Intellectual Property

  • May 09, 2024

    Justices Say Copyright Damages Can Go Beyond 3 Years

    The U.S. Supreme Court concluded Thursday that plaintiffs in copyright ownership disputes can recover damages beyond the three-year statute of limitations for bringing a claim, rejecting Warner Chappell Music's argument that the only time that could happen is in cases involving fraud.

  • May 08, 2024

    AI Art Cos. Fight Uphill To Toss Artists' Copyright Suit

    Attorneys for four companies that make or distribute software that creates images with text prompts urged a California federal judge Wednesday to rethink his tentative opinion to allow some claims by a proposed class of artists to move forward, with one warning it could lead to hundreds of thousands of similar suits.

  • May 08, 2024

    Amazon Seeks To Ax $525M Verdict Over Data Storage Patents

    Amazon asked an Illinois federal judge Wednesday to throw out a jury's verdict that the e-commerce giant owes $525 million for infringing three of Kove IO's patents relating to cloud data storage technology, saying the Chicago software company didn't actually prove infringement.

  • May 08, 2024

    Arendi Seeks Revival Of Google, Oath IP Rows At Fed. Circ.

    Arendi SARL has urged the Federal Circuit to revive its two data system patent lawsuits alleging infringement by Google and Oath Holdings, arguing in part that the lower court erred when it failed to find the patents eligible.

  • May 08, 2024

    Split 6th Circ. Says Digital Media TM Case Has To Stay In Tenn.

    The Sixth Circuit on Wednesday held that a trademark fight between two companies that digitally preserve home movies, photos and other media will have to play out in a Tennessee federal court, after the panel split over how many customers are enough to extend jurisdiction in the trademark dispute.

  • May 08, 2024

    Black & Decker's Stud Finder Patent Win Gets Fed. Circ. OK

    The Federal Circuit on Wednesday upheld a decision clearing Stanley Black & Decker Inc. in a stud finder patent suit by rival Zircon Corp., backing the U.S. International Trade Commission's finding that Zircon didn't show it has a domestic industry of products protected by the patents.

  • May 08, 2024

    Teva Must Face Bulk Of Asthma Inhaler Antitrust Suit

    A Massachusetts federal judge largely refused Tuesday to toss antitrust claims accusing Teva of a decadelong anticompetitive scheme to delay generic competition for its blockbuster QVAR asthma inhalers, finding it plausible that Teva paid off a would-be rival and forcibly switched doctors and patients to a new product.

  • May 08, 2024

    Gambling Cos. Can't Knock Out 4 Location Software Patents

    DraftKings and several other gambling companies have failed to persuade the Patent Trial and Appeal Board to invalidate a quartet of patents covering location software that were issued to a patent lawyer who has sued at least 10 major betting brands.

  • May 08, 2024

    Sorority Fails To Get Fed. Circ. To Revive TM Case

    A one-line Federal Circuit ruling Wednesday upheld a decision shooting down a popular sorority's efforts to obtain a trademark registration covering the acronym "ZTA" for use in the consumer goods market. 

  • May 08, 2024

    DLA Piper, Cooley Lead Software Firm Silvaco's $114M IPO

    Electronic design automation software company Silvaco Group Inc. on Wednesday priced an $114 million initial public offering at the top of its range, represented by DLA Piper and underwriters' counsel Cooley LLP.

  • May 08, 2024

    Trashing Of IP Case Wrongly Cut Atty Fees, Del. Justices Told

    An attorney for a client who saw all claims against him dropped before trial in a suit focused on allegedly purloined trash-handling trade secrets urged Delaware's Supreme Court on Wednesday to reverse the Chancery Court's purported failure to hear his attorney fee claim.

  • May 08, 2024

    Blue Bottle Coffee Loses Suit Over 'Blue Brew' TM

    A California federal judge has handed a loss to Blue Bottle Coffee LLC in its trademark infringement case against a company selling coffee gear and accessories using the phrase "Blue Brew," saying there wasn't any evidence that customers would be confused.

  • May 08, 2024

    IP Owners Call For PTAB Amendment Plan To Be Permanent

    The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office has received a series of comments on its plans to formalize a Patent Trial and Appeal Board pilot program to assist patent owners in amending challenged claims, including from groups such as the Intellectual Property Owners Association and the Council for Innovation Promotion.

  • May 08, 2024

    Levi Strauss Settles TM Suit Over Rival's Tab Label Design

    Jeans maker Levi Strauss & Co. has settled its suit in California federal court alleging Italian clothing company Brunello Cucinelli infringed on Levi's tab trademark in an effort to sow customer confusion and reap profits.

  • May 08, 2024

    Dr. Martens Accuses Temu Of Google Search TM Use

    Dr. Martens has accused Chinese ultra-fast fashion giant Temu of paying Google to show its knockoffs of the British shoemaker's famous black boots in the search results of online shoppers.

  • May 07, 2024

    GOP Reps. Want IP Enforcers To Get Tougher On Infringers

    Republican lawmakers complained at a Tuesday congressional hearing about the Biden administration's move to end the controversial Trump-era "China Initiative" aimed at curbing suspected economic espionage and questioned administration officials over how diligently they have pursued intellectual property cases on behalf of U.S. manufacturers, retailers, movie studios and vape companies.

  • May 07, 2024

    Amazon, Epson Unite To Go After Printer Ink Counterfeiters

    Amazon and Seiko Epson have teamed up to go after several bad actors in Turkey and the United Kingdom that are allegedly hawking knockoff Epson printer ink bottles and cartridges on Amazon's platform, according to a trademark infringement action filed in the Western District of Washington.  

  • May 07, 2024

    Iceberg Image Closes Pacira Drug Patent Infringement Trial

    A generic drugmaker on Tuesday used imagery to argue that the information in a Pacira Biosciences Inc. painkiller patent is just the proverbial tip of the iceberg, positing that regulators would have rejected the application if all the data on the medicine had been revealed.

  • May 07, 2024

    Judge Limits Valve's Arguments In Controller Patent Fight

    A federal judge in Seattle has partly granted a bid from Ironburg Inventions Ltd. to block Valve Corp. from raising certain arguments when challenging a video game controller patent at district court based on estoppel rules from the Patent Trial and Appeal Board.

  • May 07, 2024

    DC Circ. Examines Timing In ITC's Bid To Investigate Expert

    The D.C. Circuit on Tuesday scrutinized the U.S. International Trade Commission's bid to revive an investigation into a former expert witness retained by Qualcomm for allegedly breaching a protective order, questioning whether the expert's successful suit to stop the probe was premature, as the commission claims.

  • May 07, 2024

    In Calif. Case, Samsung Contractor Points To Waco Verdict

    A Samsung contractor says a Texas jury verdict that cleared the South Korean phone maker from a $4 billion patent suit should free it from similar allegations in a case in California.

  • May 07, 2024

    Fed. Circ. Seems Wary Of Broad's CRISPR Inventorship Win

    Federal Circuit Judge Todd Hughes on Tuesday suggested that the Patent Trial and Appeal Board cited the correct standard when reviewing who first invented a particular use of the gene-editing technology CRISPR-Cas9, but then applied an improper standard when ruling in favor of a Massachusetts research team.

  • May 07, 2024

    NBA's Dominique Wilkins Sues AmeriHealth Partners Over NIL

    NBA slam-dunk legend Dominique Wilkins and his management team are suing AmeriHealth Partners LLC in Atlanta federal court for allegedly using his name, image and likeness without his permission to market pharmaceutical products nationwide in 74,000 drug stores.

  • May 07, 2024

    Tax Software Co. Still Can't Trim Rival's Trade Secrets Suit

    A corporate-focused tax preparation software company still can't pare back a suit alleging that it poached workers from its rival's recently acquired company, a Pennsylvania federal judge ruled Tuesday.

  • May 07, 2024

    Meta Gets PTAB To Wipe Out Photo-Tagging Patent In Calif. Suit

    The Patent Trial and Appeal Board has wiped out all challenged claims in a patent owned by a company that is suing Meta in California federal court.

Expert Analysis

  • Fed. Circ. Defines Foreign IP Damages, Raises New Questions

    Author Photo

    In Brumfield v. IBG, the Federal Circuit recently clarified which standard determines the extraterritoriality of the patent statute after the U.S. Supreme Court's WesternGeco decision, opening a new avenue of damages for foreign activities resulting from certain domestic activities while also creating some thorny questions, say Amol Parikh and Ian Howard at McDermott.

  • Series

    Being An Equestrian Makes Me A Better Lawyer

    Author Photo

    Beyond getting experience thinking on my feet and tackling stressful situations, the skills I've gained from horseback riding have considerable overlap with the skills used to practice law, particularly in terms of team building, continuing education, and making an effort to reset and recharge, says Kerry Irwin at Moore & Van Allen.

  • Teach Your Party Representative The Art Of Nonverbal Cues

    Author Photo

    As illustrated by recent reports about President Donald Trump’s nonverbal communication in court, jurors notice what’s happening at counsel table, which may color their perceptions of the case as a whole, so trial attorneys should teach party representatives to self-monitor their nonverbal behaviors, says Clint Townson at Townson Consulting.

  • Fintiv Denials Are On The Rise At PTAB

    Author Photo

    Following last year's CommScope v. Dali decision, the Patent Trial and Appeal Board is increasingly using Fintiv factors to discretionarily deny inter partes review petitions — and attorneys ignore it at their peril, say Josepher Li and Michelle Armond at Armond Wilson.

  • 4 Ways To Refresh Your Law Firm's Marketing Strategy

    Author Photo

    With many BigLaw firms relying on an increasingly obsolete marketing approach that prioritizes stiff professionalism over authentic connection, adopting a few key communications strategies to better connect with today's clients and prospects can make all the difference, say Eric Pacifici and Kevin Henderson at SMB Law.

  • What Law Firms Should Know Amid Rise In DQ Motions

    Author Photo

    As disqualification motions proliferate, law firms need to be aware of the types of conflicts that most often lead to disqualification, the types of attorneys who may be affected and how to reduce their exposure to these motions, says Matthew Henderson at Hinshaw.

  • What Have We Learned In The Year Since Warhol?

    Author Photo

    In the almost year since the U.S. Supreme Court decided Andy Warhol Foundation v. Goldsmith, which was widely seen as potentially chilling to creative endeavors, seven subsequent decisions — while illuminating to some extent — do not indicate any trend toward a radical departure from prior precedents in fair use cases, says ​​​​​​​Jose Sariego at Bilzin Sumberg.

  • Practical Pointers After Fed. Circ. Double-Patenting Decision

    Author Photo

    With the Federal Circuit recently denying a full court review of In re: Cellect, a decision regarding obviousness-type double-patenting, affected patent family holders should evaluate their rights through both patent prosecution and future litigation lenses to minimize risks, say Austin Lorch and Jeff Wolfson at Haynes Boone.

  • Clemson's ACC Exit Fee Suit May Have Major Consequences

    Author Photo

    Clemson University's recent suit in South Carolina state court against the Atlantic Coast Conference, which challenges the ACC's $140 million exit fee and its ownership of member schools' media rights, would likely have enormous ramifications for ACC members in the event of a definitive court ruling, say William Sullivan and Alex Anderson at Pillsbury.

  • How Duty Of Candor Figures In USPTO AI Ethics Guidance

    Author Photo

    The duty of candor and good faith is an important part of the artificial intelligence ethics guidance issued last week by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, and serious consequences can visit patent and trademark applicants who violate that duty, not just their attorneys and agents, says Michael Cicero at Taylor English.

  • Patent Lessons From 8 Federal Circuit Reversals In March

    Author Photo

    A number of Federal Circuit patent decisions last month reversed or vacated underlying rulings, providing guidance regarding the definiteness of a claim that include multiple limitations of different scopes, the importance of adequate jury instruction, the proper scope of the precedent, and more, say Denise De Mory and Li Guo at Bunsow De Mory.

  • Tenn. Law Protecting Artists From AI Raises Novel Issues

    Author Photo

    Tennessee recently enacted a law that extends the right of publicity protection to individuals' voices in an attempt to control the proliferation of artificial intelligence in the music industry, presenting fascinating questions about the First Amendment, the fair use doctrine and more, say attorneys at Davis Wright.

  • A Look At Ex Parte Seizures 8 Years Post-DTSA

    Author Photo

    In the eight years since the Defend Trade Secrets Act was enacted, not much has changed for jurisprudence on ex parte seizures, but a few seminal rulings show that there still isn’t a bright line on what qualifies as extraordinary circumstances warranting a seizure, say attorneys at Finnegan.

  • Series

    Whitewater Kayaking Makes Me A Better Lawyer

    Author Photo

    Whether it's seeing clients and their issues from a new perspective, or staying nimble in a moment of intense challenge, the lessons learned from whitewater kayaking transcend the rapids of a river and prepare attorneys for the courtroom and beyond, says Matthew Kent at Alston & Bird.

  • 10 Years After Alice, Predictability Debate Lingers

    Author Photo

    A decade after the U.S. Supreme Court’s Alice ruling, critics continue to argue that the subject matter eligibility framework it established yields inconsistent results, but that contention is disproved by affirmance data from the Federal Circuit, district courts and the Patent Trial and Appeal Board, say Dennis Abdelnour and David Thomas at Honigman.

Want to publish in Law360?


Submit an idea

Have a news tip?


Contact us here
Can't find the article you're looking for? Click here to search the Intellectual Property archive.
Hello! I'm Law360's automated support bot.

How can I help you today?

For example, you can type:
  • I forgot my password
  • I took a free trial but didn't get a verification email
  • How do I sign up for a newsletter?
Ask a question!