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Intellectual Property
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August 02, 2024
PTAB Told To Punish Mylan For Allegedly Breaking Fintiv Vow
Novo Nordisk is urging the Patent Trial and Appeal Board to sanction Mylan for pursuing claims to invalidate a patent covering the blockbuster diabetes and weight loss drug Ozempic in Delaware district court, despite an explicit promise not to do so.
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August 02, 2024
DC Circ. Rejects Speech Rights Challenge To DMCA
A D.C. Circuit panel on Friday knocked down a challenge to a provision of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act that bars circumventing digital locks on copyrighted material, ruling that the law is in line with the First Amendment.
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August 02, 2024
UK Litigation Roundup: Here's What You Missed In London
This past week in London has seen insurance broker Marsh sue the collapsed Greensill Bank, the former chair of the Islamic Students Association of Britain pursue a defamation case against the Jewish Chronicle, Berkshire Hathaway and Lloyd's face action from a shipping company, and alleged fraudster Ronald Bauer hit a loan company with a claim. Here, Law360 looks at these and other new claims in the U.K.
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August 01, 2024
11th Circ. Affirms Zurich Needn't Pay Judgment Against Agent
In a pair of opinions issued Thursday, the Eleventh Circuit revived a copyright claim by Compulife but rejected the software company's bid to force Zurich American Insurance Co. to pay for a judgment against an insurance agent who allegedly helped three others misappropriate the company's trade secrets.
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August 01, 2024
Amazon Scores Default Win Against Counterfeit Sellers
Amazon secured a default judgment Thursday in Washington federal court against sellers of counterfeit luxury goods who worked with social media influencers to promote fake Hermes, Chanel and Christian Dior products, after the sellers failed to respond to Amazon's complaint by deadline.
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August 01, 2024
Ohio Judge Must Add Overhead-Door Patent Owner To IP Suit
An Ohio federal judge must attach Cold Chain LLC to patent infringement litigation its licensee has filed against companies tied to commercial trucking, the Federal Circuit held Thursday.
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August 01, 2024
Philip Morris Regains PTAB Win After Fed. Circ. Loss
The Patent Trial and Appeal Board has again invalidated an R.J. Reynolds unit's vape patent in a challenge initiated by Philip Morris Products SA, following a brief respite for the patent owner at the Federal Circuit.
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August 01, 2024
TTAB Won't Allow Retail TM For Amazon Affiliate Site
The Trademark Trial and Appeal Board in a precedential decision Wednesday upheld a refusal to register a trademark to an Amazon affiliate site that provides referrals but is not actually engaged in retail, delivering a blow to the owner of a culinary website who earns commissions for directing consumers to products sold by third parties.
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August 01, 2024
Alter Egos Say Rival Pool Co. Jumped The Gun On Discovery
The alter egos of bankrupt pool supply company Blueworks Corp. have rebuffed claims that they "simply refuse to answer" requests for discovery from rival Hayward Industries Inc. in its quest to secure a $16 million false advertising and deceptive trade practices judgment.
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August 01, 2024
Journalist Don Lemon Hits X, Musk Over Axed Talk Show Deal
Elon Musk and his social media platform X unlawfully plied former CNN anchor Don Lemon with "false promises and representations" to reel him into a partnership to produce a talk show and other exclusive content, then proceeded to unceremoniously cancel the deal before it could get off the ground, the journalist alleged in a lawsuit filed Thursday.Â
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August 01, 2024
AliveCor Asks 9th Circ. To Revive Apple Watch Antitrust Case
Medical monitoring startup AliveCor Inc. told the Ninth Circuit that Apple Inc. should not be immunized from antitrust claims over the removal of access to heart rate data on the Apple Watch because the change was intended to block competition and not improve the device.
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August 01, 2024
Merchandising Co. Says Ex-VP Sunk $47M Deal With Lowe's
An ex-merchandising company executive exploited trade secrets to sabotage a $47 million deal with home improvement giant Lowe's Cos. Inc., the executive's former employer has alleged in a federal lawsuit in North Carolina.
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August 01, 2024
AI Cos. Say Music Labels' IP Misuse Will Undo Copyright Suits
Two artificial intelligence startups said Thursday that the major record labels' monopolistic hold on the music industry will doom their federal lawsuits claiming the AI companies infringed copyrighted works while training their neural networks to create original music from user prompts.
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August 01, 2024
Former Stimlabs Exec Doesn't Have To Hand Over Devices
A Georgia federal judge on Thursday blocked a biomedical technology company's bid to seize the digital devices of a former executive accused of downloading thousands of internal files containing sensitive product information in the days and weeks leading up to her ouster from the company this year.
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August 01, 2024
PTAB Takes Out Last Patent From Google's $12M Trial Loss
Google has persuaded the Patent Trial and Appeal Board to invalidate all Flypsi Inc. patent claims tied to the tech giant's $12 million infringement loss in the Western District of Texas.
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August 01, 2024
NC Musician Ends Unpaid Sample Suit With French Montana
A North Carolina songwriter has dropped her lawsuit accusing rapper French Montana of failing to fork over cash for using her music as promised, according to a court filing.
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August 01, 2024
Fed. Circ. Denies PTAB Overreach In Voice Tech IP Invalidation
The Patent Trial and Appeal Board properly invalidated a Voice Tech Corp. patent directed to the use of voice commands and did not make up a new theory in favor of challenger Unified Patents LLC, the Federal Circuit said Thursday.
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August 01, 2024
Airbnb's $1.3B Bill From IRS Overvalues IP, Tax Court Told
Airbnb is challenging a $1.3 billion tax bill tied to income the IRS allocated from overseas, telling the U.S. Tax Court the agency overvalued intellectual property the home-rental giant licensed to its Irish affiliate before going public.
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August 01, 2024
Turf Co.'s Injunction Bid Is Too Vague, Ga. Judge Rules
A Georgia federal judge rejected a major artificial turf manufacturer's attempt to stop a rival turf company from using files allegedly stolen by one of its former executives before he jumped ship, saying the requested injunction was too vague and only sought to force the company to follow existing law.
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August 01, 2024
MoFo Adds 3-Atty IP Litigation Team In NY From Desmarais
A trio of life sciences intellectual property litigation attorneys from Desmarais LLP have joined Morrison Foerster LLP in New York.
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August 01, 2024
Judge Kills Trade Secrets, Contract Suit Against Ex-Director
A federal judge agreed on Wednesday to toss legal industry staffing company HIRECounsel D.C. LLC's breach of contract and trade secrets lawsuits against a former managing director of client relations, saying the company had not managed to prove actual or liquidated damages.
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August 01, 2024
Bipartisan Senator Team Reintroduces Anti-Deepfake Bill
Four senators introduced an updated version of the Nurture Originals, Foster Art, and Keep Entertainment Safe Act of 2024, or the NO FAKES Act, to combat the creation and distribution of fake replicas of people without their consent, drawing major industry support and some backlash.
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July 31, 2024
Lewis Brisbois TM Foe Can't Ax Injunction, 5th Circ. Says
The Fifth Circuit on Wednesday upheld an injunction against three Texans accused of ripping off the Lewis Brisbois Bisgaard & Smith LLP name, saying it's clear the only reason the defendants created the infringing entity "was to ride on the back" of the BigLaw firm's reputation.
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July 31, 2024
Fla. Jury Awards $8.3M In Spat Over Sale Of Pro Player Brand
A Florida jury has awarded Perry Ellis $8.3 million after finding that United Legwear Co. purposely depressed the value of Perry Ellis' Pro Player brand under a licensing agreement to avoid paying fair market value when it purchased the brand later.
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July 31, 2024
AI Prior Art Is Either Nothing New Or A Red Flag, USPTO Told
Technology companies, drugmakers and various industry organizations have represented to the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office that they're torn on how artificial intelligence should be used when determining whether something is patentable over prior art.
Expert Analysis
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Why Incorporating By Reference Is Rarely Good Practice
The Federal Circuit’s recent ruling in Promptu Systems v. Comcast serves as a reminder that while incorporating by reference may seem efficient, it is generally prohibited by courts and can lead to sanctions when used to bypass a word count limit, says Cullen Seltzer at Sands Anderson.
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Series
Playing Hockey Makes Me A Better Lawyer
Nearly a lifetime of playing hockey taught me the importance of avoiding burnout in all aspects of life, and the game ultimately ended up providing me with the balance I needed to maintain success in my legal career, says John Riccione at Taft.
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Considerations For Evaluating IP Risks In Cannabis M&A
Due to the patchwork of state cannabis laws in the U.S., investors and businesses acquiring intellectual property must assess whether a trademark portfolio possesses any vulnerabilities, such as marks that are considered attractive to children or third-party claims of trademark infringement, say Mary Shapiro and Nicole Katsin at Evoke Law.
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9th Circ. TM Ruling Expands Courts' Role In Application Cases
The Ninth Circuit’s recent ruling in BBK Tobacco v. Central Coast Agriculture is the first time a federal appeals court has explicitly authorized district courts to adjudicate pending trademark applications, marking a potentially significant expansion of federal courts' power, says Saul Cohen at Kelly IP.
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For Lawyers, Pessimism Should Be A Job Skill, Not A Life Skill
A pessimistic mindset allows attorneys to be effective advocates for their clients, but it can come with serious costs for their personal well-being, so it’s crucial to exercise strategies that produce flexible optimism and connect lawyers with their core values, says Krista Larson at Stinson.
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UK Amazon Ruling Spotlights TM Rights In International Sales
Highlighting the conflict between the territorial nature of trademark rights and the borderless nature of the internet, the U.K. Supreme Court's recent decision — that Amazon's U.S. website could infringe EU and U.K. rights by targeting local buyers — offers guidance on navigating trademark rights in relation to online sales, say Emmy Hunt, Mark Kramer and Jordan Mitchell at Potter Clarkson.
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CORRECTED: Endoscope Patent Case Offers Guidance On Right To Repair
An Alabama federal court's decision in Karl Storz v. IMS reaffirmed that product owners have broad rights to repair or modify their property as they see fit, highlighting the parameters of the right to repair in the context of patent infringement, say Dustin Weeks and Dabney Carr at Troutman Pepper. Correction: Due to an editing error, a previous version of this article and headline attributed the Karl Storz ruling to the wrong court. The error has been corrected.
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Timing Is Key For Noninfringing Alternatives In Patent Cases
A Texas district court’s recent ruling in Smart Path Connections v. Nokia may affect the timing of expert disclosures and opinion regarding noninfringing alternatives in patent infringement litigation, for both defendants and plaintiffs, says Alexander Clemons at Ocean Tomo.
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Opinion
Requiring Leave To File Amicus Briefs Is A Bad Idea
A proposal to amend the Federal Rules of Appellate Procedure that would require parties to get court permission before filing federal amicus briefs would eliminate the long-standing practice of consent filing and thereby make the process less open and democratic, says Lawrence Ebner at the Atlantic Legal Foundation and DRI Center.
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Film Plagiarism Claims May Foreshadow AI Copyright Issues
The contentious plagiarism dispute over the Oscar-nominated screenplay for "The Holdovers" may portend the challenges screenwriters will face when attempting to prove copyright infringement against scripts generated by artificial intelligence technology, says Craig Smith at Lando & Anastasi.
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4 Ways To Motivate Junior Attorneys To Bring Their Best
As Gen Z and younger millennial attorneys increasingly express dissatisfaction with their work and head for the exits, the lawyers who manage them must understand and attend to their needs and priorities to boost engagement and increase retention, says Stacey Schwartz at Katten.
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The Tricky Implications Of New Calif. Noncompete Laws
Two new California noncompete laws that ban certain out-of-state agreements and require employers to notify certain workers raise novel issues related to mergers and acquisitions, and pose particular challenges for technology companies, says John Viola at Thompson Coburn.
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Patent Ownership Issues In Light Of USPTO AI Guidance
Recently published guidance from the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office establishes that inventions created using artificial intelligence may be patentable if a human also significantly contributes, but ownership and legal rights in these types of patents are different issues that require further assessment, says Karl Gross at Leydig Voit.
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Opinion
Why USPTO Should Issue Inherency Guidance Memo
The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office should issue a new guidance memo in regard to the standard for inherency during the examination process, as the standard is frequently misapplied during prosecution, and consistency of the standard in the USPTO should match that in the federal courts, says Irving Feit at Lucas & Mercanti.
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Series
Serving As A Sheriff's Deputy Made Me A Better Lawyer
Skills developed during my work as a reserve deputy — where there was a need to always be prepared, decisive and articulate — transferred to my practice as an intellectual property litigator, and my experience taught me that clients often appreciate and relate to the desire to participate in extracurricular activities, says Michael Friedland at Friedland Cianfrani.