Intellectual Property

  • October 30, 2024

    Judge Quizzes Attys As $1.5M Mascara TM Trial Wraps

    A California federal judge quizzed counsel during bench trial closings Wednesday in Benefit Cosmetics' $1.49 million lawsuit alleging e.l.f. Cosmetics' "Lash 'N Roll" mascara ripped off Benefit's blockbuster "Roller Lash" mascara, questioning why Benefit didn't conduct a consumer survey and asking whether it matters that Benefit inspired e.l.f.'s product.

  • October 30, 2024

    Realtor.com's Parent Can Amend Costar Claims, Judge Rules

    A federal judge has ruled that Realtor.com's parent company can amend two claims alleging its rival Costar unlawfully accessed its computers but that it would not be limited in its Computer Fraud and Abuse Act claim to arguing that it suffered "technological harms."

  • October 30, 2024

    After Exeltis Win, Judge Won't Allow Suits On Dropped Patents

    A Delaware federal judge has shot down a request that seven patents Insud Pharma's New Jersey-based division Exeltis USA Inc. dropped in patent litigation against Lupin Pharmaceuticals Inc. be dismissed in a way where they could be refiled later.

  • October 30, 2024

    Northwestern Settles Patent Suit After $6.6M Trial Win

    Northwestern University told a Delaware federal judge it has reached a deal to bring an end to its patent infringement suit against Universal Robots over three patents on collaborative robot, or "cobot," systems, about a month after a jury handed the school a $6.6 million verdict in its favor.

  • October 30, 2024

    4th Circ. Mulls Shipping Honeywell Royalty Fight To Fed. Circ.

    The Fourth Circuit grappled Wednesday with whether a fight over royalty payments between technology conglomerate Honeywell and its Japan-based rival had its roots in patent or contract law, which could dictate whether the appeal stays put or gets kicked over to the Federal Circuit.

  • October 30, 2024

    Judge Finds Some Patent Claims Indefinite In Chip Fight

    A California federal judge has found that some of the claims in HD Silicon Solutions LLC patents it accused semiconductor company Microchip Technology Inc. of infringing are invalid, ruling they are not specific enough.

  • October 30, 2024

    Halliburton Loses Fracking Claims At Patent Board

    A Texas business has persuaded an administrative board at the patent office to wipe out all of the claims in a Halliburton Co. patent that covered a method of operating an electric fracking pump.

  • October 30, 2024

    Suit Says Print Shop Stole Watermarked Pics For Contract Bid

    An advertising firm is taking a printing and promotions shop to North Carolina federal court after the printer allegedly misappropriated photos of the ad company's camouflage products and used them to try to score a merchandising deal with the Missouri Army National Guard despite one picture bearing its actual owner's watermark.

  • October 30, 2024

    Eyelash Biz Wants Albright To Triple $31M Patent Verdict

    A California company that sells do-it-yourself eyelash extension kits is asking U.S. District Judge Alan Albright to triple a nearly $31 million willful patent infringement verdict against a Chinese rival that "intentionally flooded the market with 632 models of infringing products."

  • October 30, 2024

    Cannabis Fertilizer Co. Can Mostly Bar Rival's IP Theft In Ads

    A Seattle federal judge has curtailed a fertilizer manufacturer's use of a rival's name in marketing its cannabis-focused products, saying he found it "problematic" that the company's messaging suggests using both products in tandem.

  • October 30, 2024

    IBM Wants Extra $63M From Zynga After $45M App Patent Win

    IBM Corp. asked a Delaware federal judge to add $63 million in enhancement and prejudgment interest onto its $45 million patent infringement award against Zynga Inc., a week after Zynga asked the court to order a new trial over the dispute.

  • October 30, 2024

    Historic World Series Prompts Flagrant IP Theft, MLB Says

    A World Series matchup between two of baseball's most storied franchises has fueled a boom in sales of counterfeit apparel, Major League Baseball's media arm has told a New York federal court, identifying several pockets of New York City as hubs for the illicit merchandise.

  • October 30, 2024

    DLA Piper's FDA Regulation Vice Chair Joins White & Case

    The former vice chair of DLA Piper's FDA regulatory practice has joined White & Case LLP's global life sciences and healthcare group and intellectual property practice.

  • October 30, 2024

    Conn. Judge Cites Day Pitney Ties In Lego Settlement Recusal

    U.S. Magistrate Judge Thomas O. Farrish has recused himself from presiding over settlement talks between Lego and a New York artist who is suing the toy company over a play set based on the Netflix series "Queer Eye," citing the fact that his former firm, Day Pitney LLP, represents the defendants.

  • October 29, 2024

    Bell Owes $16M In Trade Secrets Row With Vendor, Jury Finds

    A Texas jury on Tuesday largely found in favor of Bell Helicopter Textron Inc. in a suit claiming that it used a former vendor's trade secrets to prep a replacement supplier, concluding that Bell breached its contract with the vendor but that the Fort Worth, Texas-based aerospace manufacturer hadn't stolen intellectual property.

  • October 29, 2024

    Retired Fed. Circ. Judge Backs Invisalign In Monopoly Cases

    Retired Federal Circuit Judge Paul R. Michel warned the Ninth Circuit on Tuesday that reversing a lower court's decision to toss a pair of class actions accusing Invisalign of monopolizing the clear braces and teeth scanners market by illegally refusing to deal with a rival would increase patent owners' legal uncertainties.

  • October 29, 2024

    Roku Invalidates Smart Alarm Claims At Patent Board

    Roku Inc. has persuaded an administrative board at the patent office to wipe out six claims in a "smart" alarm device patent developed by a subsidiary of Roku's longtime rival, Universal Electronics Inc.

  • October 29, 2024

    DraftKings Denied $2.3M Fee Bid In Gambling Patent Row

    A Delaware federal judge on Tuesday denied DraftKings's $2.3 million fee bid for defeating Interactive Games' suit accusing it of infringing patents related to remote betting, ruling that Interactive Games' case isn't exceptional or frivolous since its patents were presumed valid and there's no evidence that Interactive Games was seeking quick settlements.

  • October 29, 2024

    ByteDance's Sanctions Bid Against Ex-Worker Delays Trial

    A California federal judge delayed a trial in a wrongful termination lawsuit filed by an engineer formerly at TikTok's parent company ByteDance, directing the parties on Tuesday to instead submit briefing on the defendants' motion to terminate the case as a sanction for the plaintiff's alleged destruction of evidence and perjury.

  • October 29, 2024

    Fed. Circ. Calls Plastic Co.'s IP Retrial Objection 'Frivolous'

    A panel of the Federal Circuit said Tuesday a plastic packaging manufacturer is making a "frivolous" objection to how a Massachusetts federal judge decided to set up a retrial scheduled next week over whether patents covering a kind of tamper-resistant container are invalid.

  • October 29, 2024

    PTAB Upholds Solar Co.'s Power Supply Patent

    The Patent Trial and Appeal Board has shot down a bid from a German solar energy technology company's U.S. unit to invalidate a competitor's solar power supply patent, the latest blow to the subsidiary in a larger patent fight.

  • October 29, 2024

    Lawmakers Want Update On Copyright Office's AI Reports

    The U.S. Copyright Office is late in submitting reports on the intersection of artificial intelligence and copyright law, according to a recent letter from leadership on the House committee with jurisdiction over the matter.

  • October 29, 2024

    Patent Partner Moves From King & Spalding To Steptoe

    A former King & Spalding LLP partner has made the jump to Steptoe LLP, filling out the firm's team of California-based litigators who take on patent cases.

  • October 29, 2024

    Baseball Bat Cos. Reach Deal To End Fla. Trademark Battle

    A baseball bat company owned by ex-MLB player Yoenis Céspedes has settled an intellectual property lawsuit against several businesses over baseball bats, months after a Florida federal judge handed the former New York Mets outfielder's business a preliminary injunction in the case.

  • October 29, 2024

    Allergan, Mankind Settle IP Fight Over Lumigan Generic

    Allergan Inc. and Mankind Pharma Ltd. asked a Delaware federal court Tuesday to dismiss infringement litigation over Mankind's proposed generic of Allergan's glaucoma drug Lumigan, stipulating that the patent is valid and has been infringed.

Expert Analysis

  • Gilead Drug Ruling Creates Corporate Governance Dilemma

    Author Photo

    If upheld, a California state appellate court's decision — finding that Gilead is liable for delaying commercialization of a safer HIV drug to maximize profits on another drug — threatens to undermine long-standing rules of corporate law and exposes companies to liability for decisions based on sound business judgment, says Shireen Barday at Pallas.

  • Jarkesy Ruling May Redefine Jury Role In Patent Fraud

    Author Photo

    Regardless of whether the U.S. Supreme Court’s Jarkesy ruling implicates the direction of inequitable conduct, which requires showing that the patentee made material statements or omissions to the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, the decision has created opportunities for defendants to argue more substantively for jury trials than ever before, say attorneys at Cadwalader.

  • 3 Leadership Practices For A More Supportive Firm Culture

    Author Photo

    Traditional leadership styles frequently amplify the inherent pressures of legal work, but a few simple, time-neutral strategies can strengthen the skills and confidence of employees and foster a more collaborative culture, while supporting individual growth and contribution to organizational goals, says Benjamin Grimes at BKG Leadership.

  • Attorneys Can Benefit From Reverse-Engineering Their Cases

    Author Photo

    Trial advocacy programs often teach lawyers to loosely track the progression of a lawsuit during preparation — case analysis, then direct examination, then cross-examination, openings and closings — but reverse-engineering cases by working backward from opening and closing statements can streamline the process and also improve case strategy, says Reuben Guttman at Guttman Buschner.

  • Opinion

    Chevron Reversal May Protect IP Rights Under Bayh-Dole

    Author Photo

    The U.S. Supreme Court's overturning of Chevron deference may block the Biden administration's nearly finalized guidance reinterpreting the Bayh-Dole Act, protecting intellectual property rights and preventing harm to innovation and economic activity, says Brian O'Shaughnessy at Dinsmore & Shohl.

  • E-Discovery Quarterly: Rulings On Hyperlinked Documents

    Author Photo

    Recent rulings show that counsel should engage in early discussions with clients regarding the potential of hyperlinked documents in electronically stored information, which will allow for more deliberate negotiation of any agreements regarding the scope of discovery, say attorneys at Sidley.

  • Loper Bright Limits Federal Agencies' Ability To Alter Course

    Author Photo

    The U.S. Supreme Court's recent decision to dismantle Chevron deference also effectively overrules its 2005 decision in National Cable & Telecommunications Association v. Brand X, greatly diminishing agencies' ability to change regulatory course from one administration to the next, says Steven Gordon at Holland & Knight.

  • How To Deploy AI In A Dangerous Threat Landscape

    Author Photo

    Businesses are feeling immense pressure to deploy generative artificial intelligence tools to accelerate profits and demonstrate their technological superiority to investors and consumers, and there are a few steps they can take when using AI tools to mitigate liability risks, say B. Stephanie Siegmann and Julianna Malogolowkin at Hinckley Allen.

  • Calif. Out-Of-State Noncompete Ban Faces Several Hurdles

    Author Photo

    California's attempt to bolster its noncompete law has encountered significant procedural and constitutional challenges, and litigating parties must carefully analyze not only the restrictive covenants contained in their agreements, but also the forum-selection and choice-of-law provisions, say Jennifer Redmond and Gal Gressel at Sheppard Mullin.

  • Defamation Suit Tests Lanham Act's Reach With Influencers

    Author Photo

    Recently filed in the Northern District of Texas, Prime Hydration v. Garcia, alleging defamation and Lanham Act violations based on the defendant's social media statements about the beverage brand, allows Texas courts and the Fifth Circuit to take the lead in interpreting the act as it applies to influencers, says attorney Susan Jorgensen.

  • Series

    Teaching Scuba Diving Makes Me A Better Lawyer

    Author Photo

    As a master scuba instructor, I’ve learned how to prepare for the unexpected, overcome fears and practice patience, and each of these skills – among the many others I’ve developed – has profoundly enhanced my work as a lawyer, says Ron Raether at Troutman Pepper.

  • Navigating The Murky Waters Of Patent Infringement Damages

    Author Photo

    Recent cases show that there is no easy way to isolate an infringed patent’s value, and it would serve all sides well for courts to thoroughly examine expert opinions of this nature and provide consistent guidance for future cases, say Manny Caixeiro and Elizabeth Manno at Venable.

  • Lawyers Can Take Action To Honor The Voting Rights Act

    Author Photo

    As the Voting Rights Act reaches its 59th anniversary Tuesday, it must urgently be reinforced against recent efforts to dismantle voter protections, and lawyers can pitch in immediately by volunteering and taking on pro bono work to directly help safeguard the right to vote, says Anna Chu at We The Action.

  • 3rd Circ. Ruling Shows Benefits Of IP Licenses In Bankruptcy

    Author Photo

    The Third Circuit’s recent ruling in Mallinckrodt’s Chapter 11 filing, which held that Mallinckrodt could sever its obligations to pay Sanofi royalties on sales of an autoimmune disease drug, highlights the advantages of structuring transactions as nonexclusive licenses for developers of intellectual property, say Gregory Hesse and Kaleb Bailey at Hunton.

  • Opinion

    Unclear Intellectual Property Laws Are Stifling US Innovation

    Author Photo

    U.S. intellectual property law’s lack of predictability means far less job-creating investments for companies that need patent protection to compete, and Congress must step in with legislation like the Patent Eligibility Restoration Act to help address the problem, says Michael Gulliford at Soryn IP Capital Management.

Want to publish in Law360?


Submit an idea

Have a news tip?


Contact us here
Can't find the article you're looking for? Click here to search the Intellectual Property archive.
Hello! I'm Law360's automated support bot.

How can I help you today?

For example, you can type:
  • I forgot my password
  • I took a free trial but didn't get a verification email
  • How do I sign up for a newsletter?
Ask a question!