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Intellectual Property
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August 07, 2024
Fed. Circ. Scrutinizes Role Of A Patent's Admissions In IPRs
A Federal Circuit panel on Wednesday grappled with when statements in a patent admitting that certain technology was well-known can improperly form the basis of an inter partes review validity challenge, taking up a long-running dispute between Apple and Qualcomm.
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August 07, 2024
NC Biz Court Bulletin: The Battles Making Summer Sizzle
A 1983 championship basketball team's intellectual property rights and a public feud between Cadwalader Wickersham & Taft LLP and its insurer are among the legal battles that have kept North Carolina Business Court judges and Tar Heel state private practice attorneys busy this summer. In case you missed those and others, here are the highlights.
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August 07, 2024
Amgen Waged Lawfare To Overcharge For Drug, Suit Claims
Maryland-based independent licensees of the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association claim pharmaceutical giant Amgen Inc. and its subsidiaries have engaged in unlawful monopolistic practices that have inflated the cost of the blockbuster drug Enbrel.
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August 07, 2024
Fed. Circ. Won't Rethink Amazon Patent Program Suit Revival
The Federal Circuit issued an order Wednesday declining to hold a panel rehearing or a full court rehearing on its May decision to revive an electric outlet cover maker's declaratory judgment action over alleged infringement through Amazon's patent evaluation program.
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August 07, 2024
Dykema Faces Sony Sanctions Bid In Baseball Game TM Suit
Attorneys from Dykema representing a baseball training program in its trademark battle against Sony hit back at the media juggernaut's bid for punitive sanctions Tuesday, blasting the request as baseless.
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August 07, 2024
Apple Loses Fight To Keep Bid For Patent Suit Docs In Del.
Delaware's chief district judge has transferred Apple's bid to force litigation funding company Omni Bridgeway LLC to turn over documents explaining its financial interest in patent litigation against Apple in California to that state, saying he couldn't "think of a good reason" why he should decide the matter.
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August 07, 2024
Pool Co. Can't Get Atty Fees After Losing False Ads Trial
A pool parts supplier on the hook for a $16 million false advertising and unfair business practices judgment isn't entitled to attorney fees in the case, a North Carolina federal judge has ruled, finding there's "no question" the winning party is its opponent given the eight-figure damages award.
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August 07, 2024
CoComelon Attys Score Over $6.6M In Fees, Costs For IP Win
A California federal judge on Tuesday awarded the company behind the popular children's YouTube channel CoComelon more than $6.6 million in fees and costs after its copyright trial win against a Chinese rival, given its "nearly perfect success at trial" and the defendant's "unreasonable arguments throughout the case."
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August 07, 2024
GrubHub Must Face Restaurants' TM Infringement Suit
Grubhub Inc. must face a proposed class action brought against it in Illinois federal court for allegedly using restaurants' trademarks without permission and listing them on its food delivery app without their consent, even though most of the lead plaintiffs have not registered the marks at issue.
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August 06, 2024
AstraZeneca Can't Duck $107.5M Patent Loss To Pfizer Unit
An Illinois federal judge on Tuesday refused to upend a jury's determination that AstraZeneca owes $107.5 million in royalty damages for infringing Pfizer-brand cancer treatment patents, rejecting AstraZeneca's arguments that the patents are unenforceable and the asserted claims are invalid.
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August 06, 2024
Japanese Restaurant In Aspen Sued For TM Infringement
A Florida restaurateur's intellectual property company has filed a trademark infringement lawsuit in Colorado federal court against a Japanese restaurant and its interim manager in Aspen, claiming they continued without permission to use the name and logo the IP company created.
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August 06, 2024
Fed. Circ. Told Edwards Filed Safe Harbor Suit With Bad Intent
The Federal Circuit rightfully held Meril Life Sciences was protected by a patent safe harbor when bringing its preapproval transcatheter heart valve system to an industry conference and that Edwards Lifesciences' attempts to prove otherwise are just delay tactics, Meril told the full court.
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August 06, 2024
Fed. Circ. Pours Out Trademark Board's 'Cognac' Ruling
A cognac distilling industry trade group persuaded the Federal Circuit on Tuesday to scrap an administrative board holding that let a small record label register a trademark using the word "cognac," setting new law on how to determine the fame of "certification marks."
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August 06, 2024
Try Samsung's Petition Again, USPTO's Vidal Tells PTAB
The head of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office decided to give Samsung another shot at killing off infringement claims that a patent licensing outfit is trying to assert over the Galaxy Watch In Texas federal court.
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August 06, 2024
Louis Vuitton Slams 'Prolific' TM Infringement At Conn. Market
French luxury brand Louis Vuitton Malletier SAS is seeking statutory damages of up to $2 million per counterfeited mark from the operator of a Connecticut flea market where fake goods were repeatedly sold despite a June 2018 agreement to cease such activity, according to a federal lawsuit.
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August 06, 2024
Tech Giants' Fight To Ax Fintiv Rule Returns To Fed. Circ.
Apple and three other major technology companies have again asked the Federal Circuit to abolish a rule allowing the Patent Trial and Appeal Board to refuse to review patents based on related litigation in court, saying it is unlawful because it was implemented without formal rulemaking.
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August 06, 2024
Military Part Supplier Says Competitors Stole Equipment, Info
A machining manufacturer that supplies parts for military aircraft said in a complaint filed in Michigan federal court on Monday that some of its former workers used their access to steal confidential information and equipment to start competing businesses.
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August 06, 2024
Music Licensor Settles Disco Song Row With Detroit Eatery
Music licensor Broadcast Music Inc. and two other major recording companies have settled a copyright infringement lawsuit against a Detroit restaurant, resolving claims of unauthorized performances of three popular disco songs.
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August 06, 2024
Harvard Says Samsung Chips Infringe Chemical Patents
Harvard University's president and fellows sued Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. and multiple affiliated entities in the Eastern District of Texas, claiming that the production process for some of its microprocessors and memory chips infringe two patents on chemical layering assigned to the school.
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August 06, 2024
Subway, Chick-Fil-A Ink Deals In Mystery Shopper IP Suit
Subway and Chick-Fil-A Inc. have entered agreements with Fall Line Patents LLC to resolve the patent company's claims that they infringed its data management patent with their respective mobile apps, according to a pair of joint filings with the Eastern District of Texas.
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August 06, 2024
Penn Says BioNTech Owes Royalties For COVID-19 Vax
BioNTech was hit with a breach of contract suit Monday in Pennsylvania federal court by the University of Pennsylvania over alleged unpaid royalties on global net sales of its blockbuster COVID-19 vaccine Comirnaty, which was developed using the school's crucial messenger RNA patents and has made more than $75 billion.
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August 06, 2024
Jones Day Slams Ex-Client's Bid To Exit $2M Fee Fight
Jones Day wants to prevent former client Soverain Software LLC from exiting a decade-long spat over $2 million in unpaid legal fees, telling an Illinois state court that Soverain's bid to bring the litigation to a close "is a house of cards that collapses with the slightest breeze."
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August 06, 2024
Fed. Circ. Knocks Out Scottish Search Co.'s Patent Case
A Scottish tech company failed to breathe new life into patents that cover supposed advances in reverse image searching on the internet when the Federal Circuit on Tuesday ended its suit against a different, more successful rival.
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August 06, 2024
DC Circ. Rules Russia Is Immune From Suit Over Jewish Texts
The D.C. Circuit ruled Tuesday that the federal court never had jurisdiction over a Jewish group's decades-old allegations that Russia is illegally holding on to its long-lost sacred texts, finding that the country has sovereign immunity and voiding nearly $200 million in fines levied against Russia.
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August 06, 2024
Lowe's Must Face Retail Logistics Co.'s Software IP Suit
Lowe's Home Centers LLC lost its bid to dismiss a retail logistics company's claims it ripped off a merchandise return management software and breached its contract with that software's manufacturer, with a North Carolina federal judge declining to fully toss any of the claims but flagging that some contradicted each other.
Expert Analysis
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Counterfeits At The Olympics Pose IP Challenges
With the 2024 Olympic Games quickly approaching, the proliferation of counterfeit Olympic merchandise poses a difficult challenge to the protection of intellectual property rights and the preservation of the Olympic brand's integrity, says Kimiya Shams at Devialet.
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Series
Playing Chess Makes Me A Better Lawyer
There are many ways that chess skills translate directly into lawyer skills, but for me, the bigger career lessons go beyond the direct parallels — playing chess has shown me the value of seeing gradual improvement in and focusing deep concentration on a nonwork endeavor, says attorney Steven Fink.
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Patent Lessons From 7 Federal Circuit Reversals In May
A look at recent cases where the Federal Circuit reversed or vacated decisions by the Patent Trial and Appeal Board or a federal district court provide guidance on how to succeed on appeal by clarifying the obviousness analysis of design patents, the finality of a judgment, and more, say Denise De Mory and Li Guo at Bunsow De Mory.
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Litigation Inspiration: Attys Can Be Heroic Like Olympians
Although litigation won’t earn anyone an Olympic medal in Paris this summer, it can be worthy of the same lasting honor if attorneys exercise focused restraint — seeking both their clients’ interests and those of the court — instead of merely pursuing every advantage short of sanctionable conduct, says Bennett Rawicki at Hilgers Graben.
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Lean Into The 'Great Restoration' To Retain Legal Talent
As the “great resignation,” in which employees voluntarily left their jobs in droves, has largely dissipated, legal employers should now work toward the idea of a “great restoration,” adopting strategies to effectively hire, onboard and retain top legal talent, says Molly McGrath at Hiring & Empowering Solutions.
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Momofuku Chili War May Chill Common Phrase TM Apps
Momofuku’s recent trademark battle over the “Chili Crunch” mark shows that over-enforcement when protecting exclusivity rights may backfire not just in the public eye, but with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office as well, says Anthony Panebianco at Davis Malm.
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Trademark In Artistic Works 1 Year After Jack Daniel's
In the year since the U.S. Supreme Court's Jack Daniel's v. VIP Products ruling, courts have applied Jack Daniel's inconsistently to deny First Amendment protection to artistic works, providing guidance for dismissing trademark claims relating to film and TV titles, say Hardy Ehlers and Neema Sahni at Covington.
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NCAA Settlement May End The NIL Model As We Know It
The recent House v. NCAA settlement in California federal court, in which the NCAA agreed to allow schools to directly pay March Madness television revenue to their athletes, may send outside name, image and likeness collectives in-house, says Mike Ingersoll at Womble Bond.
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Legal Battles Show Brands' Dilemma In Luxury Resale Trend
Recent litigation, such as Chanel's pending case against The RealReal, underscores the intricate balance luxury brands must strike between protecting their trademarks and embracing the burgeoning secondhand market that values sustainability, says Prachi Ajmera at Michelman & Robinson.
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AI-Generated Soundalikes Pose Right Of Publicity Issues
Artificial intelligence voice generators have recently proliferated, allowing users to create new voices or manipulate existing vocals with no audio engineering expertise, and although soundalikes may be permissible in certain cases, they likely violate the right of publicity of the person who is being mimicked, says Matthew Savare at Lowenstein Sandler.
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Why Jurors Balk At 'I Don't Recall' — And How To Respond
Jurors often react negatively to a witness who responds “I don’t remember” because they tend to hold erroneous beliefs about the nature of human memory, but attorneys can adopt a few strategies to mitigate the impact of these biases, say Steve Wood and Ava Hernández at Courtroom Sciences.
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Beware Of Trademark Scammers Leveraging USPTO Data
Amid a recent uptick in fraudulent communications directed at trademark applicants, registrants must understand how to protect themselves and their brand from fraudulent schemes and solicitation, say Michael Kelber and Alexandra Maloney at Neal Gerber.
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Series
Fishing Makes Me A Better Lawyer
Atop the list of ways fishing makes me a better lawyer is the relief it offers from the chronic stress of a demanding caseload, but it has also improved my listening skills and patience, and has served as an exceptional setting for building earnest relationships, says Steven DeGeorge at Robinson Bradshaw.
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10 Tips To Build Trust With Your Witness During Trial Prep
Preparing a witness for deposition or trial requires more than just legal skills — lawyers must also work to cultivate trust with the witness, using strategies ranging from wearing a hat when conducting mock cross-examination to offering them a ride to court before they testify, say Faye Paul Teller and Sara McDermott at Munger Tolles.
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A Healthier Legal Industry Starts With Emotional Intelligence
The legal profession has long been plagued by high rates of mental health issues, in part due to attorneys’ early training and broader societal stereotypes — but developing one’s emotional intelligence is one way to foster positive change, collectively and individually, says attorney Esperanza Franco.