J&J Unit Owes $76.6M For Ending AI Tissue Imaging Deal

By Dorothy Atkins

A New York federal judge held Tuesday that Johnson & Johnson's Ethicon unit owes ChemImage Corp. $76.6 million after unilaterally ending their deal to develop in-surgery artificial intelligence imaging techniques, adopting a 17% discount rate on intellectual property impairment damages proposed by ChemImage as opposed to Ethicon's proposed 40% rate.

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T.I.'s Big Punitive Damages Win Cut To $1, Teeing Up 4th Trial

By Elliot Weld

A California federal judge has reduced a jury's $53.6 million punitive damages award for to rapper T.I. and his wife, singer Tameka "Tiny" Harris, to a $1 remitter, setting up a fourth trial in the trademark infringement case if the Harrises don't accept the remitter, which they have already said they will decline.

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Fed. Circ. Snubs Samsung's Bid To Ship Texas Patent Case

By Adam Lidgett

The Federal Circuit on Wednesday shot down Samsung's attempt to send to California a lawsuit claiming its products such as smartphones and tablets infringe a variety of Mullen Industries LLC patents, leaving in place Eastern District of Texas Judge Rodney Gilstrap's denial of the transfer bid.

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4th Circ. Rejects Machinery Co.'s 3rd Try At Trade Secrets Suit

By Hayley Fowler

The Fourth Circuit on Wednesday shot down a Taiwanese manufacturer's third attempt to pursue claims of trade secrets theft against its North Carolina distributor, rebuffing the idea that a manufacturer can hold distributors liable for misappropriation if they sell a rival's product.

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8th Circ. Finds 'Chicken Coop' Trade Secrets Fight Can't Fly

By Adam Lidgett

The Eighth Circuit will not reinstate an Iowa restaurant operator's lawsuit seeking a declaration that it did not misappropriate the trade secrets of another restaurant of the same name in Nebraska, saying there is no federal question that federal courts can answer.

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USPTO Defends Termination Of Art Project Patent App

By Adam Lidgett

The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office on Wednesday defended its decision to sanction an art kit company that hired a patent services business that used a licensed practitioner's signature in a patent application without permission, saying it had the authority to terminate the application.

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Fed. Circ. Cements Arthrex PTAB Wins Over Medical Device IP

By Theresa Schliep

The Federal Circuit on Wednesday affirmed without explanation decisions from the Patent Trial and Appeal Board invalidating claims in a group of medical device patents challenged by Arthrex Inc.

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Brief

Ticketing Service Drops Patent Suits Against Cowboys, Chiefs

By Spencer Brewer

A ticketing service on Tuesday voluntarily dropped its patent suits against the Dallas Cowboys and the Kansas City Chiefs after a Texas federal judge dismissed without prejudice a similar suit targeting the Houston Texans.

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10th Circ. Won't Rule On Immunity In Dental Dispute

By Elliot Weld

The Tenth Circuit has declined to grant a dental products company immunity from a rival's defamation claims, saying it can't yet rule on the issue since the district court's denial of immunity did not turn on a legal question.

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Law Firm Sues Over 'Spartan Law' Trademark Dispute

By Kelcey Caulder

A Georgia law firm has filed suit against a California attorney who purports to own the trademark for "Spartan Law" in association with legal services, alleging that he threatened to sue the firm for trademark infringement despite it not being liable for any.

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Alaska Airlines Seeks Delta Discovery For TM Feud In UK

By Elliot Weld

Alaska Airlines asked a Georgia federal judge to allow it to take discovery from Delta Airlines on Wednesday for use in a U.K. court case against Virgin Group, which Alaska said is trying to charge it millions of dollars so that Alaska's rivals can use the Virgin brand.

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Calif. Atty Drops Out Of Class Action Against Avvo Inc.

By Matt Perez

One of two attorneys leveling a class action against online legal service provider Avvo Inc. over allegations it misappropriated the identities of more than 1 million attorneys to promote its legal marketing tools and referral services has moved to drop her claims.

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Microsoft IT Supplier's Suit May Be Doomed, 9th Circ. Hints

By Rachel Riley

A Ninth Circuit panel picked apart a cybersecurity firm's appeal Wednesday in a case accusing Microsoft of misusing a proprietary database of login credentials recovered on the dark web, with one judge remarking that the conduct in question was "expressly permitted" by the parties' agreement.

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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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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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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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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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Top Dems Press EEOC On 'Shakedown' Of Major Law Firms

By Courtney Bublé

Top congressional Democrats are once again seeking information on the Trump administration's "shakedown" of major law firms over their past work and clients.

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Quinn Emanuel Says 'Spite' Behind Unpaid $30M Legal Tab

By Julie Manganis

The new owners of a business that was forced by Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan LLP attorneys to honor a merger agreement are refusing to pay a $30 million legal bill "out of spite," the firm has alleged in Massachusetts state court.

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Girardi Keese CFO's Chicago Plea Derails Over Repayment

By Lauraann Wood

A Chicago plea and sentencing hearing for law firm Girardi Keese's already-imprisoned former financial chief was abruptly halted Wednesday after his attorney flagged a dispute over whether both restitution and forfeiture should be ordered for his client's role in helping Tom Girardi steal millions from clients.

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Q&A

Former SEC Officials Discuss Agency's New Priorities

By Phillip Bantz

Though swift regulatory and enforcement changes at the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission have created a more business-friendly environment, three agency veterans now at Gibson Dunn & Crutcher LLP caution to watch out for compliance landmines.

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DHS To Subpoena Harvard For Foreign Student Records

By Chris Villani

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security said Wednesday it will send administrative subpoenas to Harvard University seeking information about its foreign students, yet another salvo in the ongoing legal battle between President Donald Trump's administration and the Ivy League school.

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Holland & Knight Insurer's COVID Benefits Denial Upheld

By Kellie Mejdrich

A Colorado federal judge on Wednesday handed an insurance company a win in a Holland & Knight LLP attorney's federal benefits lawsuit alleging she was wrongly denied long-term disability benefits after a COVID-19 infection left her unable to work, concluding substantial evidence supported the insurer's decision.

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Analysis

Antitrust Enforcers Beat Google, Try Meta And Keep Going

By Bryan Koenig

When U.S. District Judge Leonie M. Brinkema held on April 17 that Google was liable for illegally monopolizing two out of three advertising placement technology markets targeted by the U.S. Department of Justice, her ruling contributed to potentially one of the most consequential convergences of antitrust enforcement in recent memory.

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DA Willis Urges Ga. Justices To Ax Trump Case Testimony Bid

By Emily Johnson

Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis urged the Georgia Supreme Court on Tuesday to toss a subpoena seeking her testimony from the state Senate committee that was investigating her relationship with a special prosecutor during her prosecution of President Donald Trump in an election interference case, arguing the panel is "seeking to 'try' the district attorney in public."

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1st Woman On Montana's US Court To Take Senior Status

By Courtney Bublé

U.S. District Judge Susan P. Watters of the District of Montana, who was the first woman appointed to that court, has announced that she will take semiretired status next year.

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