Intellectual Property

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Patent Cases To Watch In 2025

The Federal Circuit has taken on a rare en banc patent case looking at damages, while the U.S. Supreme Court has been asked to review when foreign damages can be incorporated into patent awards. Here's what you need to know about these cases and others that attorneys are keeping an eye on in 2025.
January 07, 2025
Charter Communications Says VP Stole Trade Secrets

Charter Communications Inc. filed a lawsuit in Connecticut federal court Tuesday against a former executive it claims made off with trade secrets and began working as a senior vice president and chief information officer of a competitor, Metronet.
January 07, 2025
Starbucks' Former IP Head Joins Davis Wright In Seattle

Batur Oktay, the former leader of Starbucks Corp.'s intellectual property program, has joined Davis Wright Tremaine LLP as a partner in the firm's Seattle office, according to an announcement Tuesday.
January 07, 2025
PTAB Slims Down 2 Samsung Patents In Galaxy Screen Fight

The patent board has decided to ax a swath of claims in two Samsung patents covering ways of arranging pixels that the Korean tech giant is asserting against a major Chinese rival in the business of selling replacement screens for Galaxy-brand cellphones.
January 07, 2025
Fed. Circ. Clarifies Role Of Corrected IP In Construction PGR

The Federal Circuit on Tuesday backed a Patent Trial and Appeal Board decision upholding several claims in a Columbia Insurance Co. construction hanger patent, clarifying that the board's finding only applies to the original version of the claims.
January 07, 2025
Amneal Calls Teva's IP Delisting Panic 'Theatrical Distraction'

The pharmaceutical industry won't fall into "chaos and disruption" if the Federal Circuit doesn't stay an injunction ordering Teva to remove inhaler patents from the Orange Book, and Teva's arguments otherwise are "a mere theatrical distraction" from the weakness of its position, according to Amneal Pharmaceuticals.
January 07, 2025
Cooper Standard Says $11M Royalty Fight Can't Be Arbitrated

The former parent company of a group of international automotive product suppliers has asked a Michigan federal judge not to force arbitration of its lawsuit accusing them of stiffing it out of more than $11 million in royalties, saying the suppliers waived their right to arbitration.
January 07, 2025
New USPTO Advisers Include Mattel, Estee Lauder Attys

The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office on Tuesday welcomed six additions to its patent and trademark advisory committees, including lead intellectual property attorneys at The Estee Lauder Cos. Inc. and Mattel Inc.
January 07, 2025
Hockey Pro Says Ex-Teammates Stole 'Moms Who Puck' TM

Two retired professional women's hockey players who started a podcast last year called "Moms Who Puck" have been sued for trademark infringement by a former teammate who alleges they stole that phrase from her, according to a lawsuit in Connecticut federal court.
January 07, 2025
Tiger Woods' New League In TM Fight With Equipment Maker

A new professional virtual golf league launched by Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy is engaged in a trademark spat with an equipment maker, with the pro golf stars arguing in a Delaware federal lawsuit that their new venture is allowed to use "LA Golf Club" in golf-related branding.
January 07, 2025
EDTX Judge Suggests Knocking Out 2 Patents Before LG Trial

A magistrate judge in Texas has recommended cutting two patents from a lawsuit against LG over technology used to program "smart" TVs, marketed a decade ago in China by a prominent electronics maker that LG once used as a supplier.
January 07, 2025
Fed. Circ. Rejects Software Co.'s Bid For $86M From Navy

A Federal Circuit panel affirmed a decision holding that the U.S. Navy owes a software company just $154,000 for its infringing use of a 3-D virtual reality program, and not the nearly $86 million the company sought based on installations on more than 429,000 computers.
January 07, 2025
Starbucks Says It Can Target Inventor In Mobile Ordering Feud

Starbucks has urged the Eastern District of Texas to keep alive its counterclaims against a patent-licensing executive who claims the coffee chain infringed a patent covering a mobile ordering system, accusing him of creating an "extensive thimblerig" of shell entities to avoid paying the cost of his "meritless" cases.
January 07, 2025
O'Melveny Beats DQ Bid In Hyundai Trademark Dispute

A California federal judge has denied a bid to disqualify O'Melveny & Myers LLP from representing Hyundai Motor Co. in a trademark dispute with computing company Hyundai Technology Group, saying the firm's failure to destroy a clawed-back document didn't justify booting it from the case.
January 07, 2025
Judge Looks To Finally Resolve Mass. 'Right To Repair' Suit

A long-stalled fight over Massachusetts' expanded "right to repair" law requiring open access to vehicle telematics software appears to be on a fast track after a new judge took over the case and said Tuesday she plans to rule in the near future.
January 07, 2025
Judge Tosses Classic Car Suit Against Springsteen

A lawsuit seeking payment for the use of a classic car on the cover of Bruce Springsteen's 2022 album "Only the Strong Survive" was dismissed Friday by a New Jersey state judge who said the only evidence amounted to "double hearsay."
January 06, 2025
T.I. Fights To Keep $53M Punitive Damages Win Against MGA

Rapper Clifford "T.I." Harris urged a California federal judge Monday to rethink his tentative decision slashing $53 million in punitive damages from a jury's $71 million verdict against MGA Entertainment over infringement by its line of L.O.L. Surprise! O.M.G. dolls, arguing the jury's advisory finding of willful infringement can't be disregarded.
January 06, 2025
Tesla Gets PTAB To Trim Patents In AI Vehicle Feud

An administrative patent board has issued several rulings on patents covering the use of artificial intelligence in self-driving vehicles, largely won by Elon Musk's Tesla Inc. and the subject of litigation in Delaware federal court.
January 06, 2025
Jury Will Hear Proud Boys 'Context' In Trial Against Law Firm

A federal judge ruled Monday that a lawyer and law firm who supposedly misused a Texas company's jury pool research can't keep a jury from hearing certain details about their defense of Proud Boys who took part in the Jan. 6, 2021, assault on the U.S. Capitol.
January 06, 2025
Trucking Financial Co. Says Ex-Worker Broke Noncompete

The former face of customer service for a Charlotte, North Carolina, branch of a full-service provider for companies in the logistics and transportation industries has been hit with a suit by his former employer alleging he violated his noncompete agreement by joining a rival business and enticing "significant customers" to follow him.
January 06, 2025
'Pizza Puff' Maker Fights Little Caesars' Injunction Stay Bid

An Illinois federal judge shouldn't wait to enforce his order blocking Little Caesars from marketing its latest pizza muffin appetizer as "pizza puffs" because the chain won't convince the Seventh Circuit the term is generic, the company behind the trademarked fried pizza product argued Monday.
January 06, 2025
High Court Asked To Take Whistleblower Medical Device Row

A former Minerva Surgical Inc. sales representative who says he was mistreated after raising concerns about the safety of certain medical devices wants the U.S. Supreme Court to take up his challenge to an arbitration award given to his former employer in whistleblower proceedings.
January 06, 2025
Biotech Trade Secrets Case Gets New Punitive Damages Trial

A California federal judge has ordered a new punitive damages trial on how much a former Skye Orthobiologics LLC employee owes in a case where he was found to have breached his fiduciary duties by leveraging Skye's proprietary information, after ruling last year there wasn't enough evidence to support an earlier $25 million award.
January 06, 2025
Artist Tells Justices To Protect His 'Stupid Banana'

While a California artist acknowledged to the U.S. Supreme Court that his work of art was just "a stupid banana taped to a wall," he still thinks it deserves copyright protection after an appeals court ruled that it wasn't "strikingly similar" to a more famous banana taped to a wall that debuted at Art Basel Miami over a decade later.
January 06, 2025
WDTX Urged To Spurn Microsoft's Bid To 'Slow' AI Chip Fight

Technology startup Xockets has slammed Microsoft's bid to separate itself from patent infringement claims against it and Nvidia concerning computer chips used for generative artificial intelligence, telling the Western District of Texas that the company is trying to "slow the case" and "inundate the court with threshold motion practice."
January 06, 2025
Google Looks To Toss Big Tech Litigant's Antitrust Claims

Google asked a Florida federal court on Monday to dismiss antitrust claims from web development company Greenflight over the search giant's reverse phone number lookup, saying the newly amended suit does not rectify the pleading problems already pointed out by the court.

Editor's Picks

Why Many Drugs Remain Pricey 40 Years After Hatch-Waxman

In the four decades since Congress passed the Hatch-Waxman Act in an effort to make generic drugs more available, the pharmaceutical industry has used patent thickets, "evergreening" and pay-for-delay tactics to block competition and keep prices of life-saving specialty drugs astronomical, several legal experts told Law360, while the industry argues other parties shoulder more of the blame.
Full Fed. Circ. Looks To Clarify Damages In Google Case

The full Federal Circuit has agreed to review EcoFactor's $20 million infringement award against Google, a move that attorneys say should provide much-needed guidance for both judges and parties when calculating damages.
Who Wore '8' Better? Jackson, Aikman Locked In TM Battle

Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson is banking his popularity will make consumers think of him when they see the number "8" on products he sells, but a beer company associated with Hall of Fame quarterback Troy Aikman — who wore the same jersey number — doesn't see it that way, as the players square off in a trademark fight.

Expert Analysis

Series

Exercising On My Peloton Bike Makes Me A Better Lawyer

While I originally came to the Peloton bike for exercise, one cycling instructor’s teachings have come to serve as a road map for practicing law thoughtfully and mindfully, which has opened opportunities for growth and change in my career, says Andrea Kirshenbaum at Littler.
5 Drug And Device Developments That Shaped 2024

The last year saw significant legal developments affecting drug and device manufacturers, with landmark decisions and regulatory changes that require vigilance and agility from the industry, say attorneys at Faegre Drinker.
Rejoinder Strategy After Allergan Double-Patenting Case

A closer look at last year's Allergan v. MSN case at the Federal Circuit highlights the importance of rejoinder during patent prosecution in view of the risks associated with obviousness-type double patenting based on later-filed applications in the same patent family, say attorneys at BCLP.
7 Pitfalls To Watch In Tech Referral Fee Programs

The recent attempt by FluidStack to recover $10 million in referral fees allegedly promised by software vendor Denvr Dataworks should alert potential participants in so-called partnership programs to seven signs that a proposed technology referral agreement may not equally benefit all sides, says Chris Wlach at Huge Inc.
Takeaways From 2024's Emerging IP Licensing Trends

Themes in intellectual property licensing from the past year – including artificial intelligence; risk management; and name, image and likeness rights – highlight key considerations for navigating an evolving landscape, say attorneys at Ballard Spahr.
Top 10 Legal Issues This Year For Transportation Industry GCs

General counsel must carefully consider numerous legal and policy challenges facing the automotive and transportation industry in the year to come, especially while navigating new technologies, regulations and global markets, says Francesco Liberatore at Squire Patton.
Exploring Venue Strategy For Trump-Era Regulatory Litigation

Litigation will likely play a prominent role in shaping policy outcomes during the second Trump administration, and stakeholders have several tools at their disposal to steer regulatory litigation toward more favorable venues, say attorneys at Covington.
How The UPC, ITC Complement Each Other In Patent Law

Attorneys at Ropes & Gray discuss the similarities and differences between the Unified Patent Court and the International Trade Commission, as well as recent matters litigated in both venues and why parties choose to file at these forums.
Series

Playing Esports Makes Me A Better Lawyer

Competing in a global esports tournament at Wimbledon last year not only fulfilled my childhood dream, but also sharpened skills that are essential to my day job, including strategic thinking, confidence and networking, says AJ Schuyler at Jackson Lewis.
Identifying Deepfakes During Evidence Collection, Discovery

Excerpt from Practical Guidance

Attorneys must familiarize themselves with the tools used to create and detect deepfakes — media manipulated by artificial intelligence to convincingly mimic real people and events — as well as best practices for keeping this fabricated evidence out of court, says Bijan Ghom at Saxton & Stump.
Fed. Circ. In December: A Patent Prosecution History Lesson

Despite relying on two rock-solid principles of patent law, DDR lost its Federal Circuit case against Priceline.com, highlighting how a change in the scope of the invention from the provisional to the nonprovisional application can affect the court's analysis of how a skilled artisan would understand claim terms after reading the prosecution history, say attorneys at Knobbe Martens.
An Associate's Guide To Career Development In 2025

As the new year begins, associates at all levels should consider establishing career metrics, fostering key relationships and employing other specific strategies to help move through the complexities of the legal profession with confidence and emerge as trailblazers, say EJ Stern and Amanda George at Fractional Law Firm.
2025 Patent And TM Policy At USPTO: What We Know So Far

This upcoming year at the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office promises a continued focus on artificial intelligence-related policies, as well as initiatives to drive efficiency and modernize standard processes, say attorneys at Knobbe Martens.
Reviewing 2024's Crucial Patent Law Developments

As 2024 draws to a close, significant rulings and policies aimed at modernizing long-standing legal practices or addressing emerging challenges have reached patent law, says Michael Ellenberger at Rothwell Figg.
How White Collar Enforcement May Shift In Trump's 2nd Term

After President-elect Donald Trump returns to the White House next month, the administration’s emphasis on immigration laws, drug offenses and violent crime will likely reduce the focus on white collar crime overall, but certain areas within the white collar world may see increased activity, say attorneys at Keker Van Nest.