Intellectual Property

  • October 21, 2024

    MVP: Brooks Kushman's Christopher Smith

    Brooks Kushman PC shareholder Christopher Smith has won a series of Patent Trial and Appeal Board proceedings for Ford Motor Co. and helped the automaker cut a $105 million jury verdict down to $3, earning him a spot as one of Law360's 2024 Intellectual Property MVPs.

  • October 18, 2024

    Law360 MVP Awards Go To Top Attys From 74 Firms

    The attorneys chosen as Law360's 2024 MVPs have distinguished themselves from their peers by securing hard-earned successes in high-stakes litigation, complex global matters and record-breaking deals.

  • October 18, 2024

    Lenovo Can't Use Subsidiary To Dodge IP Suit, Gilstrap Rules

    A Texas federal judge on Thursday denied Lenovo Group Ltd.'s bid to toss patent infringement claims brought by a patent licensing company owned by Wi-LAN Inc., rejecting the Chinese computer giant's argument that it is a mere holding company lacking sufficient contacts with the Lone Star State.

  • October 18, 2024

    Fritos Didn't Defame In Flamin' Hot Cheetos Feud, Judge Told

    An attorney for Frito-Lay Inc. on Friday urged a California federal judge to dismiss a former employee's suit claiming he invented Flamin' Hot Cheetos and had his livelihood destroyed when the company disavowed his story, saying it's not inherently defamatory to disagree about the snack's origins.

  • October 18, 2024

    Fed. Circ. Sinks BofA's Fight Over Image Recognition Patents

    Bank of America had no luck Friday in an appeal seeking to revive a handful of challenges targeting patents owned by companies run by billionaire Patrick Soon-Shiong that are suing the bank in California federal court.

  • October 18, 2024

    What Attorneys Expect From Harris And Trump On Patents

    Patents have scarcely been mentioned during the presidential campaign, but attorneys say that positions taken by the candidates suggest Donald Trump would favor stronger patent rights, while Kamala Harris would focus on steps to make drugs and other patented inventions more widely available.

  • October 18, 2024

    Tech Cos. Ask 9th Circ. To Skip DMCA Probe In GitHub IP Suit

    Microsoft, GitHub and OpenAI have told the Ninth Circuit to rebuff an interlocutory appeal petition from a group of anonymous software developers who want clarity on whether the Digital Millennium Copyright Act requires an infringing copy to be identical to the original to claim a DMCA violation, saying the injury the group alleges is theoretical.

  • October 18, 2024

    Fed. Circ. Won't Question Reviving Vascepa Skinny Label Row

    The Federal Circuit has said the full appellate court will not rethink a panel's decision reinstating Vascepa maker Amarin Pharma Inc.'s skinny label patent case against rival U.K. drugmaker Hikma.

  • October 18, 2024

    Teva Signs Deal With Indirect Buyers In Effexor Antitrust Suit

    A class of consumers and third-party payers have reached a deal with Teva Pharmaceuticals to resolve antitrust litigation over a purported scheme to delay generic competition for the antidepressant drug Effexor XR, according to a court filing.

  • October 18, 2024

    Biotech Co. Wins Injunction Against Ex-Worker In Secrets Suit

    Biotech startup Trilobio Inc. won a temporary restraining order against a former employee after a California federal judge concluded the company has a strong likelihood of success on its claims that the worker stole trade secrets to start his own business after being fired for poor performance.

  • October 18, 2024

    Dick's Sporting Goods Escapes NY Apparel Co.'s $8M TM Suit

    A New York-based sports apparel company has dropped its $8 million federal lawsuit accusing Dick's Sporting Goods of infringing its registered logo featuring an infinity symbol.

  • October 18, 2024

    Skiplagged Must Pay American Airlines $9.4M In IP Row

    American Airlines came out on top in a suit against airfare search engine Skiplagged Inc., with a jury finding that Skiplagged must cough up $9.4 million for infringing the airline's copyright. 

  • October 18, 2024

    SunPower Corp. Gets OK For Chapter 11 Plan

    A Delaware bankruptcy judge Friday approved residential solar technology company SunPower Corp.'s plans to distribute the proceeds of its asset sales to the creditors in its Chapter 11 case after hearing all objections had been resolved or put off.

  • October 18, 2024

    Justices Told To Skip RFID Patent Row Over Standing

    A Texas company that saw its patent infringement suit revived against a tech company is asking the U.S. Supreme Court to reject its rival's petition to review that decision, saying there's "almost 100 years" of legal precedent backing its ownership of the radio frequency identification, or RFID, technology patent in the case.

  • October 18, 2024

    Google Play Store Injunction Paused To Let 9th Circ. Weigh In

    A California federal judge on Friday briefly paused his injunction requiring Google to open up its Play Store to competition while the tech giant seeks an emergency stay of the injunction at the Ninth Circuit, where it's appealing a jury verdict that it illegally monopolized the Android app distribution and payment market.

  • October 18, 2024

    Fed. Circ. Partly Restores Suit Over Utility Line Patent

    The Federal Circuit has revived part of a lawsuit that alleged Metrotech Corp. infringed a competitor's patent covering ways for finding underground utility lines, finding that a lower court needs to take another look at key patent terminology.

  • October 18, 2024

    Off The Bench: Wemby Suit, Antitrust Fights In NASCAR, MMA

    In this week's Off The Bench, NBA superstar Victor Wembanyama sues over illicit merchandise bearing his likeness, while antitrust litigation rocks NASCAR and mixed martial arts promotion Bellator.

  • October 18, 2024

    Western Digital Hit With $315.7M Verdict In Patent Suit

    Western Digital must pay SPEX Technologies nearly $316 million in damages for infringing its patent related to hardware encryption technology in Western Digital's Ultrastar and My Book data storage devices, a California federal jury decided on Friday.

  • October 18, 2024

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

    This past week in London has seen Professor Cat Jarman, Earl Spencer's new girlfriend, sue his ex-wife, Bitcoin fraudster Craig Wright file a £911 billion ($1.18 trillion) claim against BTC Core, journalist Oliver Kamm hit novelist Ros Barber with a defamation claim, and a barrister at Cloisters face a claim from a former client. Here, Law360 looks at these and other new claims in the U.K.

  • October 18, 2024

    NCAA's $2.78B NIL Deal Still Faces Long Road To Final OK

    The absence of noticeable change to address concerns flagged by a California federal judge about the NCAA's $2.78 billion name, image and likeness compensation settlement made that same judge's preliminary approval of the deal last week surprising, and experts say those same problematic provisions likely will make final approval an uphill battle.

  • October 17, 2024

    OnePlus Owes Pantech $1M After Patent Verdict Do-Over

    A Texas federal jury Thursday determined that Chinese phone company OnePlus owes Pantech Corp. almost $1 million in damages for infringing four patents related to technology used to comply with 5G wireless standards, after the initial $10 million verdict was tossed as "excessive."

  • October 17, 2024

    'More Honesty' Needed In Philips IP Row, Judge Says

    A Texas federal judge told the owner of a company accused of pilfering around $12 million worth of Philips North America LLC's trade secrets that things might have gone better if he had "been more honest," pointing out that he had given contradictory testimony during a hearing Thursday.

  • October 17, 2024

    VLSI To Del. Judge: 'There Is Nothing Else To Disclose'

    VLSI Technology LLC has fully complied with its disclosure requirements for ownership and litigation funding, and Intel Corp.'s claims otherwise in patent licensing litigation don't hold up, VLSI told a Delaware federal judge.

  • October 17, 2024

    Temu Says Shein Launched IP Theft Suit To Stifle Competition

    The companies behind e-commerce platform Temu have fired back at fast fashion company Shein's intellectual property infringement claims against them, accusing Shein of filing a meritless suit to interfere with Temu's business and stifle its competition "by any means possible."

  • October 17, 2024

    USPTO Told More Clarity Needed On AI And Patent Eligibility

    Numerous companies and industry groups have said they welcome the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office's new guidance on when inventions involving artificial intelligence are eligible for patents, but many urged the agency to provide additional clarity and practical examples.

Expert Analysis

  • Series

    Solving Puzzles Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Tackling daily puzzles — like Wordle, KenKen and Connections — has bolstered my intellectual property litigation practice by helping me to exercise different mental skills, acknowledge minor but important details, and build and reinforce good habits, says Roy Wepner at Kaplan Breyer.

  • Opinion

    'Trump Too Small' Ruling Overlooks TM Registration Issues

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    The U.S. Supreme Court's decision last month in Vidal v. Elster, which concluded that “Trump Too Small” cannot be a registered trademark as it violates a federal prohibition, fails to consider modern-day, real-world implications for trademark owners who are denied access to federal registration, say Tiffany Gehrke and Alexa Spitz at Marshall Gerstein.

  • Texas Ethics Opinion Flags Hazards Of Unauthorized Practice

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    The Texas Professional Ethics Committee's recently issued proposed opinion finding that in-house counsel providing legal services to the company's clients constitutes the unauthorized practice of law is a valuable clarification given that a UPL violation — a misdemeanor in most states — carries high stakes, say Hilary Gerzhoy and Julienne Pasichow at HWG.

  • In Memoriam: The Modern Administrative State

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    On June 28, the modern administrative state, where courts deferred to agency interpretations of ambiguous statutes, died when the U.S. Supreme Court overruled its previous decision in Chevron v. Natural Resources Defense Council — but it is survived by many cases decided under the Chevron framework, say Joseph Schaeffer and Jessica Deyoe at Babst Calland.

  • Series

    After Chevron: Expect Limited Changes In USPTO Rulemaking

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    The U.S. Supreme Court’s recent ruling overturning Chevron deference will have limited consequences for the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office given the USPTO's unique statutory features, but it is still an important decision for matters of statutory interpretation, especially those involving provisions of the America Invents Act, say Andrei Iancu and Cooper Godfrey at Sullivan & Cromwell.

  • Fed. Circ. Skinny Label Ruling Guides On Infringement Claims

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    The Federal Circuit's recent decision in Amarin v. Hikma shows generic drug manufacturers must pay close attention to the statements in their abbreviated new drug application labels to put themselves in the best position in defending against an induced infringement claim, say Luke Shannon and Roshan Shrestha at Taft Stettinius.

  • How To Clean Up Your Generative AI-Produced Legal Drafts

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    As law firms increasingly rely on generative artificial intelligence tools to produce legal text, attorneys should be on guard for the overuse of cohesive devices in initial drafts, and consider a few editing pointers to clean up AI’s repetitive and choppy outputs, says Ivy Grey at WordRake.

  • USPTO Disclaimer Rule Would Complicate Patent Prosecution

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    The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office's proposed changes to terminal disclaimer practice could lead to a patent owner being unable to enforce a valid patent simply because it is indirectly tied to a patent in which a single claim is found anticipated or obvious in view of the prior art, say attorneys at Sterne Kessler.

  • Series

    Boxing Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Boxing has influenced my legal work by enabling me to confidently hone the skills I've learned from the sport, like the ability to remain calm under pressure, evaluate an opponent's weaknesses and recognize when to seize an important opportunity, says Kirsten Soto at Clyde & Co.

  • Opinion

    Industry Self-Regulation Will Shine Post-Chevron

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    The U.S. Supreme Court's Loper decision will shape the contours of industry self-regulation in the years to come, providing opportunities for this often-misunderstood practice, says Eric Reicin at BBB National Programs.

  • When Patents As Loan Collateral Can Cost You Standing

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    The Federal Circuit's recent decision in Intellectual Tech v. Zebra Technologies shines a light on loan default provisions' implications for patent infringement litigation, as a default may inadvertently strip a patent owner of constitutional standing to sue over a patent pledged as collateral, say Joseph Marinelli and Suet L. Lee at Irwin IP.

  • 3 Ways Agencies Will Keep Making Law After Chevron

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    The U.S. Supreme Court clearly thinks it has done something big in overturning the Chevron precedent that had given deference to agencies' statutory interpretations, but regulated parties have to consider how agencies retain significant power to shape the law and its meaning, say attorneys at K&L Gates.

  • Roundup

    After Chevron

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    Since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned the Chevron deference standard in June, this Expert Analysis series has featured attorneys discussing the potential impact across 36 different rulemaking and litigation areas.

  • How Life Science Companies Are Approaching UPC Opt-Outs

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    A look at recent data shows that one year after its launch, the European Union's Unified Patent Court is still seeing a high rate of opt-outs, including from large U.S.-based life science companies wary of this unpredictable court — and there are reasons this strategy should largely remain the same, say Sanjay Murthy and Christopher Tuinenga at McAndrews Held.

  • Series

    After Chevron: Expect Few Changes In ITC Rulemaking

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    The U.S. Supreme Court's opinion overruling the Chevron doctrine will have less impact on the U.S. International Trade Commission than other agencies administering trade statutes, given that the commission exercises its congressionally granted authority in a manner that allows for consistent decision making at both agency and judicial levels, say attorneys at Polsinelli.

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