Intellectual Property

  • December 15, 2025

    Smartwatch Giants Sued Over Fall Detection Patents

    A company that makes medical alert watches for the elderly has sued Apple, Samsung, Google and Garmin in federal court and the U.S. International Trade Commission, alleging that the fall detection features in their smartwatches infringe two patents.

  • December 15, 2025

    Starbucks' 'Patent Troll' Suit Is Unwarranted, Irish Cos. Say

    Two Irish companies that hold and license technology patents on Monday asked a federal court in Seattle to throw out Starbucks' lawsuit accusing them of bringing bad-faith intellectual property claims in violation of Washington state law, arguing that they never actually threatened to bring litigation against the coffee giant.

  • December 15, 2025

    USPTO Says 'Settled Expectations' Denials Sink Google Case

    The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office has told the Federal Circuit that the court's recent rejection of other petitions challenging the office's policy of denying patent reviews based on the owner's "settled expectations" means a case by Google on the same issue must also fail.

  • December 15, 2025

    USPTO Replaces Denver Office With Center In Montana

    Montana has been picked by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office to be the first state to oversee community outreach in the area formerly serviced by the now-shuttered Rocky Mountain Regional Outreach Office in Denver.

  • December 15, 2025

    E-Cig Makers Want Court To Block ITC Patent Probe

    The proper avenue for patent owners to hold would-be infringers accountable is in the federal courts, not before the U.S. International Trade Commission, Altria Group and its NJOY vaping subsidiary said in a bid to stop an infringement action against them at the ITC.

  • December 15, 2025

    Lady Gaga Can Keep Using 'Mayhem' Mark For Now, Judge Says

    A California federal judge on Monday refused to grant a surfing brand a preliminary injunction against Lady Gaga from using the "Mayhem" mark on the clothing she sells, saying the brand had not shown that it was likely to succeed on its trademark infringement claims.

  • December 15, 2025

    Fed. Circ. Won't Revive Bard Patents In AngioDynamics Row

    The Federal Circuit on Monday refused to revive claims in C.R. Bard patents on implanted catheter receptacles that were challenged by AngioDynamics, backing a Delaware federal court's finding that the claims were anticipated.

  • December 15, 2025

    Fed. Circ. Backs Denial Of 'Basin' Beverage Mark

    The Federal Circuit held Monday that a man's attempt to secure a trademark for his company "Basin Beverage Co." should be denied due to the likelihood of causing confusion with at least three registered marks with "Basin" in their name.

  • December 15, 2025

    Texas, Toronto Stock Exchanges End Trademark Dispute

    The Texas Stock Exchange has buried the hatchet with the Toronto Stock Exchange and ended its suit seeking a court finding that the two exchanges' logos are dissimilar. 

  • December 15, 2025

    The Top Patent Decisions Of 2025

    The Federal Circuit decided its first en banc utility patent case in years and expanded who can use the U.S. International Trade Commission, while both the appeals court and U.S. Patent and Trademark Office took on the eligibility of AI patents. Here's a look at the top patent decisions of 2025.

  • December 15, 2025

    PTAB Creates New Prehearing Conference For AIA Reviews

    The Patent Trial and Appeal Board has rolled out a change to its trial practice guide that will create a new prehearing conference 15 days prior to oral hearings under the America Invents Act in cases implemented by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office director.

  • December 15, 2025

    Supreme Court Turns Down Entresto Patent Fight

    The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday rejected a petition from MSN Pharmaceuticals Inc. claiming the Federal Circuit improperly applied what is known as after-arising technology when reviving a patent covering Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corp.'s blockbuster cardiovascular drug Entresto.

  • December 15, 2025

    Inventor's Bid To Dodge $214K Sanction Fails At High Court

    The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday declined to take on an inventor's request to escape an order from an Ohio federal court that sanctioned him $214,000 for bad faith litigation, which was approved by the Federal Circuit.

  • December 12, 2025

    Squires Institutes 7 AIA Reviews, Denies 12 Other Petitions

    U.S. Patent and Trademark Office Director John Squires has instituted seven America Invents Act reviews in the second round of cases where he has found that patent challenges warrant consideration since taking over the institution process.

  • December 12, 2025

    Authors Suing Meta Seek New Copyright Claim For Torrenting

    A group of bestselling authors has asked a California federal judge for a chance to update its copyright complaint against Meta Platforms, saying it wants to add a contributory infringement claim based on Meta's alleged use of peer-to-peer file-sharing to download material for artificial intelligence training.

  • December 12, 2025

    Bill Would Let Fed Workers Use Uniformed Services Works

    Federal lawmakers have introduced a copyright bill to the U.S. House of Representatives that would give employees of the federal government permission to use literary works produced by civilian members of the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences for work and other purposes.

  • December 12, 2025

    Dropped FTC Complaint: Pepsi Gave Walmart A 'Price Gap'

    The Federal Trade Commission's newly unsealed New York federal court complaint confirms that the agency had accused Pepsi of favoring Walmart, until the newly Republican-controlled FTC abandoned the lawsuit alleging the soda giant both gave Walmart discounts denied others and actively sought to raise Walmart's rivals' own prices.

  • December 12, 2025

    No New Trial After Disney Win In 'Moana' Copyright Case

    A California federal judge has shot down an animation artist's bid for a new trial after a Los Angeles federal jury earlier this year rejected his copyright claim that the 2016 Disney blockbuster "Moana" ripped off his own Polynesian adventure story.

  • December 12, 2025

    1st Circ. Affirms Ex-ADI Engineer's Trade Secrets Conviction

    The First Circuit has affirmed a former Analog Devices Inc. engineer's trade secrets conviction, ruling that the indictment's reference to a specific microchip model did not preclude a guilty verdict based on his possession of schematics for its prototype.

  • December 12, 2025

    11th Circ. Says 'Worlds' Faces Long Odds As Cheerleading TM

    Two Eleventh Circuit judges appeared to believe that a competitive cheerleading governing body likely has a stronger chance of reviving its trademark infringement claims against two other cheerleading organizations with regard to the term "The Cheerleading Worlds" than simply "Worlds" during oral arguments Friday. 

  • December 12, 2025

    Anthropic Judge Rebuffs Bid For 'Sweeter' Part Of $1.5B Deal

    The California federal judge overseeing Anthropic's $1.5 billion copyright settlement with authors gave a terse response to notice that a Canadian publisher's counsel contacted the AI company looking for a better deal, saying the publisher could opt out but couldn't "seek a sweeter deal than other class members."

  • December 12, 2025

    Judge Tosses 'Problem Solver' TM Suit In Calif. Gov. Race

    A California federal judge has dismissed a trademark complaint from gubernatorial candidate Stephen Cloobeck, ruling that his effort to stop Democratic primary opponent Antonio Villaraigosa from saying he is a "proven problem solver" in his campaign could stifle political expression.

  • December 12, 2025

    Judge Orders Fastener Co. To Pay $17K For Misleading Ads

    A Philadelphia federal judge permanently barred industrial fastener company Peninsula Components Inc. from using a competitor's trademark "PEM" product name in its online ads, and ordered it to pay $17,866 in damages.

  • December 12, 2025

    Fed. Circ. Says PTAB Was Right To Ax Tracking Patent Claims

    The Federal Circuit on Friday refused to revive claims in a group of patents for tracking items during surgeries and other uses, rejecting challenges to how the Patent Trial and Appeal Board interpreted key claim terms.

  • December 12, 2025

    UK Litigation Roundup: Here's What You Missed In London

    This past week in London has seen Shell hit with a climate change claim from 100 survivors of a typhoon in the Philippines, London Stock Exchange-listed Oxford Nanopore bring legal action against its co-founder, and the editors of Pink News sue the BBC for defamation following its investigation into alleged sexual misconduct at the news site.

Expert Analysis

  • 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.

  • AI Infrastructure Growth Brings Unique IP Considerations

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    The explosive rise of artificial intelligence has triggered an equally dramatic transformation in the supporting infrastructure required to meet growing AI demand, and the technology used in these data centers has its own intellectual property considerations to navigate, says Vincent Allen at Carstens Allen.

  • Series

    Adapting To Private Practice: From ATF Director To BigLaw

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    As a two-time boomerang partner, returning to BigLaw after stints as a U.S. attorney and the director of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, people ask me how I know when to move on, but there’s no single answer — just clearly set your priorities, says Steven Dettelbach at BakerHostetler.

  • IPR Decisions Clarify Stewart's 'Settled Expectations' Factor

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    Recent discretionary denial decisions from U.S. Patent and Trademark Office acting Director Coke Morgan Stewart have begun to illuminate the contours of her "settled expectations" doctrine, informing when it might be worth petitioning for inter partes review if the patent at issue has been in force for a few years, say attorneys at Morgan Lewis.

  • How To Increase 3rd-Party Preissuance Patent Submissions

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    Attorneys Marian Underweiser and Marc Ehrlich, who helped draft the America Invents Act, discuss changes that the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office could potentially implement to facilitate its hopes for increased participation in front-end patent challenges.

  • Anthropic Ruling Creates Fair Use Framework For AI Training

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    A California federal court’s recent ruling that Anthropic’s use of copyrighted books to train its large language model qualified as fair use provides important guidance for both artificial intelligence developers and copyright holders because it distinguishes between transformative uses and unauthorized uses involving pirated or format-shifted works, say attorneys at Ropes & Gray.

  • Series

    Playing Baseball Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Playing baseball in college, and now Wiffle ball in a local league, has taught me that teamwork, mental endurance and emotional intelligence are not only important to success in the sport, but also to success as a trial attorney, says Kevan Dorsey at Swift Currie.

  • Assessing Impact Of USPTO's New Patent Policies

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    Recent data shows how the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office's new patent policies are affecting America Invents Act trial institution rates, including spurring an uptick in discretionary denials, say attorneys at Armond Wilson.

  • Series

    Law School's Missed Lessons: Skillful Persuasion

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    In many ways, law school teaches us how to argue, but when the ultimate goal is to get your client what they want, being persuasive through preparation and humility is the more likely key to success, says Michael Friedland at Friedland Cianfrani.

  • Fed. Circ. Ingenico Ruling Pivotal For IPR Estoppel Landscape

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    The Federal Circuit's recent decision in Ingenico v. Ioengine brings long-awaited clarity to the scope of inter partes review estoppel, confirming that a patent challenger is not precluded from relying on the same or substantially similar prior art in both IPR and district court proceedings, so long as it is used to support a different invalidity theory, say attorneys at Irwin IP.

  • Litigation Inspiration: How To Respond After A Loss

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    Every litigator loses a case now and then, and the sting of that loss can become a medicine that strengthens or a poison that corrodes, depending on how the attorney responds, says Bennett Rawicki at Hilgers Graben.

  • How Patent Attys Can Carefully Integrate LLMs Into Workflows

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    With artificial intelligence-powered tools now being developed specifically for the intellectual property domain, patent practitioners should monitor evolving considerations to ensure that their capabilities are enhanced — rather than diminished — by these resources, say attorneys at McDonnell Boehnen.

  • The Metamorphosis Of The Major Questions Doctrine

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    The so-called major questions doctrine arose as a counterweight to Chevron deference over the past few decades, but invocations of the doctrine have persisted in the year since Chevron was overturned, suggesting it still has a role to play in reining in agency overreach, say attorneys at Crowell & Moring.

  • New PTAB Denial Processes Grow More And More Confusing

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    Guidance from the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office about the Patent Trial and Appeal Board's new workload management and discretionary denial processes has been murky and inconsistent, and has been further muddled by the acting director's seemingly contradictory decisions, say attorneys at Finnegan.

  • EU Space Act Could Stifle US Commercial Operators

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    The EU Space Act, proposed last month, has the potential to raise global standards for safety and sustainability in space, but the U.S. and EU need to harmonize their regulatory approaches to avoid imposing regulatory burdens that undermine commercial innovation and agility, say Jessica Noble and Adriane Mandakunis at Aegis Space Law.

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