Intellectual Property

  • August 13, 2024

    New Balance Fails To Snip Nike's Flyknit Infringement Claims

    Nike Inc.'s lawsuit claiming New Balance Athletics Inc. infringed its Flyknit patents can advance, a Massachusetts federal judge ruled Tuesday — rejecting arguments that some of the allegations are barred by a Federal Circuit decision involving Adidas. 

  • August 13, 2024

    2nd Circ. Rewinds Tinder's 'Super Like' Theft Coverage Suit

    A Second Circuit appeals court panel asked a lower court Tuesday to reconsider whether Tinder owner Match Group notified its insurer in time to cover underlying claims by a product developer who said he wasn't paid for inventing the app's "Super Like" function.

  • August 13, 2024

    Google, Twitter Get Wins Upheld In Targeted Ad Patent Suits

    A Federal Circuit panel on Tuesday summarily affirmed Twitter and Google's wins before the U.S. Patent Trial and Appeal Board in a matter concerning targeting advertising software patents, upholding a decision that found the tech giants had shown enough evidence to render the patents at issue as obvious based on prior art.

  • August 13, 2024

    Spinal Implant Patents Verdict Must Stand, Pa. Judge Says

    A Pennsylvania federal judge declined to order a new trial Tuesday in a patent infringement suit brought against medical device maker Globus Medical Inc., ruling that the jury verdict in the company's favor had sufficient evidentiary support and that the jurors did not seem confused by the law at issue.

  • August 13, 2024

    Las Vegas Jury Deals Out A Verdict Of No Infringement

    A lawsuit surrounding a "rotatable shuffler" that has been going on in Nevada federal court for the better part of a decade has finally ended, with a Las Vegas jury finding that the maker of a roulette-style gambling machine did not infringe a patent covering a different kind of card shuffling machine.

  • August 13, 2024

    Fed. Circ. Restores J&J, Allergan's Viberzi IP After Del. Loss

    The Federal Circuit fully revived claims of patents covering Allergan's bowel treatment drug Viberzi on Tuesday, overruling a Delaware federal judge who said the claims don't meet obviousness-type double patenting or written description requirements.

  • August 13, 2024

    Lenovo Gets Partial Victory In Patent Suit Information Fight

    A federal court has ordered technology company InterDigital to hand over certain records to Lenovo as part of a patent infringement suit, reasoning that the latter company met the pleading standards under North Carolina law.

  • August 13, 2024

    Ex-McCarter & English Client Wants To Undo Malpractice Loss

    A New Jersey pharmaceutical business is urging a New Jersey state court to reconsider its decision to throw out the company's malpractice case against McCarter & English LLP, saying the firm "brazenly" misstated part of the timeline of the case's lengthy history.

  • 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.

Expert Analysis

  • Loper Bright Limits Federal Agencies' Ability To Alter Course

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    The U.S. Supreme Court's recent decision to dismantle Chevron deference also effectively overrules its 2005 decision in National Cable & Telecommunications Association v. Brand X, greatly diminishing agencies' ability to change regulatory course from one administration to the next, says Steven Gordon at Holland & Knight.

  • How To Deploy AI In A Dangerous Threat Landscape

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    Businesses are feeling immense pressure to deploy generative artificial intelligence tools to accelerate profits and demonstrate their technological superiority to investors and consumers, and there are a few steps they can take when using AI tools to mitigate liability risks, say B. Stephanie Siegmann and Julianna Malogolowkin at Hinckley Allen.

  • Calif. Out-Of-State Noncompete Ban Faces Several Hurdles

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    California's attempt to bolster its noncompete law has encountered significant procedural and constitutional challenges, and litigating parties must carefully analyze not only the restrictive covenants contained in their agreements, but also the forum-selection and choice-of-law provisions, say Jennifer Redmond and Gal Gressel at Sheppard Mullin.

  • Defamation Suit Tests Lanham Act's Reach With Influencers

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    Recently filed in the Northern District of Texas, Prime Hydration v. Garcia, alleging defamation and Lanham Act violations based on the defendant's social media statements about the beverage brand, allows Texas courts and the Fifth Circuit to take the lead in interpreting the act as it applies to influencers, says attorney Susan Jorgensen.

  • Series

    Teaching Scuba Diving Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    As a master scuba instructor, I’ve learned how to prepare for the unexpected, overcome fears and practice patience, and each of these skills – among the many others I’ve developed – has profoundly enhanced my work as a lawyer, says Ron Raether at Troutman Pepper.

  • Navigating The Murky Waters Of Patent Infringement Damages

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    Recent cases show that there is no easy way to isolate an infringed patent’s value, and it would serve all sides well for courts to thoroughly examine expert opinions of this nature and provide consistent guidance for future cases, say Manny Caixeiro and Elizabeth Manno at Venable.

  • Lawyers Can Take Action To Honor The Voting Rights Act

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    As the Voting Rights Act reaches its 59th anniversary Tuesday, it must urgently be reinforced against recent efforts to dismantle voter protections, and lawyers can pitch in immediately by volunteering and taking on pro bono work to directly help safeguard the right to vote, says Anna Chu at We The Action.

  • 3rd Circ. Ruling Shows Benefits Of IP Licenses In Bankruptcy

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    The Third Circuit’s recent ruling in Mallinckrodt’s Chapter 11 filing, which held that Mallinckrodt could sever its obligations to pay Sanofi royalties on sales of an autoimmune disease drug, highlights the advantages of structuring transactions as nonexclusive licenses for developers of intellectual property, say Gregory Hesse and Kaleb Bailey at Hunton.

  • Opinion

    Unclear Intellectual Property Laws Are Stifling US Innovation

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    U.S. intellectual property law’s lack of predictability means far less job-creating investments for companies that need patent protection to compete, and Congress must step in with legislation like the Patent Eligibility Restoration Act to help address the problem, says Michael Gulliford at Soryn IP Capital Management.

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

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    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

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    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

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    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

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    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

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    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

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    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.

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