Intellectual Property

  • April 05, 2024

    Judge Newman Pushes To Keep Suit Over Suspension Intact

    U.S. Circuit Judge Pauline Newman urged a D.C. federal judge Friday to let her pursue a constitutional challenge to the law under which she has been suspended, and to reject her colleagues' contention that her case does not pass legal muster.

  • April 05, 2024

    New Partner Joins Nixon Peabody's IP Team In Chicago

    Nixon Peabody LLP has brought on a pair of patent attorneys to its Chicago office, including a partner who worked at Fitch Even Tabin & Flannery LLP for more than 30 years.

  • April 05, 2024

    Texas Appeals Court Reverses IT Consulting Worker Spat

    A Texas appeals court revived a suit brought by an information technology consulting company against its former worker, ruling that the company had shown enough evidence to go forward with the case and the trial court abused its discretion in granting a no-evidence summary judgment motion.

  • April 05, 2024

    Coachella Nabs TM Injunction Against DC 'Moechella' Backers

    California's Coachella music festival secured a preliminary injunction in D.C. federal court barring the organizers of music and cultural events in Washington, D.C., from using the "Moechella" mark.

  • April 05, 2024

    Carl Sagan Co. Says It Owns Astronomer's Rights In TM Fight

    A company managing the works of famed astronomer Carl Sagan said it has the rights to the scientist's name and likeness, telling a Michigan federal judge that it has the standing to sue a software company for allegedly using Sagan's name without permission.

  • April 05, 2024

    Virgin Galactic Sues Boeing Over 'Shoddy' $45M Aircraft Work

    Virgin Galactic has hit Boeing with a breach-of-contract suit in California federal court, alleging the aerospace giant failed to deliver a new $45 million "mothership" carrier aircraft due to its alleged "shoddy and incomplete" work and that Boeing has since wrongfully sued in Virginia seeking to claw back intellectual property licenses. 

  • April 05, 2024

    Walmart's Self-Checkout Patents Survive BJ's PTAB Attacks

    Retail chain BJ's Wholesale Club was unable to persuade judges on an administrative patent board to knock out any claims from a pair of patents covering a self-checkout app that Walmart's Sam's Club brand is suing the rival over in Florida federal court.

  • April 05, 2024

    Sprint's $4.5M Nextel Trademark Win Upheld At 11th Circ.

    Sprint Communications Inc. maintained a trademark on its line of walkie-talkie devices and deserved a $4.5 million jury award against an imitator for its unlawful use of the device name and distinctive "chirp" noise, according to an Eleventh Circuit panel ruling.

  • April 05, 2024

    Off The Bench: ACC Drama, Football Firing Suits Intensify

    In this week's Off The Bench, Florida State University cannot escape an ACC lawsuit that may enforce a nine-figure penalty against the school if it should leave the conference, while both Northwestern University and the Arizona Cardinals face more legal headaches over their decisions to fire key personnel.

  • April 05, 2024

    IP Firm Sues Florida Attorney For Using Soundalike Name

    Georgia-based intellectual property firm Bekiares Eliezer LLP has sued an attorney in Florida federal court, alleging he marketed his services with a name similar to its "Founders Legal" brand.

  • April 05, 2024

    Chinese Insurer Awarded Nearly $15M Over Hotel Theft Suit

    A California federal judge awarded a Chinese insurer nearly $15 million in damages after a man accused of conspiring to fraudulently claim ownership of New York City's JW Marriott Essex House Hotel and other luxury properties failed to appear in the action.

  • April 05, 2024

    UK Litigation Roundup: Here's What You Missed In London

    This past week in London has seen the BBC sued by former Georgian defense minister David Kezerashvili, Russian businessman Ildar Sharipov file a defamation claim against the publisher of the Liverpool Echo newspaper, MEX Group Worldwide sue Barclays and NatWest, and a climbing gear company hit retailer Next with a claim of copyright infringement. Here, Law360 looks at these and other new claims in the U.K.

  • April 04, 2024

    Charter Says Nonprofit's Fight Over Sealed Docs Is Too Late

    Charter Communications Inc. is disputing the Electronic Frontier Foundation's attempt to persuade a Texas federal court to unseal filings in a patent suit against the cable company over data transmission that settled late last year.

  • April 04, 2024

    Coach Accuses Gap Of IP Theft Over Old Navy 'Coach' Tees

    Luxury fashion company Coach Inc. sued The Gap Inc. for alleged trademark infringement in California federal court Tuesday, accusing the global apparel giant of illegally advertising and hawking a line of Old Navy T-shirts that display the word "Coach" in an effort to free ride off Coach's brand and reputation.

  • April 04, 2024

    'Halfhearted' Hytera Filings Not Enough To Lift Hefty Sanctions

    Hytera Communications' daily $1 million fine and other sanctions for violating an Illinois federal judge's anti-suit injunction stayed in place Thursday as she ordered the company to submit a fourth, more "meaningful" request in China to halt a lawsuit it lodged against Motorola Solutions.

  • April 04, 2024

    9th Circ. Unconvinced Judge's Past Job Hurt Tesla Investor

    The Ninth Circuit on Thursday refused to revive claims brought by a short-seller accusing Tesla Inc. and CEO Elon Musk of using social media to artificially inflate the company's stock, ruling that the plaintiff wasn't prejudiced by a district judge's former employment with the predecessor of a firm that represented Tesla for a portion of the litigation.

  • April 04, 2024

    NY AG Asked To Weigh In On Multiple Sclerosis Drug Fight

    The Federal Circuit is asking New York Attorney General Letitia James to weigh in on a patent dispute over a multiple sclerosis drug after it emerged that Acorda Therapeutics' challenge to an underlying arbitral award raises questions about the constitutionality of New York's voluntary payment doctrine.

  • April 04, 2024

    Athletes Say NCAA's Own Actions Prove NIL Rules No Good

    Athletes suing the NCAA over restrictions on the use of their names, images and likenesses are seeking summary judgment, arguing the practice dampens competition with no legitimate justification and that the organization's own actions have shown that to be true.

  • April 04, 2024

    Arby's, Sonic, Dunkin Settle Mystery Shopper IP Claims

    A Texas federal judge has stayed all deadlines in Fall Line Patents LLC's suit that accuses Arby's Restaurant Group Inc., Sonic Franchising LLC and Dunkin Brands Inc. of infringing its mystery shopper patent with their respective mobile applications, after the parties filed a joint bid saying they have settled their claims in principle.

  • April 04, 2024

    Kiss Sells Their Souls To PE Fund, Throws In Music Too

    Less than a year after playing their final show, members of '70s rock band Kiss said on Thursday that they're selling off their intellectual property to a private equity outfit owned by the guitarist of ABBA who is already promising investors that "plans for a biopic, an avatar show, and a Kiss-themed experience are already in the works."

  • April 04, 2024

    Huawei Slated For 2026 Sanctions, IP Theft Trial

    A Brooklyn federal judge on Thursday set the trial of China's Huawei Technologies and affiliates for 2026, over prosecutors' claims that Huawei deceived banks and the U.S. government for years about its business dealings in sanctioned countries and conspired to steal intellectual property from U.S. companies.

  • April 04, 2024

    Microsoft Unit Gets Fed. Circ. Alice Win On Imaging Patents

    The Federal Circuit on Thursday gave a win to a software company acquired by Microsoft for nearly $20 billion, affirming a decision that claims in four medical imaging patents it was accused of infringing are invalid for claiming only an abstract idea.

  • April 04, 2024

    Divided PTAB Invalidates RFID Claim It Previously Upheld

    A Patent Trial and Appeal Board panel has invalidated part of an AmaTech Group Ltd. smart card patent on rehearing, finding fault in its earlier decision to uphold the claim across two opinions and a dissent. 

  • April 04, 2024

    Coder's Late Expert Report Sank IP Suit, 6th Circ. Rules

    A panel of the Sixth Circuit has refused to revive an industrial control system designer's claims that a former business partner infringed his and his business's copyrighted software, backing a Michigan federal court's decision to exclude a critical expert witness.

  • April 04, 2024

    Ex-BigLaw Atty's Defamation Injunction Bid Meets Skepticism

    The Florida federal judge overseeing a $150 million defamation case between an ex-Greenberg Traurig LLP partner and a social media personality accused of mounting a harassment campaign against him declined, for now, to issue an injunction against alleged cyberstalking and indicated the petition may be better suited for state court.

Expert Analysis

  • A Comparison Of Patent Dispute Resolution In US And China

    Author Photo

    As the U.S. and China are the two most significant arenas for patent disputes, multinational corporations must be able to navigate their patent dispute systems, which differ in speed, cost and potential damage awards, say attorneys at Covington.

  • Understanding Discovery Obligations In Era Of Generative AI

    Excerpt from Practical Guidance
    Author Photo

    Attorneys and businesses must adapt to the unique discovery challenges presented by generative artificial intelligence, such as chatbot content and prompts, while upholding the principles of fairness, transparency and compliance with legal obligations in federal civil litigation, say attorneys at King & Spalding.

  • New Legal Frameworks Are Instrumental For AI In Music

    Author Photo

    As artificial intelligence encroaches — or complements — the deeply human art of music making, creating harmony between law and technology will require all stakeholders in the music industry to provide input on intellectual property and ethical concerns, say Ariela Benchlouch and Gai Sher at Greenspoon Marder.

  • IP Suits Over Brand Owner Font Use Offer Cautionary Tales

    Author Photo

    Dyan Finguerra-DuCharme and Mallory Chandler at Pryor Cashman consider the history of fonts and point to recent court decisions that show how brand owners can avoid legal typeface troubles.

  • Copyright Ruling A Victory For Innovation In Publishing Sector

    Author Photo

    The D.C. Circuit’s recent ruling in Valancourt v. Garland shows that demanding book copies without paying for them is arguably property theft, proving that the practice stifles innovation in the publishing industry by disincentivizing small printing companies from entering the market due to a fear of high costs and outdated government regulations, says Zvi Rosen at Southern Illinois University School of Law.

  • 3 Rulings Illustrate Infringement Hurdles For Hip-Hop Plaintiffs

    Author Photo

    Three district court decisions dismissing hip-hop copyright claims recently came down in quick succession, indicating that plaintiffs face significant hurdles when they premise claims on the use of words, phrases and themes that are common in the genre, say Benjamin Halperin and Shiara Robinson at Cowan DeBaets.

  • Rethinking Tech Contract Terms For Governance Of AI Use

    Author Photo

    Traditional considerations in technology deals are often inadequate for governing artificial intelligence use, which means lawyers should revisit and reimagine existing terms across the full spectrum of relevant contracts, ranging from procurement agreements and data licenses to customer agreements, say Marina Aronchik and Samuel Hartman at Mayer Brown.

  • Deploying Analogies To Explore AI Copyright Questions

    Author Photo

    Xin Shao at F. Chau & Associates translates two representative artificial intelligence copyright cases into more traditional copyright law scenarios to facilitate the direct application of legal theories to undisputed technological facts.

  • The Case For Post-Bar Clerk Training Programs At Law Firms

    Author Photo

    In today's competitive legal hiring market, an intentionally designed training program for law school graduates awaiting bar admission can be an effective way of creating a pipeline of qualified candidates, says Brent Daub at Gilson Daub.

  • What's At Stake In Bystolic 'Side Deals' Litigation

    Author Photo

    In re: Bystolic Antitrust Litigation, which has oral argument set for next month, will likely shed light on how the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit views side deals, and could create a circuit split in pleading standards for reverse payment cases, say attorneys at Axinn.

  • Attorneys Have An Ethical Duty To Protect The Judiciary

    Author Photo

    The tenor of public disagreement and debate has become increasingly hostile against judges, and though the legislative branch is trying to ameliorate this safety gap, lawyers have a moral imperative and professional requirement to stand with judges in defusing attacks against them and their rulings, says Deborah Winokur at Cozen O'Connor.

  • Best Practices For Defense Tech Startup Financing

    Author Photo

    Navigating the expanding and highly regulated defense technology sector requires careful planning and execution, starting at incorporation, so startups should prepare for foreign investor issues, choose their funding wisely and manage their funds carefully, say attorneys at WilmerHale.

  • 'Trump Too Small' Args Show Justices Inclined To Reverse

    Author Photo

    The U.S. Supreme Court recently heard oral arguments in the "Trump Too Small" trademark case Vidal v. Elster — and the tenor of the justices' feedback makes it clear that the refusal to register a mark under the Lanham Act most likely does not violate free speech rights, as opposed to the Federal Circuit's decision last year, says Brian Brookey at Tucker Ellis.

  • FTC Orange Book Move Signals New Pharma Patent Scrutiny

    Author Photo

    The Federal Trade Commission's recent dispute against improper listing of drug patents in the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's Orange Book indicates heightened surveillance of the pharmaceutical industry, particularly where competition-related consequences of patent or regulatory processes are concerned, say attorneys at Fenwick.

  • AI Can Help Lawyers Overcome The Programming Barrier

    Author Photo

    Legal professionals without programming expertise can use generative artificial intelligence to harness the power of automation and other technology solutions to streamline their work, without the steep learning curve traditionally associated with coding, says George Zalepa at Greenberg Traurig.

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!