Intellectual Property

  • September 24, 2025

    Merrill Lynch Accuses Ex-Staff, Schwab, Investor Of IP Theft

    Merrill Lynch has filed a trade secrets lawsuit against a dozen former employees, Charles Schwab and Dynasty Financial Partners, alleging the defendants conspired to start a new independent financial advisory firm with Merrill's staff and confidential information.

  • September 24, 2025

    Microsoft Cleared In Software Patent Case In Utah

    A Utah federal judge has cleared Microsoft of allegations that it infringed on claims in a patent covering an application for previewing how user commands will affect a computer document, finding that the claims were invalid in light of an earlier invention.

  • September 24, 2025

    Innoscience Claims ITC Ban Over Invalidated Patent Is 'Unjust'

    Innoscience is urging the Federal Circuit to free it from a U.S. International Trade Commission import ban, saying the Efficient Power Conversion Corp. semiconductor patent it allegedly infringes isn't valid.

  • September 24, 2025

    Judge Says No Dispute Exists In Video File Licensing Case

    A Delaware federal judge has granted dismissal to DivX LLC in a case brought by a former business ally who was seeking a declaration that it didn't run afoul of a licensing agreement between the two, saying the court has no jurisdiction in the matter.

  • September 24, 2025

    ITC's IP Cases Mainly Target Computer And Telecom Products

    New data from the U.S. International Trade Commission has shown that intellectual property activity at the agency in 2024 remained relatively the same, with investigations primarily looking into computer and telecommunications products.

  • September 24, 2025

    Blank Rome Hires Bicoastal Pair Of Patent Attys

    Blank Rome LLP announced Tuesday that it has welcomed two new patent attorneys to its ranks: a Los Angeles-based firm alum and a New York-based former Leason Ellis LLP lawyer.

  • September 24, 2025

    Judge Sends Pandora IP Claims Back To Special Master

    A California federal judge has sent summary judgment motions from online radio service Pandora Media and a group of comedians back to a special master for further consideration after it was previously recommended that Pandora prevail.

  • September 24, 2025

    Labcorp, Natera Resolve DNA Sequencing IP Suits Midtrial

    Labcorp and Natera have reached a midtrial settlement over the laboratory testing giant's claims that its competitor infringed a group of DNA sequencing patents through the sale of a cancer testing product, a Delaware federal judge said.

  • September 24, 2025

    Ex-Patent Commissioner Is Latest To Move To Private Practice

    The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office's former patent commissioner, who resigned from her position in February as the president slashed the federal workforce, has joined McDermott Will & Schulte as a counsel in Washington, D.C., the firm announced.

  • September 23, 2025

    CBP Says It Didn't Coordinate With Apple In Import Ban Case

    U.S. Customs and Border Protection told a D.C. federal court Monday that contrary to claims by Masimo Corp., emails between the agency and Apple Inc. do not show the two worked together to evade an import ban on the Apple Watch in a patent dispute with Masimo.

  • September 23, 2025

    Eli Lilly Deal In Weight Loss Drugs Trademark Suit Hits Snag

    Pharmaceutical giant Eli Lilly and two Seattle-area medical clinics tried to leave a federal court "entirely in the dark" on the finer points of their newly proposed trademark suit settlement, a Seattle federal judge held in declining to approve the deal and enter a consent judgment in the case.

  • September 23, 2025

    Sandisk Gets Support In 'Settled Expectations' Challenge

    Industry groups, professors and Unified Patents are backing Sandisk Technologies Inc.'s Federal Circuit challenge to the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office's policy of denying review of patents based on the owner's "settled expectations," saying it flouts the law and undermines the patent review system.

  • September 23, 2025

    Daybreak Wins Injunction Over EverQuest Copycat

    The company behind the online game EverQuest has been granted a preliminary injunction in California federal court against individual defendants over an unauthorized emulator of the game that allegedly makes use of copyrighted content.

  • September 23, 2025

    Fed. Circ. Gives Bayer Chance To Save Xarelto Patent Claims

    The Federal Circuit revived several claims of a patent underpinning Bayer Pharma Aktiengesellschaft's blockbuster blood thinner Xarelto on Tuesday, sending the challenge brought by Mylan Pharmaceuticals Inc., Teva Pharmaceuticals USA Inc. and a Cipla unit back to the Patent Trial and Appeal Board.

  • September 23, 2025

    Apple Gets Judge To Ax MyPort Patent Suit Under Alice

    A Delaware federal court on Tuesday tossed for now MyPort Technologies Inc.'s lawsuit claiming Apple Inc. infringed four patents with its smartphones and tablets, finding all the patents were just "conventional."

  • September 23, 2025

    How Attys Are Riding The Mass. Biotech 'Roller Coaster'

    The first half of 2025 saw the Massachusetts biotech industry post bleak numbers, including a dip in venture capital funding and merger activity, leaving attorneys looking for creative ways to help companies with fewer public and private dollars.

  • September 23, 2025

    Cantor Fitzgerald, Citibank Hit With Trading Patent Suits

    Several financial services businesses, including Citibank and Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick's former firm Cantor Fitzgerald, have been sued in New York and Texas federal court over their alleged infringement of a trading patent.

  • September 23, 2025

    Fed Circ. Won't Rehear Dolby's Bid To Identify PTAB Party

    The Federal Circuit on Tuesday denied Dolby Laboratories Licensing Corp.'s request for a panel rehearing or for the full circuit to hear its appeal of a Patent Trial and Appeals Board proceeding that it prevailed in but in which it claims not all interested parties were identified.

  • September 23, 2025

    Gibson Gets $1 Guitar TM Award Upped To $168K

    After a Texas federal jury awarded guitar maker Gibson just $1 in damages from a Florida-based competitor found to have infringed trademarks for its iconic guitar shapes, a federal judge increased the award to just over $168,000 in disgorgement of profits earned through infringement.

  • September 23, 2025

    Judge Slams Hogan Estate's Standing For Sex Tape Film Suit

    A Florida federal judge who dissolved an order blocking the release of a documentary that features excerpts of Hulk Hogan's sex tape faulted representatives of his estate for bringing the lawsuit before being authorized to do so, while also saying their copyright claim might fail because of fair use.

  • September 23, 2025

    Minnesota's Deepfake Crackdown Foreshadows Legal Clashes

    Minnesota's law cracking down on deepfake videos aimed at influencing elections has drawn separate court challenges to stop its enforcement, including one by X Corp., offering a glimpse into the hurdles other states and Congress may face as they address the proliferation of digital replicas created with artificial intelligence.

  • September 23, 2025

    Admin Argues Copyright Chief Seeks 'Sweeping Remedies'

    The Trump administration told a D.C. federal court that it had the authority to remove Shira Perlmutter as head of the U.S. Copyright Office, saying her suit over her firing seeks "sweeping remedies" she isn't entitled to.

  • September 23, 2025

    Westlaw Notes Uncopyrightable, AI Company Tells 3rd Circ.

    An artificial intelligence-powered legal search engine has asked the Third Circuit to reverse a district court's decision that its use of Westlaw headnotes did not constitute fair use, arguing its utilization of them "radically promoted scientific progress" and increased access to justice.

  • September 23, 2025

    Cannabis Fertilizer Cos. Say They've Made Peace In TM Case

    Rival fertilizer-makers Athena AG Inc. and Advanced Nutrients US LLC have reached a tentative deal to end a trademark dispute involving their cannabis-focused products, the companies told a federal judge in Washington just days after the court cleared the case for trial.

  • September 22, 2025

    4th Jury Will Consider MGA, T.I.'s OMG Doll Dispute

    A California federal judge who tossed a jury's $53.6 million punitive damages award against MGA Entertainment for willfully infringing the trade dress of a pop group co-owned by hip hop moguls Clifford "T.I." Harris and Tameka "Tiny" Harris said Monday he would order a new jury to consider whether to award punitive damages.

Expert Analysis

  • Reddit v. Anthropic Is A Defining Moment In The AI Data Race

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    The recent lawsuit filed by Reddit against Anthropic in California state court marks a pivotal moment in the burgeoning field of artificial intelligence by sidestepping a typical copyright dispute, focusing instead on the enforceability of online terms of service and ownership of the digital commons, says William Galkin at Galkin Law.

  • Opinion

    The Legal Education Status Quo Is No Longer Tenable

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    As underscored by the fallout from California’s February bar exam, legal education and licensure are tethered to outdated systems, and the industry must implement several key reforms to remain relevant and responsive to 21st century legal needs, says Matthew Nehmer at The Colleges of Law.

  • Opinion

    Calif. Must Amend Trade Secret Civil Procedure

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    A California procedural law that effectively shields trade secret defendants from having to return company materials until the plaintiff can craft detailed requests must be amended to recognize that property recovery and trade secret analysis are distinct issues, says Matthew Miller at Hanson Bridgett.

  • 2nd Circ. Reinforces Consensus On Vacating Foreign Awards

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    In Molecular Dynamics v. Spectrum Dynamics Medical, the Second Circuit recently affirmed that federal district courts do not possess subject matter jurisdiction to vacate foreign arbitral awards, strengthening this consensus across the circuits most active in recognition and enforcement actions, says Ed Mullins at Reed Smith.

  • E-Discovery Quarterly: Rulings On Relevance Redactions

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    In recent cases addressing redactions that parties sought to apply based on the relevance of information — as opposed to considerations of privilege — courts have generally limited a party’s ability to withhold nonresponsive or irrelevant material, providing a few lessons for discovery strategy, say attorneys at Sidley.

  • Opinion

    Section 1983 Has Promise After End Of Nationwide Injunctions

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    After the U.S. Supreme Court recently struck down the practice of nationwide injunctions in Trump v. Casa, Section 1983 civil rights suits can provide a better pathway to hold the government accountable — but this will require reforms to qualified immunity, says Marc Levin at the Council on Criminal Justice.

  • Patent Ambiguity Persists After Justices Nix Eligibility Appeal

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    The Supreme Court recently declined to revisit the contentious framework governing patent eligibility by denying certiorari in Audio Evolution Diagnostics v. U.S., suggesting a necessary recalibration of both patent application and litigation strategies, say attorneys at Skadden.

  • What To Know About NCAA Deal's Arbitration Provisions

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    Kathryn Hester at Jones Walker discusses the key dispute resolution provisions of the NCAA's recently approved class action settlement that allows for complex revenue sharing with college athletes, breaking down the arbitration stipulations and explaining how the Northern District of California will handle certain enforcement, administration, implementation and interpretation disputes.

  • Fed. Circ. In June: Transitional Phrases In Patent Claims

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    The Federal Circuit's recent decision in Eye Therapies v. Slayback Pharma takes on the rarely addressed topic of transitional phrases in patent claims, providing some useful lessons regarding restating claim language and broadly distinguishing prior art, say attorneys at Knobbe Martens.

  • Series

    Playing Soccer Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Soccer has become a key contributor to how I approach my work, and the lessons I’ve learned on the pitch about leadership, adaptability, resilience and communication make me better at what I do every day in my legal career, says Whitney O’Byrne at MoFo.

  • Expect Unprecedented Delays In USPTO Patent Examination

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    With data from the first half of this year indicating that the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office is on pace to have a record backlog of unexamined patent applications at the end of the fiscal year, applicants and patent prosecutors should consider strategies to mitigate delays, say Matt Kamps and Emily Miller at Husch Blackwell.

  • And Now A Word From The Panel: Back In Action

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    A lack of new petitions at the May hearing session of the Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation caught many observers' attention — but a rapid uptick in petitions scheduled to be heard at this week's session illustrates how panel activity always ebbs and flows, says Alan Rothman at Sidley.

  • Series

    Law School's Missed Lessons: Learning From Failure

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    While law school often focuses on the importance of precision, correctness and perfection, mistakes are inevitable in real-world practice — but failure is not the opposite of progress, and real talent comes from the ability to recover, rethink and reshape, says Brooke Pauley at Tucker Ellis.

  • Eye Drop Ruling Clarifies Importance Of Patent Phrasing

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    The Federal Circuit's recent ruling in Eye Therapies v. Slayback, rejecting the Patent Trial and Appeal Board's interpretation of "consisting essentially of," highlights the importance of using clear and consistent terms throughout a patent's filing history to shield it against future challenges, says Liliana Di Nola-Baron at Panitch Schwarze.

  • How Courts Are Addressing The Use Of AI In Discovery

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    In recent months, several courts have issued opinions on handling discovery issues involving artificial intelligence, which collectively offer useful insights on integrating AI into discovery and protecting work product in connection with AI prompts and outputs, says Philip Favro at Favro Law.

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