Intellectual Property

  • 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.

  • August 01, 2024

    MoFo Adds 3-Atty IP Litigation Team In NY From Desmarais

    A trio of life sciences intellectual property litigation attorneys from Desmarais LLP have joined Morrison Foerster LLP in New York.

  • August 01, 2024

    Judge Kills Trade Secrets, Contract Suit Against Ex-Director

    A federal judge agreed on Wednesday to toss legal industry staffing company HIRECounsel D.C. LLC's breach of contract and trade secrets lawsuits against a former managing director of client relations, saying the company had not managed to prove actual or liquidated damages.

  • August 01, 2024

    Bipartisan Senator Team Reintroduces Anti-Deepfake Bill

    Four senators introduced an updated version of the Nurture Originals, Foster Art, and Keep Entertainment Safe Act of 2024, or the NO FAKES Act, to combat the creation and distribution of fake replicas of people without their consent, drawing major industry support and some backlash.

  • July 31, 2024

    Lewis Brisbois TM Foe Can't Ax Injunction, 5th Circ. Says

    The Fifth Circuit on Wednesday upheld an injunction against three Texans accused of ripping off the Lewis Brisbois Bisgaard & Smith LLP name, saying it's clear the only reason the defendants created the infringing entity "was to ride on the back" of the BigLaw firm's reputation.

Expert Analysis

  • The Fed. Circ. In June: More Liability For Generic-Drug Makers

    Author Photo

    The Federal Circuit’s June ruling in Amarin v. Hikma will likely result in more allegations of induced infringement by generic drugs postapproval, with more of those cases proceeding to at least the summary judgment stage instead of being cut off at the outset, say Jeremiah Helm and Sean Murray at Knobbe Martens.

  • Proposed NIL Deal Leaves NCAA Antitrust Liability Door Open

    Author Photo

    The proposed House v. NCAA settlement filed in California federal court creates the possibility of significant direct payments to student-athletes for the first time, but the resulting framework is unlikely to withstand future antitrust scrutiny because it still represents an agreement among competitors to limit labor cost, says Yaman Desai at Lynn Pinker.

  • Opinion

    Expert Witness Standards Must Consider Peer Review Crisis

    Author Photo

    For nearly two decades, the so-called replication crisis has upended how the scientific community views the reliability of peer-reviewed studies, and it’s time for courts to reevaluate whether peer review is a trustworthy proxy for expert witness reliability, say Jeffrey Gross and Robert LaCroix at Reid Collins.

  • USPTO Must Anticipate 'Black-Box Problem' For AI Inventions

    Author Photo

    The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office's recent guidance allows patents for inventions created with artificial intelligence, but inventors need to address the so-called black-box problem to ensure others can recreate the invention, thus meeting the enablement requirement, say Mark Basanta and Georg Reitboeck at Haug Partners.

  • Irish Businesses Should Act Now To Prepare For EU AI Act

    Author Photo

    Artificial intelligence is increasingly transforming the Irish job market, and proactive engagement with the forthcoming European Union AI Act, a significant shift in the regulatory landscape for Irish businesses, will be essential for Irish businesses to responsibly harness AI’s advantages and to maintain legal compliance, say lawyers at Pinsent Masons.

  • How To Grow Marketing, Biz Dev Teams In A Tight Market

    Author Photo

    Faced with fierce competition and rising operating costs, firms are feeling the pressure to build a well-oiled marketing and business development team that supports strategic priorities, but they’ll need to be flexible and creative given a tight talent market, says Ben Curle at Ambition.

  • Considerations For Federal Right Of Publicity As AI Advances

    Author Photo

    Amid rapid advances in generative artificial intelligence technology, Congress should consider how a federal right of publicity would interact with the existing patchwork of state name, image and likeness laws, as well as other issues like scope, harm recognized and available relief, says Ross Bagley at Pryor Cashman.

  • What Patent Litigators Should Know About CHIPS Act Grants

    Author Photo

    With the U.S. Department of Commerce now actively awarding grants under the CHIPS and Science Act, recipients should ensure they understand the implications of promises to construct new semiconductor manufacturing facilities, especially in jurisdictions with active patent litigation dockets, say Gabriel Culver and Peter Hillegas at Norton Rose.

  • Patent Lessons From 5 Federal Circuit Reversals In June

    Author Photo

    A look at June cases where the Federal Circuit reversed or vacated decisions by the Patent Trial and Appeal Board or a federal district court highlights a potential path for branded drugmakers to sue generic-drug makers for off-label uses, potential downsides of violating a pretrial order offering testimony, and more, say Denise De Mory and Li Guo at Bunsow De Mory.

  • Series

    Rock Climbing Makes Me A Better Lawyer

    Author Photo

    Rock climbing requires problem-solving, focus, risk management and resilience, skills that are also invaluable assets in my role as a finance lawyer, says Mei Zhang at Haynes and Boone.

  • Think Like A Lawyer: Dance The Legal Standard Two-Step

    Author Photo

    From rookie brief writers to Chief Justice John Roberts, lawyers should master the legal standard two-step — framing the governing standard at the outset, and clarifying why they meet that standard — which has benefits for both the drafter and reader, says Luke Andrews at Poole Huffman.

  • Alice Step 2 Trends Show Courts' Extrinsic Evidence Reliance

    Author Photo

    A look at recent trends in how district courts are applying Step 2 of the Alice framework shows that courts have increasingly relied on extrinsic evidence to help determine whether a claimed invention is "well-understood, routine, and conventional," says Jonathan Tuminaro at Sterne Kessler.

  • Recent Settlement Shows 'China Initiative' Has Life After Death

    Author Photo

    Though the U.S. Department of Justice shuttered its controversial China Initiative two years ago, its recent False Claims Act settlement with the Cleveland Clinic Foundation demonstrates that prosecutors are more than willing to civilly pursue research institutions whose employees were previously targeted, say attorneys at Benesch.

  • How Orange Book Antitrust Scrutiny Is Intensifying

    Author Photo

    Pharmaceutical patent holders should be reviewing Orange Book listing practices, as the Federal Trade Commission takes a more aggressive antitrust approach with actions such as the Teva listing probe, and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration calls attention to potentially improper listings, say attorneys at McDermott.

  • Trending At The PTAB: 1 Year Of Denials Of Institution

    Author Photo

    An analysis of Patent Trial and Appeal Board denials of institutions between May 2023 and May of this year highlights the board’s common reasons for denial, which can provide insight to both petitioners and patent owners in future proceedings, say Kevin Rodkey and Victor Palace at Finnegan.

Want to publish in Law360?


Submit an idea

Have a news tip?


Contact us here
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!