Intellectual Property

  • July 15, 2024

    GM Eyes Deal In Design Patent Fight At PTAB

    LKQ Corp. and General Motors Co. are looking to come to a deal to settle a legal dispute over GM's design patent covering fenders at the Patent Trial and Appeal Board.

  • July 15, 2024

    9th Circ. Centers On Atty's Duties In Winery TM Feud

    Ninth Circuit judges appeared skeptical Monday that a Houston lawyer could represent a prominent Napa Valley vintner while also claiming partial ownership rights to the name of its popular cabernet sauvignon, with one judge saying that conflict of interest rules for attorneys operating in California are "very strict."

  • July 15, 2024

    PTAB Will Review Money Clip IP Tied To Looming Import Ban

    The Patent Trial and Appeal Board has agreed to review if a Ridge Wallet LLC money clip patent should be invalidated, giving hope to a challenger facing an import ban for infringement of the same patent.

  • July 15, 2024

    Record Labels Sue Verizon Over Internet Users' File Sharing

    A group of the biggest music labels in the world is suing Verizon for allegedly profiting from what they call "pervasive" and "staggering" copyright infringement of the labels' music, saying in a complaint that the internet service provider "deliberately turned a blind eye" to music pirating on its network.

  • July 15, 2024

    Fed. Circ. Upholds Some HVAC Patent Claims In Google Fight

    The Federal Circuit has affirmed a Patent Trial and Appeal Board decision that handed a partial win to EcoFactor Inc. in a patent challenge brought by Google LLC.

  • July 15, 2024

    Nike Suit Seeks More Than $60M From Counterfeit 'Empire'

    Nike filed a federal lawsuit on Monday for more than $60 million against a popular Los Angeles company producing pricey customized sneakers that the sportswear giant claims unlawfully uses Nike's designs and intellectual property, saying the company and its founder are even offering "Nike Counterfeiting 101" classes.

  • July 15, 2024

    Judge Keeps Most Of TM Suit Against Musk's X Corp. Intact

    Elon Musk's Twitter rebrand X Corp. suffered a setback Monday when a Florida federal judge kept intact most of a trademark infringement complaint by X Social Media LLC, an advertising agency for attorneys, with only one claim dismissed from the suit.

  • July 15, 2024

    Crocs Dodges Clog Competitor's Counterclaims In IP Battle

    A Colorado federal judge has tossed a pair of counterclaims alleging anticompetitive conduct by Crocs in the shoe company's intellectual property lawsuit against a smaller rival, with the judge concluding that the rival never claimed Crocs said anything untrue or in bad faith.

  • July 15, 2024

    Carl Sagan Co. Drops TM Fight Over Astronomer's Name

    A company managing the works of famed astronomer Carl Sagan has agreed to drop claims that a Michigan software company is using Sagan's name without permission to benefit from his reputation, according to a stipulation of dismissal that said the parties reached a settlement.

  • July 15, 2024

    Catching Up With Delaware's Chancery Court

    Chancery Court news was full of fees and settlements last week, with three multimillion-dollar deals getting a court OK, and a daylong discussion over a potentially multibillion-dollar fee award for attorneys who got Tesla CEO Elon Musk's astronomical pay package thrown out. The court also banged the gavel in cases involving e-payment venture SwervePay and managed care company Centene Corp., and heard arguments from software company SAP SE and biotech Renmatix Inc.

  • July 15, 2024

    Litigation Funder Wants Apple's Bid For Docs Moved To Calif.

    A litigation funding company is urging a Delaware federal judge to transfer Apple Inc.'s bid for documents related to a patent dispute with Finnish company MPH Technologies Oy. to California federal court, saying the motion to compel should be adjudicated in the Golden State.

  • July 15, 2024

    Quinn Emanuel Barred From Repping X In Scraping Case

    Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan LLP can no longer represent social media giant X Corp. in the company's lawsuit against Bright Data Ltd., with a California federal judge finding the law firm violated its duty of loyalty to Bright Data after previously representing it in a "substantially related" case.

  • July 15, 2024

    Rising Star: Irell's Stephen Payne

    Stephen Payne of Irell & Manella LLP has advised clients on disputes worth hundreds of millions, including as part of the team that secured what his firm calls the third-largest patent verdict in the U.S. on behalf of chipmaker Netlist Inc., earning him a spot among the fund formation law practitioners under age 40 honored by Law360 as Rising Stars.

  • July 15, 2024

    Dow Chemical Seeks Recusal After Settlement Offer Gaffe

    The Dow Chemical Co. asked an Ohio federal judge to recuse himself from a trade secrets suit brought by a Cleveland technology firm accusing it of misappropriating confidential information to recreate the firm's copyrighted software after the tech company showed the court a settlement offer without Dow Chemical's approval.

  • July 12, 2024

    Rising Star: Gibson Dunn's Jaysen Chung

    Gibson Dunn & Crutcher LLP's Jaysen Chung has represented numerous big name clients — such as Pfizer, Dell and Apple — in successful patent litigation throughout his career, earning him a spot among the intellectual property law practitioners under age 40 honored by Law360 as Rising Stars.

  • July 12, 2024

    Law360 Names 2024's Top Attorneys Under 40

    Law360 is pleased to announce the Rising Stars of 2024, our list of 158 attorneys under 40 whose legal accomplishments belie their age.

  • July 12, 2024

    Winery Gets $666K Fees After Winning $666K Trademark Row

    An Italian winemaker won $666,214 in fees and postjudgment interest for prevailing against a Napa Valley, California, rival in a trademark dispute over similarly named wines, after a New York federal judge said the case was "exceptional," considering the defendants' continued use of the infringing name even after being sued and agreeing to stop.

  • July 12, 2024

    10th Circ. Tosses Prof's Conviction In 'China Initiative' Case

    A split Tenth Circuit panel has reversed the conviction of a former University of Kansas professor accused of hiding the fact that he was pursuing a job in China, ruling that prosecutors hadn't offered enough evidence to prove that his omission was material to any federal agency funding decision.

  • July 12, 2024

    Ramey Says 'Any Competent' Atty Wouldn't Seek Sanctions Yet

    Ramey LLP, counsel for mobile payment company AuthWallet LLC, has urged a Texas federal judge to reject a bank's attempt to sanction the company's attorney, saying the request is premature since the case doesn't have a prevailing party yet.

  • July 12, 2024

    Fed. Circ. Upholds Natera's Injunction In Cancer Test IP Fight

    The Federal Circuit on Friday upheld a preliminary injunction barring NeoGenomics Laboratories Inc. from selling certain cancer tests while a North Carolina federal court decided whether they infringed Natera Inc. patents.

  • July 12, 2024

    Fed. Circ. Probes Case With Apple Watch Import Ban At Stake

    In a case that could lead to a U.S. International Trade Commission import ban on the Apple Watch amid a patent dispute with AliveCor, Federal Circuit judges asked both companies Friday why a patent office tribunal that invalidated the patents didn't see evidence from the ITC case.

  • July 12, 2024

    VW Lawyers Win Fees From 'Sloppy' Texas Patent Atty

    A federal judge in Houston has said a lawyer behind over 700 patent lawsuits over the past three years is personally liable to pay Finnegan Henderson Farabow Garrett & Dunner LLP's fees over his "sloppy" and "offensive" case against Volkswagen.

  • July 12, 2024

    VLSI Continues Fight Against Intel In Patent Litigation

    VLSI has launched a fight in Texas federal court against an argument that Intel made in Delaware federal court that it had a license to various patents.

  • July 12, 2024

    Lenovo Dodges Deposition Bid In Texas Software Patent Fight

    Lenovo has skirted a subpoena seeking witness testimony in a patent case involving two rival software companies and the computer giants HP and Dell, with a North Carolina federal judge finding that the request was "overbroad" and not well justified given that Lenovo isn't part of the suit.

  • July 12, 2024

    Tequila Co. Wants Out Of Brewer's 'Dragon's Milk' TM Suit

    A Mexican tequila company said a judge should dismiss a trademark action filed by a Michigan craft brewer to protect its use of the name "Dragon's Milk," saying it hasn't threatened to assert infringement of its "Casa Dragones" mark.

Expert Analysis

  • Series

    Playing Music Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    My deep and passionate involvement in playing, writing and producing music equipped me with skills — like creativity, improvisation and problem-solving — that contribute to the success of my legal career, says attorney Kenneth Greene.

  • Lessons In High-Profile Jury Selection Amid NY Trump Trial

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    Richard Gabriel and Michelle Rey LaRocca at Decision Analysis consider how media exposure can affect a prospective juror in a high-profile case, the misunderstood nature of bias, and recommendations for jury selection in these unique situations as the Trump hush money trial continues in New York.

  • How AI Cos. Can Cope With Shifting Copyright Landscape

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    In the evolving landscape of artificial intelligence, recent legal disputes have focused on the utilization of copyrighted material to train algorithms, meaning companies should be aware of fair use implications and possible licensing solutions for AI users, say Michael Hobbs and Justin Tilghman at Troutman Pepper.

  • How Attys Can Avoid Pitfalls When Withdrawing From A Case

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    The Trump campaign's recent scuffle over its bid to replace its counsel in a pregnancy retaliation suit offers a chance to remind attorneys that many troubles inherent in withdrawing from a case can be mitigated or entirely avoided by communicating with clients openly and frequently, says Christopher Konneker at Orsinger Nelson.

  • Supply Chain Considerations For Companies Deploying AI

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    Many businesses will risk failure by embracing artificial intelligence without fully understanding the risks, and the value of a five-step AI supply chain analysis cannot be overstated, say Brooke Berg and Nathan Staffel at Nardello & Co.

  • How Real Estate Cos. Can Protect Their IP In The Metaverse

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    The rise of virtual and augmented reality creates new intellectual property challenges and opportunities for real estate owners, but certain steps, including conducting a diligence investigation to develop an understanding of current obligations, can help companies mitigate IP issues in the metaverse, says George Pavlik at Levenfeld Pearlstein.

  • Using A Children's Book Approach In Firm Marketing Content

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    From “The Giving Tree” to “Where the Wild Things Are,” most children’s books are easy to remember because they use simple words and numbers to tell stories with a human impact — a formula law firms should emulate in their marketing content to stay front of mind for potential clients, says Seema Desai Maglio at The Found Word.

  • Patent Lessons From 4 Federal Circuit Reversals In April

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    Four Federal Circuit decisions in April that reversed or vacated underlying rulings provide a number of takeaways, including that obviousness analysis requires a flexible approach, that an invalidity issue of an expired patent can be moot, and more, say Denise De Mory and Li Guo at Bunsow De Mory.

  • How To Use Exhibits Strategically Throughout Your Case

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    Exhibits, and documents in particular, are the lifeblood of legal advocacy, so attorneys must understand how to wield them effectively throughout different stages of a case to help build strategy, elevate witness preparation and effectively persuade the fact-finders, say Allison Rocker at Baker McKenzie and Colorado prosecutor Adam Kendall.

  • Tips For Companies Tapping Into Commercial Cleantech

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    A recent report from the European Patent Office and European Investment Bank examining the global financing and commercialization of cleantech innovation necessary for the green energy transition can help companies understand and solve the issues in developing and implementing the full potential of cleantech, says Eleanor Maciver at Mewburn Ellis.

  • Opinion

    USPTO's Proposed Disclaimer Rule Would Harm Inventors

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    The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office’s recently proposed rule on terminal disclaimers will make the patent system less available to inventors and will unfairly favor defendants in litigation, say Stephen Schreiner at Carmichael IP and Sarah Tsou at Omni Bridgeway.

  • Series

    Being An EMT Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    While some of my experiences as an emergency medical technician have been unusually painful and searing, the skills I’ve learned — such as triage, empathy and preparedness — are just as useful in my work as a restructuring lawyer, says Marshall Huebner at Davis Polk.

  • 15 Quick Tips For Uncovering And Mitigating Juror Biases

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    As highlighted by the recent jury selection process in the criminal hush money trial against former President Donald Trump, juror bias presents formidable challenges for defendants, and attorneys must employ proactive strategies — both new and old — to blunt its impact, say Monica Delgado and Jonathan Harris at Harris St. Laurent.

  • Tips For Keeping Trade Secrets In The Vault

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    Key practices aimed at maintaining confidentiality can help companies establish trade secret status as the Federal Trade Commission's ban on noncompetes makes it prudent to explore other security measures, says John Baranello at Moses & Singer.

  • Reducing Patent Litigation Costs Starts With Early Strategy

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    With the average cost ranging from $1 million to $4 million, defending a patent case can create a serious strain on resources, particularly for midsize or smaller companies, so certain cost-cutting steps should be considered at the outset — even if some seem counterintuitive, say Jeffrey Ahdoot and Wendy Verlander at Verlander.

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