$600M IP Award, Quinn Emanuel Contempt Faulted On Appeal

By Ryan Davis

The Federal Circuit on Wednesday vacated a verdict against the maker of Norton antivirus software for infringing Columbia University patents and reversed a contempt ruling against Norton's former law firm Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan LLP that had caused the judgment to grow to just over $600 million.

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Squires Adds Domestic Industry, Biz Size To Denial Analysis

By Dani Kass

U.S. Patent and Trademark Office Director John Squires will take into account the domestic impact of invalidating a patent and how big the patent owner is when deciding whether to discretionarily deny Patent Trial and Appeal Board petitions, according to a memorandum issued Wednesday.

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Fed. Circ. Revives Long-Running IP Suit Against John Deere

By Adam Lidgett

The Federal Circuit on Wednesday reinstated a lawsuit accusing John Deere of infringing a patent on a way to keep a crop harvester's header at the right height, saying an Iowa federal judge wrongly found claims in the patent were invalid.

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Comcast, Peacock Escape Irish Co.'s Patent Suit, For Now

By Lauren Berg

A Delaware federal judge on Wednesday dismissed an Irish technology company's lawsuit alleging Comcast and its subsidiaries, NBCUniversal and Peacock TV, offer video streaming and network monitoring services that infringe four of its patents, saying the complaint does not adequately allege infringement, but gave the plaintiff an opportunity to rework the suit.

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Grammarly Hit With Class Action Over 'Expert Review' AI Tool

By Dorothy Atkins

An investigative journalist hit Grammarly's owner with a proposed class action in New York federal court Wednesday, alleging its AI-powered "Expert Review" writing tool misappropriates the names, likenesses and identities of well-known writers and public figures and "involuntarily conscripted" them into serving as Grammarly's unpaid experts.

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Fed. Circ. OKs Dropbox, Box Inc. Wins In Patent Challenges

By Adam Lidgett

The Federal Circuit on Wednesday declined to breathe new life into a pair of data management patents Dropbox and Box Inc. challenged at the Patent Trial and Appeal Board after being sued in federal district court for infringement.

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Brief

Apple Resolves Patent Case Over Coding Co.'s Technology

By Elliot Weld

Apple Inc. and Advanced Coding Technologies LLC have told a Texas federal judge that they've resolved the latter company's infringement claims over patents that cover ways of encoding and decoding data.

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Fed. Circ. Lets Stand ZSPEC's Auto Hardware TM

By Adam Lidgett

The Federal Circuit on Wednesday backed the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board's denial of a bid from an automotive hardware and fastener company to cancel a competitor's trademark registration on the term "Dress Up Bolts."

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Hemp Co. Seeks Quick Exit In Fla. Cannabinoid Sourcing Suit

By David Minsky

A hemp company is asking a Florida federal court to dismiss a competitor's lawsuit alleging its products contain illegal cannabis-derived THC, arguing the complaint falls short on jurisdiction and listing causes of action. 

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Pelé Soccer Shop Hit With Copyright Suit Over Iconic Photo

By Alex Lawson

A Brazilian photographer's estate has sued the store Pelé Soccer in New York federal court, accusing it of using his iconic 1965 photo of soccer legend Pelé on its apparel without permission and concealing his authorship of the picture.

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UMich Songwriter Messed With EA Game License, Suit Says

By Gina Kim

Electronic Arts stopped using the University of Michigan football team's fight song "Let's Go Blue" in its best-selling College Football video game series after one of the original songwriters demanded the game maker get a license from him to do so, according to a tortious interference suit filed Tuesday in New York federal court.

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Photobucket Can't Escape AI Training Suit

By Rachel Konieczny

A proposed class action alleging image hosting website Photobucket used billions of photographs uploaded by users for biometric data and training image generators can largely move forward, but one named plaintiff must arbitrate her claims, a Colorado federal judge ruled.

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Texas Firm Fights Atty Immunity Bid In $11M Fee Dispute

By Lynn LaRowe

Texas litigation boutique Williams Simons & Landis PC is pushing back against a claim of attorney immunity in a federal lawsuit against California firm Bartko Pavia LLP over millions in fees connected to litigation against Walmart, saying the Lone Star State doctrine doesn't shield lawyers who manipulate settlement funds to line their own pockets.

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Pharma Co. Says Ex-Director Using Trade Secrets At New Job

By Elliot Weld

A specialty infusion therapy pharmacy has accused a former director of contracts of taking valuable trade secrets with her on her way out to work for a rival company.

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Archer Aviation Seeks ITC Probe Of Rival Joby's Air Taxis

By Jack McLoone

Electric air taxi company Archer Aviation accused rival Joby Aviation of using imported materials that infringe Archer's patents, asking the U.S. International Trade Commission to investigate these claims while the companies also do battle in California federal court.

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Brief

Biomedical Co. Settles Trade Secrets Case Against Ex-Worker

By Elliot Weld

Biomedical company Skye Orthobiologics and a former employee have informed a California federal judge that they have settled a case accusing the ex-employee of breaching fiduciary duties by leveraging Skye's proprietary information.

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Intel Caved To Feds' 'Extortionary' Stock Demand, Suit Says

By Lauren Berg

Intel Corp.'s board gave the federal government $11 billion worth of stock in response to the Trump administration's "extortionary threats," according to a newly unsealed lawsuit brought by a shareholder who says the board lacked authority to issue the U.S. Department of Commerce a 9.9% company stake.

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Patent Eligibility Bulletin: Steps To Consider As USPTO Shifts

Recent memoranda from the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, along with some of the first patents issued under Director John Squires, indicate a recalibration of the subject matter eligibility landscape, signaling a renewed emphasis on concrete technological improvements and a potentially pro-AI stance, say attorneys at Banner Witcoff.

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Ex-DOJ Atty Who Said 'This Job Sucks' Running For Congress

By Courtney Bublé

The former federal government lawyer detailed to Minnesota to help with immigration cases who last month told a federal judge "this job sucks" says she is running for Congress in the state.

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Feature

Exxon Cements Texas As Delaware's Emerging Rival

By Spencer Brewer

Last year, Vinson & Elkins partner Katherine Frank fielded about one call a week from companies thinking about redomiciling in Texas. Speaking to Law360 the day after ExxonMobil announced its plan to reincorporate in the Lone Star State due to its business-forward courts and policies, Frank said the callers fell into three categories.

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Firm Probed In $4B LA Sex Abuse Deal Hit With UPL Charges

By Rachel Rippetoe

A co-founder of the Los Angeles personal injury firm facing investigation for its involvement in a record $4 billion sex abuse settlement against Los Angeles County was hit with disciplinary charges by the California State Bar, alleging the firm illegally practiced law outside the state.

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Analysis

Trump Cybercrime Order Creates New Compliance To-Do List

By Phillip Bantz

President Donald Trump's recent executive order calling for a coalition of government agencies to combat cybercrime is far more forceful than efforts under prior administrations, according to white collar lawyers, who tentatively applaud the proposal while warning it could raise new compliance risks.

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3 Attys Escape Ford's 'Retaliatory' Lemon Law RICO Suit

By Linda Chiem

A California federal judge has shut down Ford Motor Co.'s revised racketeering lawsuit accusing three attorneys affiliated with Knight Law Group LLP of orchestrating a massive fraudulent legal billing scheme, saying the attorneys' underlying conduct in pursuing lemon law litigation is shielded by First Amendment protections.

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Judges, Lawmakers Urge 4th Circ. To Affirm Halligan Ruling

By Ryan Boysen

Members of Congress and former federal judges have urged the Fourth Circuit to affirm that Lindsey Halligan was not properly appointed as the U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, saying the episode exemplifies why there are guardrails against installing political loyalists as federal prosecutors.

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VA, DOJ Cut Deal To Make Attys Mental Health Guardians

By Mark Payne

Under a new initiative, attorneys at the U.S. Department of Justice will serve as legal guardians for some homeless veterans, the Trump administration announced on Wednesday, though some veterans advocates expressed concern that the new program could involuntarily coerce veterans experiencing mental health issues into institutional care.

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