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Intellectual Property
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June 12, 2024
Nike 'Footware' TM Too Descriptive To Defeat Puma Challenge
Nike cannot resurrect its trademark for the phrase "footware," a European Union court ruled on Wednesday, siding with rival Puma that the word was too descriptive to warrant intellectual property protections.
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June 12, 2024
Pool Co. Hits Ch. 11 After 'Crippling' $16M False Ads Verdict
The American arm of a Chinese swimming pool products manufacturer has declared bankruptcy after it was slapped with a $16 million false advertising and unfair business practices judgment in North Carolina that the company previously warned would put it out of business.
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June 11, 2024
Martin Shkreli Told To Hand Over Wu-Tang Album
A New York federal judge ordered Martin Shkreli on Tuesday to hand over any copies he might have of the Wu-Tang Clan's album he once bought before it was sold off by the federal government to settle a $7.3 million tab from Shkreli's criminal judgment on securities fraud.
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June 11, 2024
Calif. Judge Won't Let Apple Escape Tech Patent Case
A California federal judge has found Apple can't dodge a patent suit, allowing claims to move forward that the tech giant's "back tap" feature infringes a patent owned by technology company Haptic Inc.
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June 11, 2024
Quinn Emanuel Swapped Sides For X Suit, Data Co. Says
Israeli data collector Bright Data Ltd. asked a California federal judge on Tuesday to disqualify law firm Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan LLP from representing social media company X Corp., which is suing Bright Data over its data-scraping practices, accusing the firm, which was once contracted by the data company for advice in a similar matter, of switching sides.
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June 11, 2024
Fed. Circ. Reinstates Parts Of Blood Analyzer Secrets Verdict
The Federal Circuit decided Tuesday that a Rhode Island jury was right to find that an Italian company's blood analyzer computer code was stolen by a U.S. rival, but another jury will have to determine any damages.
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June 11, 2024
AI No Scarier Than Nail Guns Or Microscopes, Kappos Says
Former U.S. Patent and Trademark Office Director David Kappos cautioned attorneys Tuesday to "keep ourselves grounded" about the use of artificial intelligence in intellectual property, saying it's just a tool like a microscope or nail gun, rather than something justifying "panic."
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June 11, 2024
6th Circ. Judge Wary Of Party Dissenters' 'Right' To Use Logo
A Sixth Circuit judge seemed skeptical on Tuesday that limiting a dissenting faction of the Libertarian Party of Michigan's use of the name and logo of the Libertarian National Committee infringes the group's speech rights, saying members can still voice their opinions.
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June 11, 2024
NCAA Hit With NIL Suit By '83 Wolfpack Players
Members of North Carolina State University's 1983 championship basketball team have accused the National Collegiate Athletic Association of exploiting their names, images and likenesses for profit.
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June 11, 2024
Adeia, X Reach Deal In IP Dispute
A California federal judge has agreed to stay a case where X, formerly known as Twitter, filed a declaratory judgment action against Adeia, while the parties work through a settlement.
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June 11, 2024
Ex-DraftKings Exec Seeks Fast Trial To Test Noncompete Law
A former DraftKings executive wants a snap trial to unwind a noncompete blocking him from work at sports-betting rival Fanatics, calling the fiercely litigated, bicoastal dispute a "test case" for California's recent law reinforcing a ban on restrictive covenants.
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June 11, 2024
ArentFox Adds 17-Person Team From Burns & Levinson
A few months after adding a four-partner automotive team from Burns & Levinson LLP, ArentFox Schiff LLP on Tuesday announced the addition of 17 more attorneys and professionals from the firm with experience ranging from intellectual property matters to business litigation.
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June 11, 2024
Cigar Co. Can Keep Using Contested 'Dragon' Name For Now
A tobacco company facing a rival's copyright infringement lawsuit over its "Year of the Dragon" cigar boxes can keep using the phrase on products, a Florida federal judge ruled, declining to say the plaintiff is the true owner of the phrase because the company hasn't secured the trademark just yet.
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June 11, 2024
Paramount Asks Court To Send 'Top Gun' IP Suit Packing
Paramount Pictures has asked a California federal court to dismiss a right of publicity complaint from the actor who played Henry "Wolfman" Ruth in the original "Top Gun" movie, saying his claim over a photo of his character included in the film's sequel without his permission falls squarely under the so-called Rogers test, a free speech doctrine that protects expressive works.
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June 11, 2024
10 Firms Seek $13M Fee For Effexor Antitrust Deal
Ten law firms asked a New Jersey federal judge on Monday to award $13 million in counsel fees and an additional $2.1 million in costs for representing direct buyers in a $39 million settlement with Pfizer Inc. unit Wyeth over an alleged scheme to delay generic competition for the antidepressant drug Effexor XR.
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June 11, 2024
Longtime Orrick IP Partner Jumps To White & Case In DC
An Orrick Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP partner, who spent over 14 years with the firm litigating a range of patent and other matters, has joined White & Case LLP to continue working on intellectual property appellate issues, the firm announced Tuesday.
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June 11, 2024
After Circling Globe, IP Litigator Returns To Fish & Richardson
Fish & Richardson PC has strengthened its intellectual property litigation group in Houston with a familiar face who left the firm over a year ago to trot the globe with his wife.
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June 11, 2024
Immigration Firm Says Rival Poached Workers And Stole TM
A Washington immigration law firm specializing in visas for domestic violence and sex trafficking victims is accusing a competing Texas firm of poaching its employees and stealing a Spanish phrase covered by its trademark — "Arreglar sin salir!" — which translates to "fix without leaving."
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June 10, 2024
Microsoft Wants $242M IP Verdict Axed Or Cut To $1.9M
Microsoft has urged a Delaware federal judge to toss a $242 million jury verdict that found Microsoft's virtual assistant Cortana infringed a patent originally issued to a company that developed Apple's Siri software, arguing infringement wasn't proven and the "grossly inflated" award should at least be cut to $1.95 million.
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June 10, 2024
5 Teva Inhaler Patents Kicked Out Of Orange Book
A New Jersey federal judge said Monday that a handful of patents covering Teva-brand asthma inhalers were "improperly listed in the Orange Book," a legal holding that U.S. Federal Trade Commission Chair Lina Khan quickly took some credit for.
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June 10, 2024
Biz Defends $525M Data Storage Patent Win Against Amazon
Efforts by Amazon to dislodge a $525 million jury verdict are too late and amount to sour grapes, a small Chicago software company that won the amount has told an Illinois federal court.
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June 10, 2024
USPTO Makes Filing Delist Requests Slightly Easier
The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office will begin to make it easier for anybody to ask the agency to delist "precedential" administrative board rulings, it announced by email on Monday.
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June 10, 2024
Software Alliance Urges Congress To Tackle Deepfakes
The Software Alliance, a trade group that includes Microsoft Corp., Adobe Inc. and IBM, urged Congress Monday to pass legislation that addresses the proliferation of digital replicas made possible with artificial intelligence, telling lawmakers that unauthorized deepfakes harm artists who rely on their reputation and public recognition.
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June 10, 2024
Pink Floyd Secures TRO Against Site In Counterfeit Merch Suit
Pink Floyd secured an emergency order on Monday blocking a website from using the band's name on apparel and other products, days after suing the website for allegedly selling counterfeit merchandise and using offshore bank accounts to evade detection.
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June 10, 2024
Ex-Sports Illustrated Publisher Countersues Owner In TM Row
The former publisher of Sports Illustrated has filed a countersuit alleging that the magazine's owner, Authentic Brands Group, made it impossible to run the magazine and then conspired to install a competitor as the new publisher.
Expert Analysis
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Practicing Law With Parkinson's Disease
This Parkinson’s Awareness Month, Adam Siegler at Greenberg Traurig discusses his experience working as a lawyer with Parkinson’s disease, sharing both lessons on how to cope with a diagnosis and advice for supporting colleagues who live with the disease.
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When Trade Secret Protection And Nat'l Security Converge
The Trump administration's anti-espionage program focused on China is over, but federal enforcement efforts to protect trade secrets and U.S. national security continue, and companies doing business in high-risk jurisdictions need to maintain their compliance programs to avoid the risk of being caught in the crosshairs of an investigation, say attorneys at Baker McKenzie.
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Why Incorporating By Reference Is Rarely Good Practice
The Federal Circuit’s recent ruling in Promptu Systems v. Comcast serves as a reminder that while incorporating by reference may seem efficient, it is generally prohibited by courts and can lead to sanctions when used to bypass a word count limit, says Cullen Seltzer at Sands Anderson.
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Series
Playing Hockey Makes Me A Better Lawyer
Nearly a lifetime of playing hockey taught me the importance of avoiding burnout in all aspects of life, and the game ultimately ended up providing me with the balance I needed to maintain success in my legal career, says John Riccione at Taft.
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Considerations For Evaluating IP Risks In Cannabis M&A
Due to the patchwork of state cannabis laws in the U.S., investors and businesses acquiring intellectual property must assess whether a trademark portfolio possesses any vulnerabilities, such as marks that are considered attractive to children or third-party claims of trademark infringement, say Mary Shapiro and Nicole Katsin at Evoke Law.
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9th Circ. TM Ruling Expands Courts' Role In Application Cases
The Ninth Circuit’s recent ruling in BBK Tobacco v. Central Coast Agriculture is the first time a federal appeals court has explicitly authorized district courts to adjudicate pending trademark applications, marking a potentially significant expansion of federal courts' power, says Saul Cohen at Kelly IP.
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For Lawyers, Pessimism Should Be A Job Skill, Not A Life Skill
A pessimistic mindset allows attorneys to be effective advocates for their clients, but it can come with serious costs for their personal well-being, so it’s crucial to exercise strategies that produce flexible optimism and connect lawyers with their core values, says Krista Larson at Stinson.
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UK Amazon Ruling Spotlights TM Rights In International Sales
Highlighting the conflict between the territorial nature of trademark rights and the borderless nature of the internet, the U.K. Supreme Court's recent decision — that Amazon's U.S. website could infringe EU and U.K. rights by targeting local buyers — offers guidance on navigating trademark rights in relation to online sales, say Emmy Hunt, Mark Kramer and Jordan Mitchell at Potter Clarkson.
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CORRECTED: Endoscope Patent Case Offers Guidance On Right To Repair
An Alabama federal court's decision in Karl Storz v. IMS reaffirmed that product owners have broad rights to repair or modify their property as they see fit, highlighting the parameters of the right to repair in the context of patent infringement, say Dustin Weeks and Dabney Carr at Troutman Pepper. Correction: Due to an editing error, a previous version of this article and headline attributed the Karl Storz ruling to the wrong court. The error has been corrected.
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Timing Is Key For Noninfringing Alternatives In Patent Cases
A Texas district court’s recent ruling in Smart Path Connections v. Nokia may affect the timing of expert disclosures and opinion regarding noninfringing alternatives in patent infringement litigation, for both defendants and plaintiffs, says Alexander Clemons at Ocean Tomo.
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Opinion
Requiring Leave To File Amicus Briefs Is A Bad Idea
A proposal to amend the Federal Rules of Appellate Procedure that would require parties to get court permission before filing federal amicus briefs would eliminate the long-standing practice of consent filing and thereby make the process less open and democratic, says Lawrence Ebner at the Atlantic Legal Foundation and DRI Center.
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Film Plagiarism Claims May Foreshadow AI Copyright Issues
The contentious plagiarism dispute over the Oscar-nominated screenplay for "The Holdovers" may portend the challenges screenwriters will face when attempting to prove copyright infringement against scripts generated by artificial intelligence technology, says Craig Smith at Lando & Anastasi.
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4 Ways To Motivate Junior Attorneys To Bring Their Best
As Gen Z and younger millennial attorneys increasingly express dissatisfaction with their work and head for the exits, the lawyers who manage them must understand and attend to their needs and priorities to boost engagement and increase retention, says Stacey Schwartz at Katten.
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The Tricky Implications Of New Calif. Noncompete Laws
Two new California noncompete laws that ban certain out-of-state agreements and require employers to notify certain workers raise novel issues related to mergers and acquisitions, and pose particular challenges for technology companies, says John Viola at Thompson Coburn.
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Patent Ownership Issues In Light Of USPTO AI Guidance
Recently published guidance from the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office establishes that inventions created using artificial intelligence may be patentable if a human also significantly contributes, but ownership and legal rights in these types of patents are different issues that require further assessment, says Karl Gross at Leydig Voit.