Intellectual Property

  • August 13, 2024

    Rival Building Suppliers Net $3M Deal To End Competition Tiff

    A New York building supplier will pay its California rival $3 million to resolve allegations that it poached employees in North Carolina and stole trade secrets to unfairly compete in the region, according to settlement documents provided to Law360.

  • August 13, 2024

    Tech Cos. Spar Over $117M Interest On $262M Patent Verdict

    Hard drive maker Western Digital Technologies Inc. and patent holder MR Technologies GmbH went back and forth on the patentee's requested $117 million prejudgment interest bid for a $262 million infringement verdict in its favor, with Western Digital calling the requested amount "an unjustified windfall."

  • August 13, 2024

    Hogan Lovells IP Litigator Joins Nixon Peabody In SF

    Nixon Peabody LLP continues to boost its intellectual property team, announcing Monday it is bringing in a Hogan Lovells IP and technology litigator as counsel in its San Francisco office.

  • August 12, 2024

    AI Art Cos. Can't Yet Ditch Artists' Copyright Claims

    A California federal judge on Monday refused to throw out artists' copyright infringement claims against four companies that make or distribute software that creates images with text prompts, but he did toss several other claims in their proposed class action, including unjust enrichment and breach of contract.

  • August 12, 2024

    Trump Owes $3M For Using Isaac Hayes Song, Family Says

    Late soul legend Isaac Hayes' family demanded former President Donald Trump pay a "discounted" $3 million license fee for playing the singer and songwriter's tune "Hold On, I'm Coming" at campaign rallies without permission, saying they stood ready to sue and seek a much steeper infringement fee if Trump refuses.

  • August 12, 2024

    DeFi Org Inks Deal To Get Crypto Patent Suits Dropped

    Cryptocurrency advocacy group the DeFi Education Fund on Monday announced it reached an agreement with a blockchain solutions firm it accused of "trolling" a pair of decentralized crypto protocols, purchasing the patent at issue and dedicating it to the public in return for a dismissal of the suits.

  • August 12, 2024

    Lululemon Gets PTAB To Review Nike Flyknit Patent

    The Patent Trial and Appeal Board will evaluate whether all claims of a Nike patent covering its Flyknit line of sneakers are invalid, in a challenge brought by Lululemon.

  • August 12, 2024

    Glass Tempering Co. Loses Early Exit Bid In NC Patent Fight

    A glass processing equipment distributor can't ditch a Finnish competitor's patent infringement suit, a North Carolina federal judge has ruled, finding its rival has sufficiently alleged "exclusionary rights" to the patents for glass tempering.

  • August 12, 2024

    Jetaire Patents Axed After Fla. Judge Backs Magistrate Report

    A Florida federal judge invalidated three "fuel tank ignition mitigation technology" patents held by Jetaire Aerospace LLC and granted its competitor AerSale Inc. an early win over the infringement claims Jetaire brought against it, fully adopting a magistrate judge's recommendation that the patents be axed under the on-sale bar.

  • August 12, 2024

    Proofpoint Seeks To Double $13.5M IP Trial Win At 9th Circ.

    Software company Proofpoint urged the Ninth Circuit to find the lower court erred in denying it exemplary damages that could have doubled its $13.5 million trade secret theft verdict, arguing that a jury should've decided the issue and the ruling violated Proofpoint's Seventh Amendment rights to a jury trial.

  • August 12, 2024

    Conn. Toothbrush Co. Says Rival In Poland Copied Design

    The manufacturer of the Autobrush automatic toothbrush said they have nothing to smile about regarding a Polish company's similar U-shaped toothbrush, claiming in Connecticut federal court that its patents have been infringed.

  • August 12, 2024

    Fed. Circ. Says Co. Can't Patent Coke Zero's Secret Sweetener

    A Federal Circuit panel found Monday that the company that developed the artificial sweetener used in Coke Zero can't patent its formula after it has already touched the lips of customers even if they kept the recipe secret, something that's consistent with "precedent going back to the 1800s."

  • August 12, 2024

    MSU Stole Hitler Quiz Question, Shifted Blame, Creator Says

    A quiz-making company and its owner have alleged that Michigan State University displayed a question about Adolf Hitler on the scoreboard video screen at a rivalry football game without permission and then publicly blamed the quiz-maker for its inclusion, putting the creator's reputation and revenue in jeopardy.

  • August 12, 2024

    Pacira Patent On Surgery Pain Drug Voided In Win For Generic

    Pacira Pharmaceuticals Inc.'s patent on a nonopioid painkiller is invalid, a New Jersey federal judge has ruled, opening the way for generic versions of Exparel, a long-acting injectable for managing postsurgical pain.

  • August 12, 2024

    Del. Judge Says Vaccine IP Claim Actually Mandates Vaccine

    Delaware's chief judge was baffled by Alnylam Pharmaceuticals' argument that the word "vaccine" in a patent it claims Pfizer and BioNTech have infringed doesn't actually require a vaccine, leading him to reject the trip down the rabbit hole presented by the company in exchange for "common sense."

  • August 12, 2024

    Texas Firm Says Recordings Show Call Center Deception

    A Texas personal injury law firm asked a federal judge to impose a preliminary injunction on a lawyer referral service, arguing that newly obtained audio recordings from the referral service's call center show the other company deliberately tries to trick the firm's potential clients into signing up with other lawyers.

  • August 12, 2024

    Celebrity Photo Companies Hit Ye With $1.5M Copyright Suit

    Ye, the musical artist formerly known as Kanye West, was hit with a $1.5 million copyright infringement suit by two celebrity photography companies that claimed he posted at least 10 of their photos to his Instagram account and his Yeezy website without permission.

  • August 09, 2024

    Takeda Should Face Certified Antitrust Classes, Judge Says

    A New York federal judge on Friday recommended certifying two classes of direct purchasers and end payors in consolidated antitrust actions accusing Takeda Pharmaceuticals Co. of unlawfully inflating the price of its diabetes treatment Actos by delaying entry of generic alternatives.

  • August 09, 2024

    Delaware Jury Says Fecal Treatment Patents Are Worth $25M

    A Delaware federal jury decided Friday that a Swiss drugmaker owes a smaller drug rival at least $25 million in a patent case involving an experimental enema used to treat a particularly deadly form of diarrhea.

  • August 09, 2024

    VLSI Sues USPTO For Records Related To Intel IP Disputes

    VLSI Technology has sued the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office and the U.S. Department of Commerce in D.C. federal court claiming the agencies have stalled on its public records request for documents relating to ongoing litigation involving Intel Corp. and the invalidation of one of VLSI's microchip patents.

  • August 09, 2024

    Valeant's Legal Gripe A Total 'Nothingburger,' Justices Told

    A lawyer who assembled a whistleblower lawsuit against a major pharmaceutical company using publicly available patent board filings says the larger legal question of whether he can do that is way too niche for the U.S. Supreme Court to bother thinking about.

  • August 09, 2024

    Intel Hit With Copyright Suit Over Expired Anaconda License

    Software company Anaconda Inc., which describes itself as "the operating system for AI," has accused Intel Corp. of copyright infringement, alleging in a complaint in Delaware federal court that Intel has been using Anaconda's technology for its artificial intelligence development platform without paying.

  • August 09, 2024

    Vidal Can't Be Used Against Ex-Client At PTAB, Fed. Circ. Says

    The Federal Circuit said Friday that the initial involvement of U.S. Patent and Trademark Office Director Kathi Vidal in a handful of patent challenges during her private practice days at Winston & Strawn LLP isn't enough to prevent the patent board from ever deciding on those petitions.

  • August 09, 2024

    Akoustis Blames Qorvo's Experts For $38M Trade Secrets Win

    Akoustis Technologies Inc. has asked a Delaware federal court to overturn a May jury verdict against it for stealing trade secrets and the $38.3 million in damages awarded to wireless company Qorvo Inc., arguing that two Qorvo experts "eschewed the well-established and accepted methods" to measure unjust enrichment for misappropriation.

  • August 09, 2024

    Novartis Wants DC Judge To Quickly Block Entresto Generic

    Novartis Pharmaceuticals urged a D.C. federal judge Friday to temporarily restrain the U.S. Food and Drug Administration from officially approving a generic version of the company's blockbuster heart failure medication Entresto.

Expert Analysis

  • Determining Who Owns Content Created By Generative AI

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    Adobe's recent terms-of-service update and ensuing clarification regarding its AI-training practices highlights the unanswered legal questions regarding ownership of content created using artificial intelligence, says John Poulos at Norton Rose.

  • Skip Versus File: The Patent Dilemma That Costs Millions

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    In the nearly 30 years since the inception of the provisional application, many have weighed the question of whether or not to file the provisional, and data shows that doing so may allow inventors more time to refine their ideas and potentially gain an extra year of protection, says Stanko Vuleta at Highlands Advisory.

  • Orange Book Warnings Highlight FTC's Drug Price Focus

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    In light of heightened regulatory scrutiny surrounding drug pricing and the Federal Trade Commission's activity in the recent Teva v. Amneal case, branded drug manufacturers should expect the FTC's campaign against allegedly improper Orange Book listings to continue, say attorneys at Ropes & Gray.

  • Firms Must Rethink How They Train New Lawyers In AI Age

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    As law firms begin to use generative artificial intelligence to complete lower-level legal tasks, they’ll need to consider new ways to train summer associates and early-career attorneys, keeping in mind the five stages of skill acquisition, says Liisa Thomas at Sheppard Mullin.

  • Think Like A Lawyer: Always Be Closing

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    When a lawyer presents their case with the right propulsive structure throughout trial, there is little need for further argument after the close of evidence — and in fact, rehashing it all may test jurors’ patience — so attorneys should consider other strategies for closing arguments, says Luke Andrews at Poole Huffman.

  • Tracking China's Push To Invalidate Foreign Patents

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    China’s increasing use of courts and administrative panels to nullify patents in strategically important industries, such as technology, pharmaceuticals and rare-earth minerals, raises serious concerns about the intellectual property rights of foreign businesses operating there, say Rajat Rana and Manuel Valderrama at Selendy Gay.

  • 3 Ways To Fight Alice Rejections Of Blockchain Patents

    Excerpt from Practical Guidance
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    With blockchain-related patent application filings on the rise, Thomas Isaacson at Polsinelli offers strategies for responding to U.S. Patent and Trademark Office determinations that the blockchain network is just a generic computer and patent-ineligible under the U.S. Supreme Court's 2014 Alice v. CLS Bank decision.

  • F1 Driver AI Case Sheds Light On Winning Tactics In IP Suits

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    A German court recently awarded damages to former F1 driver Michael Schumacher's family in an artificial intelligence dispute over the unlicensed use of his image, illustrating how athletes are using the law to protect their brands, and setting a precedent in other AI-generated image rights cases, William Bowyer at Lawrence Stephens.

  • 8th Circ. Insurance Ruling Spotlights Related-Claims Defenses

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    The Eighth Circuit’s recent Dexon v. Travelers ruling — that the insurer must provide a defense despite the policy’s related-acts provision — provides guidance for how policyholders can overcome related-acts defenses, say Geoffrey Fehling and Jae Lynn Huckaba at Hunton.

  • Counterfeits At The Olympics Pose IP Challenges

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    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.

  • Series

    Playing Chess Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    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.

  • Patent Lessons From 7 Federal Circuit Reversals In May

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    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.

  • Litigation Inspiration: Attys Can Be Heroic Like Olympians

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    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.

  • Lean Into The 'Great Restoration' To Retain Legal Talent

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    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.

  • Momofuku Chili War May Chill Common Phrase TM Apps

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    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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