Intellectual Property

  • September 19, 2024

    Bills On Patent Eligibility, PTAB Limits Near Senate Markup

    Legislation aiming to reduce decisions finding inventions ineligible for patenting and restrict invalidity challenges at the Patent Trial and Appeal Board will likely be considered by the Senate Judiciary Committee next week, a sponsor of the measures said Thursday.

  • September 19, 2024

    AndroGel Antitrust Case On Hold Amid Settlement Talk

    A Pennsylvania federal judge has agreed to pause a class action against Abbott and other drugmakers over allegedly sham patent cases, saying a settlement between the two sides may be in the works.

  • September 19, 2024

    New Patent Legal Group Launches To Assist Inventors

    Patent experts, including a former Federal Circuit chief judge, former federal officials and current legal scholars, say a new advocacy organization they have formed will back smaller inventors against larger companies in patent fights.

  • September 19, 2024

    Nintendo, Pokémon Say 'Palworld' Maker Infringed Patents

    Nintendo and The Pokémon Co. announced Thursday that they filed a patent infringement suit in Japan against the video game company behind "Palworld," an open world adventure game featuring fluffy creatures wielding rocket launchers and assault rifles.

  • September 19, 2024

    Publishers Back Music Companies' Bid To Restore $1B Win

    Organizations that represent music publishers and songwriters urged the U.S. Supreme Court on Thursday to review a Fourth Circuit ruling that scrapped a $1 billion jury verdict against Cox Communications Inc. for ignoring online piracy, saying the three-judge appeal panel's conclusion "effectively immunizes internet service providers" from vicarious liability.

  • September 19, 2024

    Norwich Asks Justices To Allow Sale Of Generic Diarrhea Drug

    A New York drugmaker has told the U.S. Supreme Court that the courts have gone too far in preventing the release of a generic version of a blockbuster diarrhea drug, after a lower court found there was a way of using the drug that would infringe certain patents.

  • September 19, 2024

    Judge Gives Dow Jones Win In Article Thievery Case

    A Texas federal judge has handed a win to publisher Dow Jones & Co. in a copyright infringement suit accusing an investment manager of wrongfully copying and distributing thousands of news articles from The Wall Street Journal.

  • September 19, 2024

    Consultant Ducks Contempt In Fight Over Packaging Patent

    An inventor facing allegations of abusive patent behavior by the packaging company for which he previously consulted has dodged a civil contempt finding after a North Carolina federal judge found he was not in violation of an injunction barring him from making false infringement claims.

  • September 19, 2024

    DC Circ. Skeptical Of Copyrights For AI-Created Artworks

    A trio of D.C. Circuit judges appeared skeptical Thursday of arguments from an artificial intelligence inventor trying to copyright a painting by his AI system, questioning whether he is backing off his stance that his program created the art completely autonomously — the very reason the U.S. Copyright Office rejected his application.

  • September 19, 2024

    Bejin Bieneman Boutique Trio Joins Taft's Detroit IP Team

    Taft Stettinius & Hollister LLP has hired three attorneys from intellectual property boutique Bejin Bieneman PLC, including one of that firm's name partners, who have joined Taft's Detroit office, the firm announced this week.

  • September 19, 2024

    Nantucket Festival Owner Says Rival Exploiting Discovery

    The longtime operator of a wine and food festival on Nantucket says a competitor who started a similarly named event is now trying to take advantage of a court order by making "improperly broad and harassing discovery requests" to further undermine her business.

  • September 19, 2024

    Calif. Vape Co. Says Mich. Store Is Selling Counterfeit G Pens

    California-based GS Holistic LLC is suing a Michigan smoke shop in federal court, alleging that it is selling counterfeit versions of its G Pen e-cigarettes without authorization at a fraction of the price, infringing its trademarks and harming its reputation.

  • September 18, 2024

    Axonics Didn't Infringe Medtronic Patents, Calif. Jury Says

    Axonics did not infringe three of Medtronic's patents related to its bladder and bowel control device, a California federal jury determined Wednesday.

  • September 18, 2024

    MGA Threatens Mistrial In O.M.G Dolls IP Fight With T.I.

    An attorney for MGA Entertainment and its CEO told a California federal judge Wednesday that his clients may seek a mistrial in the intellectual property dispute between MGA and hip-hop moguls T.I. and Tiny Harris, which could end the third jury trial between the parties.

  • September 18, 2024

    AI Musician Denies Purported $10M Streaming Scam

    A North Carolina man facing a novel fraud case alleging he used artificial intelligence on platforms like Apple Music, Spotify and YouTube to generate around $10 million in illegal revenues denied wrongdoing at his initial court appearance Wednesday in New York.

  • September 18, 2024

    'Bling Empire' Star Owes $900K To Ex-Partner For Show Idea

    A California jury has concluded that the executive producer and star of Netflix's series "Bling Empire," Kelly Mi Li, owes a former business partner nearly $700,000 for breach of contract and fiduciary duties, along with $200,000 in punitive damages. 

  • September 18, 2024

    Fed. Circ. Revives Astellas Patent Axed As Natural Law

    The Federal Circuit on Wednesday vacated a lower court's invalidation of an Astellas Pharma overactive bladder medication patent for claiming only a natural law, saying the holding was improper because the generics makers accused of infringement never made that argument.

  • September 18, 2024

    Nintendo Stole BlackBerry IP For Devices, Patent Holder Says

    Nintendo has been hit with a patent infringement suit in Washington federal court by an Irish firm that holds the rights to many of BlackBerry's inventions, targeting technologies used in controllers for the popular Switch console and other gaming accessories.

  • September 18, 2024

    VLSI Wants Intel License Fight To Be Tossed Or Sent To Texas

    VLSI is fighting against a suit in which Intel has claimed it already has a license to various VLSI patents, saying the case should either be transferred out of Delaware federal court or dismissed outright.

  • September 18, 2024

    Modelo Says Texas Beer Co. Ripping Off Corona, Other Brands

    Modelo and Constellation Brand have sued a Texas-based beer distribution company in federal court, accusing it of selling and advertising beer products that imitate the names, color schemes and marks of their beers, including Corona, Pacifico, Barrilito and Victoria.

  • September 18, 2024

    USPTO Makes Patent Amendment Program Permanent

    The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office on Wednesday made permanent a pilot program that assists patent owners seeking to amend patent claims in America Invents Act reviews by providing preliminary feedback about proposed changes.

  • September 18, 2024

    Georgia High Court Won't Hear Missed Patent Deadline Case

    The highest court in Georgia has decided not to take up an appeal from a neurosurgeon in his nearly $102 million lawsuit, letting stand a lower court's finding that a patent docketing contractor used by remote law firm FisherBroyles can't be held liable for a missed patent application deadline.

  • September 18, 2024

    Toss Atty Input Overboard, Says Org. In Blackbeard Image Spat

    A marine research organization and a state cultural resources agency have urged the North Carolina Business Court to scrap testimony from attorneys from trial evidence in a contract battle over the use of images and video of Blackbeard's shipwreck.

  • September 18, 2024

    IP Firm Prevails In Malpractice Suit Over Dueling Patent Apps

    A Boston intellectual property law firm on Wednesday ducked a legal malpractice suit brought by a Colorado technology company alleging the firm betrayed it while filing patents on behalf of another client, after a Massachusetts federal judge found an absence of attorney-client relationship sunk the claims.

  • September 18, 2024

    Pa. AG Sues Robot Co. Over $2M In Unfilled Orders, Refunds

    A Pittsburgh robotics company took orders for more than $4 million worth of robot toys but failed to deliver many of them — and in the case of a toy based on the TV show "Rick and Morty," didn't secure the intellectual property rights — according to a consumer protection lawsuit announced by the Pennsylvania Attorney General's Office on Wednesday.

Expert Analysis

  • Opinion

    Flawed Fintiv Rule Should Be Deemed Overreach In Tech Suit

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    A pending federal lawsuit over the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office's unilateral changes to key elements of the America Invents Act, Apple v. Vidal, could shift the balance of power between Congress and federal agencies, as it could justify future instances of unelected officials unilaterally changing laws, say Patrick Leahy and Bob Goodlatte.

  • How Associates Can Build A Professional Image

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    As hybrid work arrangements become the norm in the legal industry, early-career attorneys must be proactive in building and maintaining a professional presence in both physical and digital settings, ensuring that their image aligns with their long-term career goals, say Lana Manganiello at Equinox Strategy Partners and Estelle Winsett at Estelle Winsett Professional Image Consulting.

  • 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.

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