Intellectual Property

  • August 02, 2024

    Microphone Co. Eyes Sanctions After Scoring Win In IP Row

    A maker of microphone isolation products that won a trade dress infringement lawsuit at trial has asked a California federal court to order a rival and its counsel to pay its attorney fees because of a "repeated pattern of vexatious litigation in the face of overwhelming and contrary law."

  • August 02, 2024

    Bike Co. Says It's Lost 'Millions' From Royalty Deal Breaches

    A Colorado bicycle company has sued machinery manufacturer Gates Corp. in Denver District Court for allegedly breaking promises under a joint licensing and distribution deal, claiming Gates may be trying to dodge millions of dollars in royalty payments by encouraging rival bicycle makers to use the Colorado company's invention for free.

  • August 02, 2024

    PNC Wants Court, Not Jury, To Hear Fintech Co. TM Defenses

    PNC Financial Services Group wants a Pennsylvania federal judge, not a jury, to decide whether the bank did nothing with knowledge that Plaid Inc. was copying its logo and login screens when linking bank accounts to financial apps, PNC said in a court filing.

  • August 02, 2024

    Justices Urged To Hear Standing Issue For Patent Licensors

    The U.S. Supreme Court has been asked to give its take on whether the terms of a decade-old loan can be used to create issues over legal standing and exclusionary rights in a lawsuit tied to radio frequency developed in the mid-2000s.

  • August 02, 2024

    US Cheerleading Org. Faces Fees Bid After Losing TM Suit

    Bush Ross PA and the Underwood Law Firm PC are seeking more than $800,000 in attorney fees after a Florida federal judge handed their clients a summary judgment win in a trademark infringement lawsuit brought by the U.S. All Star Federation against its rivals, saying they deserve to be reimbursed for costs related to the case because it was "exceptional."

  • August 02, 2024

    Akin Debuts AI Law & Regulation Info Tracker

    Global BigLaw firm Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP launched a tracker to help monitor changing policies related to artificial intelligence in various fields including intellectual property, data privacy, health and national security.

  • 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.

  • 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.

  • 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.

  • 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.

  • 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.

  • 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.

  • 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.

  • 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.

  • 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.

  • 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. 

  • 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.

  • 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.

  • 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.

  • 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.

  • 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.

  • 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.

  • 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.

  • 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.

  • 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.

Expert Analysis

  • Exploring A New Era Of IP Law Amid The Rise Of Generative AI

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    Attorneys at Hogan Lovells explore the effects of generative artificial intelligence in three areas of intellectual property, recent updates and emerging trends, and its significance on the IP landscape now and moving forward.

  • Fed. Circ. Defines Foreign IP Damages, Raises New Questions

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    In Brumfield v. IBG, the Federal Circuit recently clarified which standard determines the extraterritoriality of the patent statute after the U.S. Supreme Court's WesternGeco decision, opening a new avenue of damages for foreign activities resulting from certain domestic activities while also creating some thorny questions, say Amol Parikh and Ian Howard at McDermott.

  • Series

    Being An Equestrian Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Beyond getting experience thinking on my feet and tackling stressful situations, the skills I've gained from horseback riding have considerable overlap with the skills used to practice law, particularly in terms of team building, continuing education, and making an effort to reset and recharge, says Kerry Irwin at Moore & Van Allen.

  • Teach Your Party Representative The Art Of Nonverbal Cues

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    As illustrated by recent reports about President Donald Trump’s nonverbal communication in court, jurors notice what’s happening at counsel table, which may color their perceptions of the case as a whole, so trial attorneys should teach party representatives to self-monitor their nonverbal behaviors, says Clint Townson at Townson Consulting.

  • Fintiv Denials Are On The Rise At PTAB

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    Following last year's CommScope v. Dali decision, the Patent Trial and Appeal Board is increasingly using Fintiv factors to discretionarily deny inter partes review petitions — and attorneys ignore it at their peril, say Josepher Li and Michelle Armond at Armond Wilson.

  • 4 Ways To Refresh Your Law Firm's Marketing Strategy

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    With many BigLaw firms relying on an increasingly obsolete marketing approach that prioritizes stiff professionalism over authentic connection, adopting a few key communications strategies to better connect with today's clients and prospects can make all the difference, say Eric Pacifici and Kevin Henderson at SMB Law.

  • What Law Firms Should Know Amid Rise In DQ Motions

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    As disqualification motions proliferate, law firms need to be aware of the types of conflicts that most often lead to disqualification, the types of attorneys who may be affected and how to reduce their exposure to these motions, says Matthew Henderson at Hinshaw.

  • What Have We Learned In The Year Since Warhol?

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    In the almost year since the U.S. Supreme Court decided Andy Warhol Foundation v. Goldsmith, which was widely seen as potentially chilling to creative endeavors, seven subsequent decisions — while illuminating to some extent — do not indicate any trend toward a radical departure from prior precedents in fair use cases, says ​​​​​​​Jose Sariego at Bilzin Sumberg.

  • Practical Pointers After Fed. Circ. Double-Patenting Decision

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    With the Federal Circuit recently denying a full court review of In re: Cellect, a decision regarding obviousness-type double-patenting, affected patent family holders should evaluate their rights through both patent prosecution and future litigation lenses to minimize risks, say Austin Lorch and Jeff Wolfson at Haynes Boone.

  • Clemson's ACC Exit Fee Suit May Have Major Consequences

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    Clemson University's recent suit in South Carolina state court against the Atlantic Coast Conference, which challenges the ACC's $140 million exit fee and its ownership of member schools' media rights, would likely have enormous ramifications for ACC members in the event of a definitive court ruling, say William Sullivan and Alex Anderson at Pillsbury.

  • How Duty Of Candor Figures In USPTO AI Ethics Guidance

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    The duty of candor and good faith is an important part of the artificial intelligence ethics guidance issued last week by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, and serious consequences can visit patent and trademark applicants who violate that duty, not just their attorneys and agents, says Michael Cicero at Taylor English.

  • Patent Lessons From 8 Federal Circuit Reversals In March

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    A number of Federal Circuit patent decisions last month reversed or vacated underlying rulings, providing guidance regarding the definiteness of a claim that include multiple limitations of different scopes, the importance of adequate jury instruction, the proper scope of the precedent, and more, say Denise De Mory and Li Guo at Bunsow De Mory.

  • Tenn. Law Protecting Artists From AI Raises Novel Issues

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    Tennessee recently enacted a law that extends the right of publicity protection to individuals' voices in an attempt to control the proliferation of artificial intelligence in the music industry, presenting fascinating questions about the First Amendment, the fair use doctrine and more, say attorneys at Davis Wright.

  • A Look At Ex Parte Seizures 8 Years Post-DTSA

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    In the eight years since the Defend Trade Secrets Act was enacted, not much has changed for jurisprudence on ex parte seizures, but a few seminal rulings show that there still isn’t a bright line on what qualifies as extraordinary circumstances warranting a seizure, say attorneys at Finnegan.

  • Series

    Whitewater Kayaking Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Whether it's seeing clients and their issues from a new perspective, or staying nimble in a moment of intense challenge, the lessons learned from whitewater kayaking transcend the rapids of a river and prepare attorneys for the courtroom and beyond, says Matthew Kent at Alston & Bird.

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