Intellectual Property

  • January 21, 2026

    Allergan Says Fed. Circ.'s Ax Of $39M Win Misread Record

    A Federal Circuit decision reversing a $39 million verdict against Sandoz in Allergan's suit accusing it of infringing an eyelash growth drug patent misunderstood the evidence and was based on an "indisputably false" premise, Allergan said in a petition for rehearing Tuesday.

  • January 21, 2026

    NC Court Throws Duke A Lifeline In Transfer Battle With QB

    A North Carolina state judge allowed Duke University quarterback Darian Mensah to enter the NCAA transfer portal Wednesday, but prohibited him from signing with another school until ruling on Duke's request for an injunction that would keep him at the university.

  • January 21, 2026

    Disney Can't Dodge 'Toy Story 3' TM Claim On Remand

    A California federal judge has refused to grant Disney a partial win in a trademark infringement case brought by a stuffed animal manufacturer over the "Toy Story 3" character Lotso, ruling that the manufacturer had established a Lanham Act case against Disney before the U.S. Supreme Court considered the case.

  • January 21, 2026

    Pot Co., Rolling Paper Maker Settle 'Juicy' Trademark Suit

    A tobacco company and Colorado cannabis company told a federal judge that they have settled a trademark lawsuit in which the maker of Raw rolling papers had asked the court to permanently bar the cannabis company from using its product names.

  • January 21, 2026

    Tex-Mex Chain's 'Feeling' Isn't Trade Secret, NC Biz Court Told

    A chain of upscale Tex-Mex restaurants in North Carolina failed to specify the trade secrets a former manager is accused of stealing to replicate its dining concept at another restaurant in Missouri, defense counsel told a North Carolina Business Court judge on Wednesday.

  • January 21, 2026

    Fed. Circ. Won't Reinstate Text-Tracking Patent Case

    The Federal Circuit on Wednesday affirmed a lower court's decision declining a cellular data-tracking company's request for a new trial, rejecting the company's arguments that the district judge's claim construction had been erroneous.

  • January 21, 2026

    EcoFactor Can't Restore Thermostat IP Claims At Fed. Circ.

    Smart home energy company EcoFactor on Wednesday failed to persuade the Federal Circuit to revive claims in one of its smart thermostat patents following a Patent Trial and Appeal Board decision that invalidated the claims.

  • January 21, 2026

    Litigation Funder, Former GC Reach Deal In Trade Secrets Suit

    Litigation funder Siltstone Capital LLC and its former general counsel have reached a settlement in the company's lawsuit, alleging the GC used trade secrets to form a rival litigation funder.

  • January 21, 2026

    Widow Of 'Sophie's Choice' Author Settles Stage Rights Spat

    The 97-year-old widow of author William Styron has settled a suit by a playwright who claimed he held exclusive rights to the stage version of Styron's novel "Sophie's Choice," according to a filing in Massachusetts state court.

  • January 21, 2026

    Burford Capital Hires New Korea Exec Amid Growth Push

    Burford Capital LLC has hired a new executive to oversee its operations in South Korea as the litigation funder aims to double its portfolio to roughly $15 billion by 2030, in part by expanding its geographic footprint.

  • January 21, 2026

    Maxim Says Playboy Ripped Off Its Modeling Contest

    Maxim has sued Playboy in Manhattan federal court for trade secret misappropriation and copyright infringement, accusing Playboy of copying Maxim's online modeling competition by using the same mechanics and architecture when launching a contest of its own.

  • January 21, 2026

    Fed. Circ. Gives Apple New Shot At Axing Smart Mobile Patent

    The Federal Circuit on Wednesday undid the Patent Trial and Appeal Board's finding that Apple failed to show a Smart Mobile wireless patent was invalid, saying the first claim was unpatentable and that the board needs to rethink the other challenged portions.

  • January 21, 2026

    Music Promoters Fight Free Music Giant's £4M Royalty Claim

    Two music promotion companies have denied owing £4.1 million ($5.5 million) in license fees and other royalties to a royalty-free record label, arguing that the disputed deal ended in 2017 and the label had previously agreed to accept payment in installments.

  • January 21, 2026

    Bill Would Require Stays On Patent Claims Against End Users

    A bill introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives aims to mandate that a stay be implemented on claims against retailers or end users in patent infringement cases when a manufacturer steps in to defend those claims.

  • January 20, 2026

    Martin Shkreli Can't Force Wu-Tang's RZA Into Album Fight

    A New York federal judge has shot down Martin Shkreli's request to add Wu-Tang Clan rappers and producers RZA and Cilvaringz to litigation centered on the group's rare album "Once Upon a Time in Shaolin," slamming Shkreli's motion as "astonishingly devoid of support."

  • January 20, 2026

    Squires Institutes 8 New Patent Reviews, Denies 16 Others

    John Squires, director of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, granted eight petitions seeking America Invents Act review of patents, but spurned twice as many others in his latest summary decision.

  • January 20, 2026

    XAI Seeks To Block Calif. GenAI Training Data Disclosure Law

    XAI has urged a California federal court to block the Golden State from enforcing a new law imposing training data disclosure requirements on generative artificial intelligence system developers, saying the law unconstitutionally forces it to reveal its valuable trade secrets to its competitors.

  • January 20, 2026

    Justices To Clarify What's Fair Game With 'Skinny Labels'

    A new U.S. Supreme Court patent case that will require the justices to spell out what generic-drug makers can say when marketing drugs with so-called skinny labels will shape whether and how those companies use the tactic of carving out patented uses from labels, attorneys say.

  • January 20, 2026

    Orrick Expands IP Team With Cadwalader, Kirkland Litigators

    Orrick Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP has beefed up its intellectual property litigation team with three new partners experienced in counseling technology and life sciences clients, adding two former Cadwalader Wickersham & Taft LLP litigators in New York and a former Kirkland & Ellis LLP partner in Los Angeles.

  • January 20, 2026

    Texas Jury Says E-Bike Makers Infringed Rival's Patent

    A jury in the Western District of Texas has found that two Chinese electric motorcycle companies infringed a design patent owned by a rival manufacturer, although how much they owe is still up in the air. 

  • January 20, 2026

    Judge Mostly Rejects Discovery Requests In OpenAI MDL

    A Manhattan federal magistrate judge largely rejected a series of requests from a group of authors and news publishers to expand discovery in a copyright infringement case against OpenAI, but directed the parties to confer on some topics to discuss production of certain materials.

  • January 20, 2026

    Law360 Names Firms Of The Year

    Eight law firms have earned spots as Law360's Firms of the Year, with 48 Practice Group of the Year awards among them, achieving milestones such as high-profile litigation wins at the U.S. Supreme Court and 11-figure merger deals.

  • January 20, 2026

    Duke Sues To Block Quarterback's Transfer, Citing NIL Deal

    Duke University is suing to stop quarterback Darian Mensah from entering the NCAA transfer portal, saying the sophomore from California is defying his name, image and likeness deal with the Blue Devils, which runs through the end of 2026.

  • January 20, 2026

    Comulate Alleges Anticompetitive Tactics By Applied Systems

    A maker of software for insurance brokers has further escalated its dispute with rival Applied Systems Inc., lodging a new lawsuit in Illinois federal court over an alleged campaign to eliminate a competitor it was unable to acquire.

  • January 20, 2026

    Fed. Circ. Revives Inventor's Spinal Patent Case Against DePuy

    The Federal Circuit on Tuesday revived an inventor's patent infringement suit against DePuy Synthes Cos., ruling that the persuasiveness of expert testimony that was excluded by a lower court is best left for the jury.

Expert Analysis

  • How Big Pharma Has Responded To FTC Delisting Demands

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    Looking at some statistics concerning how pharmaceutical companies have responded to the Federal Trade Commission's recent challenges to Orange Book listings raises several possible hypotheses about the FTC's strategy and effectiveness, say Ratib Ali and Celia Lu at Competition Dynamics.

  • 5 Ways Lawyers Can Earn Back The Public's Trust

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    Amid salacious headlines about lawyers behaving badly and recent polls showing the public’s increasingly unfavorable view of attorneys, we must make meaningful changes to our culture to rebuild trust in the legal system, says Carl Taylor at Carl Taylor Law.

  • How To Successfully Challenge Jurors For Cause In 5 Steps

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    To effectively challenge a potential juror for cause, attorneys should follow a multistep framework rather than skipping straight to the final qualification question, says Ken Broda-Bahm at Persuasion Strategies.

  • USPTO's AI Tool Redefines Design Patent Landscape

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    The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office's newly introduced DesignVision tool for artificial intelligence-powered image searching represents a dramatic shift in how design patent applications are examined, necessitating new strategies for patent practitioners, says Matthew Epstein at Dinsmore.

  • Series

    Hiking Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    On the trail, I have thought often about the parallels between hiking and high-stakes patent litigation, and why strategizing, preparation, perseverance and joy are important skills for success in both endeavors, says Barbara Fiacco at Foley Hoag.

  • 6 Tips On Drafting Machine Learning Patents Post-Recentive

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    While the Federal Circuit's decision in Recentive v. Fox narrows the scope of patent-eligible machine learning applications, there are several drafting and prosecution strategies that may help practitioners navigate Section 101 challenges, say attorneys at BCLP.

  • What US-India Trade Deal Will Mean For Indian Pharma

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    Complicated by newly imposed tariffs from the U.S., the outcome of the U.S.-India trade talks is poised to reshape not just trade policy, but also the strategic alignment of the two countries' pharmaceutical ecosystems, says Jashaswi Ghosh at Holon Law Partners.

  • Series

    Law School's Missed Lessons: Negotiation Skills

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    I took one negotiation course in law school, but most of the techniques I rely on today I learned in practice, where I've discovered that the process is less about tricks or tactics, and more about clarity, preparation and communication, says Grant Schrantz at Haug Barron.

  • Opinion

    Bar Exam Reform Must Expand Beyond A Single Updated Test

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    Recently released information about the National Conference of Bar Examiners’ new NextGen Uniform Bar Exam highlights why a single test is not ideal for measuring newly licensed lawyers’ competency, demonstrating the need for collaborative development, implementation and reform processes, says Gregory Bordelon at Suffolk University.

  • The Patent Eligibility Eras Tour: 11 Years Of Post-Alice Tumult

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    A survey of recent twists and turns in patent eligibility law highlights the confusion created by the U.S. Supreme Court's 2014 Alice decision and reveals that the continually shifting standards have begun to diverge in fundamental ways between the Federal Circuit and the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, says Michael Shepherd at Fish & Richardson.

  • Export Misconduct Resolutions Emphasize BIS, DOJ Priorities

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    The U.S. Department of Justice's and Bureau of Industry and Security's recently resolved parallel enforcement actions against semiconductor technology company Cadence Design demonstrate the agencies' prioritization of penalties for export control violations involving China, as well as the importance of voluntary self-disclosure, say attorneys at Fenwick.

  • Disney Art Suit Will Test Recent AI Fair Use Boundaries

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    While the first U.S. rulings to address the issue recently held that it's fair use for generative artificial intelligence models to train on certain copyrighted books without permission, Disney v. Midjourney, filed in June, will test the limits of the fair use framework in a visual art context, says Rob Rosenberg at Moses & Singer.

  • A Simple Way Courts Can Help Attys Avoid AI Hallucinations

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    As attorneys increasingly rely on generative artificial intelligence for legal research, courts should consider expanding online quality control programs to flag potential hallucinations — permitting counsel to correct mistakes and sparing judges the burden of imposing sanctions, say attorneys at Lankler Siffert & Wohl and Connors.

  • Tracking The Evolving Legal Landscape Of Music Festivals

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    The legal infrastructure behind music festivals is anything but simple, so attorneys advising clients in this space should be prepared for a wide range of legal challenges, including the unexpected risks that come with live events, says Meesha Moulton at Meesha Moulton Law.

  • USPTO Ex Parte Reexamination Could Become More Popular

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    As inter partes review becomes less effective for challenging patent validity due to recent changes at the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, ex parte reexamination may provide a viable alternative, with significant cost savings, anonymity and procedural advantages, says Stephen Ball at Husch Blackwell.

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