Google's 'Failure To Communicate' In AI Fight Irks IP Judge

By Dorothy Atkins

A California magistrate judge presiding over discovery in a proposed class action alleging Google's artificial-intelligence training models infringed artists' copyrights on Thursday refused, for now, to appoint a special master after plaintiffs accused Google of delaying data production by months, but she expressed frustrations with Google counsel's "failure to communicate."

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Ex-USPTO Solicitor Says Squires Is Better Than No One

By Dani Kass

A former U.S. Patent and Trademark Office solicitor is asking the U.S. Senate to confirm John Squires as USPTO director, saying political accountability has become more important than finding a candidate who is right for the job.

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9th Circ. Revives 'Beauty' FX Copyright Verdict Against Disney

By Lauren Berg

The Ninth Circuit on Thursday revived a verdict that Walt Disney Pictures vicariously infringed a digital effects company's facial-motion capture software by using it for the 2017 "Beauty and the Beast" film, saying the tech company presented sufficient evidence for jurors to find Disney could have stopped its effects contractor's infringement.

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Fed. Circ. Lets Ruling On Canada's Cherry Patent Stand

By Elliot Weld

The Federal Circuit on Thursday declined a request by a group of cherry growers to reinstate a court order that a patent covering the Staccato cherry variety owned by the Canadian government was invalid, saying a district judge had not acted improperly by reversing the order.

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Fed. Circ. Keeps Google, Amazon Patent Fights In Calif.

By Adam Lidgett

The Federal Circuit on Thursday refused to send back to Texas federal court a pair of suits from a software company accusing Google and Amazon of patent infringement, refusing to undo findings that California was the better venue.

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Zeiss Secures $785K In X-Ray Patent Trial Against Sigray

By Adam Lidgett

Sigray Inc. is on the hook for $785,000 in damages after a finding in California federal court this week that it infringed X-ray imaging patents owned by Carl Zeiss X-Ray Microscopy Inc., but the jury also found that Sigray's infringement was not willful and refused to award any lost profits. 

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Tesla, Musk And WB Slice Off 'Blade Runner' IP Claims

By Craig Clough

A California federal judge tossed several claims Thursday from Alcon Entertainment's lawsuit alleging Tesla, its CEO Elon Musk and Warner Bros. Discovery used an image that infringes "Blade Runner 2049," while chastising the plaintiff for a 96-page complaint he said showcases a "proclivity towards overdoing things."

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NC Justices Ponder How Much Of Firm Value Atty's Ex Gets

By Hayley Fowler

North Carolina's top court hinted Thursday that a solo attorney's ex-wife may be able to claim at least a morsel of his law firm's worth in their divorce, as the justices pondered whether to draw a distinction between two types of business value known as personal and enterprise goodwill.

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Under Armour Prevails In PTAB Challenges To 4 Shoe Patents

By Adam Lidgett

The Patent Trial and Appeal Board has invalidated a host of claims across four patents owned by a golf shoe company, handing a win to Under Armour as it fights an infringement suit over the patents in Texas federal court.

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PTAB To Review Nike Flyknit Patent After Stewart Remand

By Adam Lidgett

The Patent Trial and Appeal Board has agreed to institute review of a patent covering Nike Inc.'s Flyknit line of sneakers, after the acting head of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office revived Skechers' challenge to the patent.

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Apparel Co. Accuses Google Of Helping Copyright Infringers

By Elliot Weld

An apparel company that sells shirts themed around America and competitive drinking sued Google on Thursday in Ohio federal court, claiming the search engine giant assists online retailers that make copycats of its products.

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Brief

IYO Loses Sanctions Bid In OpenAI Trademark Case

By Elliot Weld

Technology firm IYO Inc. was denied a request to sanction OpenAI by a California federal judge who said IYO had not convincingly backed up its claim that OpenAI reposted materials touting products under the "IO" brand in violation of a court order.

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Luminar Must Face Investor Suit Over Image Rip-Off Claims

By Sydney Price

Autonomous vehicle technology company Luminar Semiconductor Inc. cannot escape the latest version of a proposed investor class action alleging that it passed off an image of a competitor's technology as its own after a Florida federal judge found that the amended suit now sufficiently pleads that the company made material misrepresentations.

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RSS Co-Creator Unveils License Plan For AI Content Crawlers

By Ivan Moreno

The co-creator of RSS feeds has helped launch a licensing process for AI crawlers that scrape website content to train artificial intelligence systems.

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Using Reissue Applications To Strategically Improve Patents

Though reissue applications are an often-overlooked consideration in today's patent environment, they can offer powerful tools for correcting errors, strengthening patent protection, or adapting to evolving business and legal landscapes, says Curtis Powell at Wolf Greenfield.

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Series

Being A Professional Wrestler Makes Me A Better Lawyer

Pursuing my childhood dream of being a professional wrestler has taught me important legal career lessons about communication, adaptability, oral advocacy and professionalism, says Christopher Freiberg at Midwest Disability.

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Analysis

When The Supreme Court Says Using Race Is OK

By Marco Poggio

The U.S. Supreme Court is allowing government agencies to expressly use race in furthering their immigration enforcement goals, while prohibiting the use of race as even one of the factors to consider in college admissions. Some legal scholars see a double standard.

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Quinn Emanuel's $30M Fee Bid Flouts Ch. 11, Co. Says

By Julie Manganis

Israeli printed circuit maker Nano Dimension has told a Massachusetts federal judge that Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan LLP can't claim a $30 million attorney's lien to make an "end run" around the bankruptcy of 3D printing company Desktop Metal, a former client that Nano acquired.

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Hagens Berman Doubles Down On AI-Tainted Brief Correction

By Adrian Cruz

Hagens Berman Sobol Shapiro LLP said that the firm has an ethical duty to correct briefs tainted by artificial intelligence errors and that the corrected versions shouldn't be stricken from a proposed class action against online platform OnlyFans' parent company.

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Calif. Bill Blocking Fee Sharing With ABS Firms Heads To Gov.

By Emily Sawicki

A bill heading to California Gov. Gavin Newsom's desk is poised to tighten rules to restrict alternative business structure law firms from operating in the Golden State by blocking lawyers from sharing fees with out-of-state firms owned by non-lawyers.

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Analysis

Appeals Courts Rethink Harsh Youth Sentences, Search Rules

By Brandon Lowrey

State appellate courts across the country have issued major criminal law opinions this year, softening some of the harshest sentences for young defendants while shifting rules for searches and evidence collection.

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NYC Eviction Counsel Program Struggles To Meet Its Goals

By Andrea Keckley

More than half the households eligible for New York City's Right to Counsel program are not receiving legal representation in eviction cases, with representation rates peaking at just over half the qualified tenants in 2022 before falling to roughly one-third of citywide tenants in 2024, according to a report.

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Analysis

New Guidance Hacks Away At Immigration Judges' Powers

By Britain Eakin

A steady stream of Board of Immigration Appeals decisions and Executive Office for Immigration Review memos, capped by recent guidance on handling constitutional claims, shows a Trump administration reining in immigration judges overseeing removal cases.

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Analysis

Mich. AG's Loss Spells Trouble For Other Fake Elector Cases

By Carolyn Muyskens

The dismissal of charges against Michigan Republicans who participated in the so-called fake elector plot after the 2020 presidential election shows that establishing intent could be a hurdle for prosecutors as they pursue similar cases in other states, legal experts said.

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'Tyrant' Indiana Judge Ousted Over Misconduct

By Lynn LaRowe

An Indiana superior court judge who "wielded his position of power like a tyrant" during his three years on the bench has been permanently barred from judicial service by the state's Supreme Court.

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Analysis

Fresh Angles On Display In ERISA Summer Filing Uptick

By Kellie Mejdrich

Attorneys dealing with a rise in Employee Retirement Income Security Act cases are paying close attention to a handful of recent suits with allegations that put a twist on traditional benefits disputes. Here, Law360 looks at three cases with fresh angles that lawyers are keeping an eye on.

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Roundup

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

By Laura Stewart Liberty

This past week in London has seen former Master Chef presenter Gregg Wallace sue the BBC, Elon Musk's xAI take legal action against a staff engineer, and fashion mogul Kevin-Gerald Stanford file a fresh claim against Lion Capital-owned Klotho and EY amid a long-running All Saints share acquisition dispute.

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GC Cheat Sheet: The Hottest Corporate News Of The Week

By Sue Reisinger

The federal government has accused Uber Technologies Inc. of discriminating against riders with disabilities, including individuals traveling with service animals or using stowable wheelchairs. Meanwhile, a new Law360 analysis shows that male lawyers still hold nearly three times as many equity partner roles as women do.

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Law360's Legal Lions Of The Week

By Kevin Penton

Kaplan Martin LLP leads this week's edition of Law360 Legal Lions, after the Second Circuit upheld an $83.3 million award against President Donald Trump for defaming writer E. Jean Carroll in 2019 in the wake of her sexual assault allegations, rejecting his claims of presidential immunity.

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In Case You Missed It: Hottest Firms And Stories On Law360

For those who missed out, here's a look back at the law firms, stories and expert analyses that generated the most buzz on Law360 last week.

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