the U.S. Department of Commerce and its subsidiary agencies, representing a 2.8% decrease from the previous fiscal year's budget.
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July 14, 2025
WilmerHale DQed From Representing Verizon In Patent Row
A federal magistrate judge in Texas has disqualified WilmerHale from representing Verizon on the eve of a trial over allegations that the telecommunications company infringed wireless communications patents owned by Headwater Research.
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July 14, 2025
USPTO Acting Director Spurns 'Traditional Knowledge' Treaty
The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office's acting director has come out against an international treaty that could require patent applicants to report if an invention uses the traditional knowledge of indigenous people, suggesting in remarks that such a rule would undermine the global patent system's effectiveness.
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July 14, 2025
Jury Says T-Mobile Owes $2M In 5G Equipment Case
A Texas federal jury has awarded an Irish company $2 million after finding that T-Mobile's use of Ericsson base stations infringed its patent, which T-Mobile's attorneys argued was worth far less than the $245 million the plaintiff was seeking.
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July 14, 2025
Microsoft, OpenAI Ask 9th Circ. To Toss Coders' DMCA Claims
Microsoft and OpenAI have asked the Ninth Circuit to affirm the dismissal of a suit brought by coders who claim that the companies' large language models spit out code almost identical to code they wrote, saying the coders have only alleged hypothetical injuries.
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July 14, 2025
Fed. Circ. Upholds PTAB Ax Of J&J Unit's Catheter Patent
The Federal Circuit on Monday upheld the Patent Trial and Appeal Board's invalidation of a Johnson & Johnson unit's patent on a device for clearing blocked arteries, saying an Abbott Laboratories unit's challenge was not improperly based on what the patent admitted was an earlier invention.
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July 14, 2025
J&J Unit Follows Fed. Circ. Win With Schizophrenia Drug Suits
Johnson & Johnson's Janssen subsidiaries have sued Sun Pharma for patent infringement in federal courts in New Jersey and Delaware over the generics maker's plans to market its versions of Janssen's Invega Sustenna drug last week, following Janssen beating a patent challenge for the schizophrenia drug in the Federal Circuit.
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July 14, 2025
Ex-Engineer At Tech Co. IyO Hit With Trade Secrets Suit
Technology company iyO Inc. has alleged in a California state court lawsuit that a former engineer gave confidential company information to the co-founder of competitor io Products Inc., which is currently facing a federal trademark lawsuit alongside its new owner, OpenAI.
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July 14, 2025
DraftKings Escapes Mobile App Patent Suit In NJ
A New Jersey federal judge tossed claims that DraftKings copied patented features of its sports betting and fantasy game mobile application, ruling that the complaint from WinView Inc. failed to describe the alleged infringement.
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July 14, 2025
AI To Spark New Boom In Intangible, IP Assets, WIPO Says
Artificial intelligence is driving a boom in intellectual property rights and other intangible assets, with a recent study showing that investments in software, brands and patents have grown over three times faster than physical assets since 2008.
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July 11, 2025
NCAA's $2.8B NIL Deal Nets Athletes' Firms Over $455M In Fees
A California federal judge Friday approved approximately $455 million in attorney fees for class counsel in the NCAA's $2.78 billion class action settlement that, for the first time, will provide for revenue sharing with college athletes, with additional fees set to roll in annually for 10 years.
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July 11, 2025
Catching Up On Stewart's Discretionary Denial Decisions
Acting U.S. Patent and Trademark Office Director Coke Morgan Stewart and a top administrative patent judge issued 15 discretionary denial decisions on Patent Trial and Appeal Board petitions over the past week, across nearly 40 cases. Here's what they decided.
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July 11, 2025
Muhammad Ali Ex-Photog Copyright Verdict Kept Mostly Intact
Muhammad Ali's onetime personal photographer will keep $1.65 million in statutory copyright damages awarded by a jury against a licensing broker, a New York federal judge ruled Thursday, but a profits award must be cut from $750,000 to under $5,000.
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July 11, 2025
4th Circ. Backs 'GT Racing' Gaming Chair Social Media Block
The Fourth Circuit on Friday upheld a lower court's decision blocking gaming chair company Wudi Industrial from using the trademark "GT Racing" in its social media accessible in European countries for certain goods.
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July 11, 2025
Courts Face Early Push To Expand Justices' Injunction Ruling
In the two weeks since the U.S. Supreme Court curtailed federal judges' ability to issue universal injunctions, Trump administration attorneys have begun pushing to expand the decision's limits to other forms of relief used in regulatory challenges and class actions. So far, judges don't appear receptive to those efforts.
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July 11, 2025
NPE Drops Injunction Bid In Samsung IP Suit Eyed By Feds
A nonpracticing entity has dropped its bid for a preliminary injunction in its patent infringement case against Samsung in eastern Texas federal court, shortly after the federal government made the rare move of expressing interest in the case.
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July 11, 2025
ITC Judge Mostly Clears GoPro Rival Insta360 In IP Fight
A U.S. International Trade Commission judge has mostly cleared a China-based camera company of allegations in a case claiming certain imports of its products infringed various patents owned by GoPro.
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July 11, 2025
Fed. Circ. Questions Patent Ownership After J&J's $20M Loss
The Federal Circuit appeared somewhat skeptical Friday that an orthopedic surgeon held onto the rights of knee replacement patents that he disputably assigned elsewhere, which would endanger the $20 million infringement verdict he won against a Johnson & Johnson unit.
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July 11, 2025
Netlist Judge To Query Jurors Post-Trial Over Voir Dire Replies
A California federal judge considering Samsung's bid for a fourth trial in its contract fight with Netlist on grounds that three jurors allegedly lied during voir dire told the parties Friday that he'll question those jurors about why they didn't disclose their involvement as parties in unrelated civil proceedings.
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July 11, 2025
Meta's Alleged Book Piracy Is Next Phase Of Authors' IP Suit
A California federal judge said Friday that a group of bestselling authors' claims that Meta Platforms infringed their copyrights by downloading and allegedly distributing their works through peer-to-peer networks will proceed to summary judgment.
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July 11, 2025
Software Co. Accuses Honeywell Of Baseless Patent Threats
A supply chain software company is combating patent infringement allegations by North Carolina-based Honeywell over its voice technology, saying the conglomerate has for years sought to force a licensing deal while threatening legal action without any basis.
Editor's Picks
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2024 Patent Litigation: A Year In Review
The Eastern District of Texas held onto its newly regained title as the busiest patent venue in the U.S., with nearly three times as many cases in 2024 as the once-dominant Western District of Texas. In addition, Patent Trial and Appeal Board filings bounced back after falling to a record low in 2023.
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My So-Called Retirement: Some IP Lawyers Just Can't Quit
When patent partner Terry Rea set out to retire, the onetime acting director of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office had her eyes on the independence that retirement promises — flexible hours, fewer deadlines and less stress over having lots of people counting on you.
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Trade Secrets Emerge As Path For Cos. To Protect AI Works
Classifying creations of artificial intelligence tools as trade secrets has become a viable alternative to copyrights and patents — a shift that is presenting businesses using AI with a range of strategies and risks they must consider to protect their innovations.
Expert Analysis
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Brand Protection Takeaways From OpenAI Trademark Case
The ongoing battle between IYO and OpenAI offers critical lessons on diligent trademark enforcement and proactive risk management for startups and established players alike navigating branding in the rapidly evolving artificial intelligence sector, say attorneys at Dykema.
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How Attys Can Use AI To Surface Narratives In E-Discovery
E-discovery has reached a turning point where document review is no longer just about procedural tasks like identifying relevance and redacting privilege — rather, generative artificial intelligence tools now allow attorneys to draw connections, extract meaning and tell a coherent story, says Rose Jones at Hilgers Graben.
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IP Due Diligence Tips For AI Assets In M&A Transactions
Artificial intelligence systems' integration into business operations creates new considerations for intellectual property due diligence in mergers and acquisitions and financing transactions, and implementing a practical approach to identifying AI assets can help avoid litigation and losses, say Armin Ghiam and Senna Hahn at Hunton.
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How To Strengthen A Case By Mastering Expert Witness Prep
A well-prepared expert witness can bolster a case's credibility with persuasive qualifications, compelling voir dire responses and concise testimony that can withstand cross-examination, says Allison Rocker at Baker McKenzie.
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A Look At Florida's New Protected Series LLC Legislation
A new law in Florida enhances the flexibility of using limited liability companies as the entities of choice for most privately held businesses, moving Florida into a small group of states with reliable uniform protected series legislation for series LLCs, says Louis Conti at Holland & Knight.
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Opinion
New USPTO Leadership Must Address Low-Quality Patents
With John Squires in line to become the new director of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, the agency has an opportunity to refocus its mission on prioritizing quality in patent examination and taking a harsher stance against low-quality patents and patent trolls, says Jill Crosby at Engine Advocacy & Foundation.
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Opinion
High Court Must Overrule Outdated Patent Eligibility Doctrine
A certiorari petition should directly ask the U.S. Supreme Court to correct its 1972 patent decision in Gottschalk v. Benson, the critical point where patent eligibility law veered from the statutory text toward judicial policymaking, says Robert Greenspoon at Dunlap Bennett.
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Series
Playing The Violin Makes Me A Better Lawyer
Playing violin in a string quartet reminds me that flexibility, ambition, strong listening skills, thoughtful leadership and intentional collaboration are all keys to a successful legal practice, says Julie Park at MoFo.
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DOJ Enforcement Trends To Watch In 2nd Half Of 2025
Recent investigations, settlements and a declination to prosecute suggest that controlling the flow of goods into and out of the country, and redressing what the administration sees as reverse discrimination, are likely to be at the forefront of the U.S. Department of Justice's enforcement agenda the rest of this year, say attorneys at Baker Botts.
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The State Of AI Adoption In The Patent Field
The use of generative artificial intelligence in patent-related practices has lagged behind early predictions, which may be explained by a number of core concerns that organizations must address before seriously considering adoption, say attorney Michael Drapkin and leadership coach Michael Colacchio.
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Purdue Case Could Transform Patent Obviousness Analyses
If accepted for review by the U.S. Supreme Court, Purdue Pharma v. Accord Healthcare — concerning whether Purdue's abuse-deterrent opioid formulation patents were invalid as obvious — could significantly shift how courts weigh secondary considerations in patent obviousness analyses, say attorneys at Lathrop.
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'Top Gun' And 'Together' IP Suits Spotlight Similarity Issues
The outcome of recent lawsuits revolving around the films "Top Gun: Maverick" and "Together" may set meaningful precedents for how courts analyze substantial similarity in creative works, say attorneys at Greenspoon Marder.
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Series
Law School's Missed Lessons: Practicing Self-Care
Law schools don’t teach the mental, physical and emotional health maintenance tools necessary to deal with the profession's many demands, but practicing self-care is an important key to success that can help to improve focus, manage stress and reduce burnout, says Rachel Leonard at MG+M.
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ABA Opinion Makes It A Bit Easier To Drop A 'Hot Potato'
The American Bar Association's recent ethics opinion clarifies when attorneys may terminate clients without good cause, though courts may still disqualify a lawyer who drops a client like a hot potato, so sending a closeout letter is always a best practice, say attorneys at Thompson Hine.
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IRhythm IPR Denial Raises Key PTAB Discretion Questions
By giving the passage of time a dispositive role in denying institution of five inter partes review petitions filed by iRhythm Technologies, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office has upended the strategic considerations for filing and defending against IPRs, disclosing prior art during prosecution, and engaging in licensing negotiations, say attorneys at Dentons.