Intellectual Property

  • January 23, 2026

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

    This past week in London saw Travelers Insurance hit with a claim from a property buyer over a payout tied to collapsed law firm Axiom Ince, Swedish music group Pophouse Entertainment clash with the production company that helped it create the ABBA Voyage experience, and biotech company Vertex Pharmaceuticals sue rival entity ToolGen for patent infringement.

  • January 22, 2026

    Nappy Roots Hit With Infringement Suit Over 'Good Day' Bop

    Rap group Nappy Roots sampled a 30-second snippet in its hit song "Good Day" despite not having permission from the music sample's co-composers, according to a new lawsuit filed in Atlanta federal court.

  • January 22, 2026

    Patent Office Beats La Jolla Pharma's Application Denial Suit

    A Virginia federal judge on Wednesday upheld a U.S. Patent and Trademark Office decision that denied patent applications from drug developer La Jolla Pharma LLC claiming a unique dosage and delivery method of a drug the company markets to treat low blood pressure, finding the claims are all anticipated or obvious.

  • January 22, 2026

    Debt Collector Takes Computer Fraud Ruling To High Court

    A debt collection agency asked the U.S. Supreme Court on Thursday to pause a Third Circuit decision that found an ex-employee's sharing of a password spreadsheet didn't make for a case under the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act, saying the appeals court improperly narrowed the scope of the statute.

  • January 22, 2026

    DoggyPhone Sues Again Over Furbo Pet-Comms Product

    Tech company DoggyPhone LLC again took aim at Tomofun on Thursday, claiming in Seattle federal court that the pet-toy maker's Furbo line of products infringes a DoggyPhone-held patent describing "systems and methods that enable remote human-pet communication."

  • January 22, 2026

    Call To End Prosecution Laches Rejected By Full Fed. Circ.

    The full Federal Circuit on Thursday rejected prolific inventor Gilbert Hyatt's rehearing petition asking the court to abolish the doctrine of prosecution laches, which can render a patent unenforceable based on delays by the owner during the application process.

  • January 22, 2026

    Fed. Circ. Says Livestream Patent In Google Suit Is Abstract

    A Federal Circuit panel on Thursday agreed with a Washington federal court's conclusion that a livestreaming patent asserted against Google covers a patent-ineligible abstract idea, finding the relevant claims were too "result-oriented."

  • January 22, 2026

    NFL's Lions Should Face Copyright Suit In Calif., Photog Says

    A California photographer has pushed back against the Detroit Lions' bid to dismiss his lawsuit accusing the NFL team of using photos he took of quarterback Jared Goff without permission, telling a California federal court that his lawsuit, contrary to the team's contention, belongs in the Golden State.

  • January 22, 2026

    5th Circ. Won't Restore Plastics Co.'s $75M IP Jury Award

    The Fifth Circuit is standing behind a lower court's decision throwing out a verdict of more than $75 million that plastics manufacturer Trinseo Europe GmbH won in a suit accusing a former Dow Chemical Co. employee and Kellogg Brown & Root LLC of swiping trade secrets.

  • January 22, 2026

    Merck Can't Get Fed. Circ. To Reconsider Axing MS Drug Patents

    The Federal Circuit on Thursday refused to reconsider decisions invalidating Merck KGaA patents on the blockbuster multiple sclerosis drug Mavenclad, turning aside the German drugmaker's claim that the court set an unjust new rule that means inventors' work can later be used against them.

  • January 22, 2026

    Colo. Co. Can't Sue Target Again For Infringement, Court Told

    A Colorado-based clothing company cannot bring claims that Target infringed the company's registered copyright on several infant sleepwear products, the retail giant told a federal judge, arguing that a prior lawsuit against Target prevents the clothing company from suing it again.

  • January 22, 2026

    10th Circ. Partly Revives Pest Control Co.'s Fraud Claims

    The Tenth Circuit has partially revived a case brought by one pest control company against a competitor alleging the business rival bribed employees to turn over sales data, disagreeing with a lower court that the company had not shown financial losses.

  • January 22, 2026

    Patagonia Claims Activist 'Pattie Gonia' Rips Off TM In $1 Suit

    Patagonia Inc. has sued an activist who goes by the "Pattie Gonia" persona in California federal court, asking the court to block the drag queen from selling T-shirts and other merchandise and services that allegedly rip off its popular trademarks, while only seeking $1 in nominal damages.

  • January 22, 2026

    3rd Circ. Says Medical Pot Contract May Violate Federal Law

    The Third Circuit on Thursday vacated a medical cannabis company's win in a lawsuit filed by a consultant claiming that it had stolen his trade secrets for growing marijuana samples, finding it couldn't decide the appeal because the parties' contract might have violated federal drug law.

  • January 22, 2026

    AI Diagnostics Co.'s Patent Claims Don't Pass Alice Test

    A California federal judge has thrown out artificial intelligence diagnostics company Tempus AI's patent infringement suit against medical test-maker Guardant Health, finding claims in the patents weren't patent-eligible to begin with.

  • January 22, 2026

    USPTO Re-Ups Agreement With Major IP Offices Through 2029

    The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office has extended the Patent Prosecution Highway pilot program with four other intellectual property offices, which expedites review of patent applications that have been allowed in another country, for another three years.

  • January 22, 2026

    Simpson Thacher Adds Quinn Emanuel Atty To New SF Office

    A Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan LLP attorney who worked on high-profile intellectual property matters representing Google and Jane Street Group has joined Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP as partner in its newly opened San Francisco office, the firm announced Thursday.

  • January 22, 2026

    Amazon Says IP Lawyer Can't Dodge Trademark Suit

    Amazon is pushing back against an intellectual property lawyer's effort to escape a lawsuit accusing him of conspiring with a Chinese company to sidestep a U.S. Patent and Trademark Office rule, arguing the claims were properly pled and that the Seattle federal court is the proper venue.

  • January 21, 2026

    NYC Sues Dr. Phil's Son To Stop NYPD Reality Show

    The city of New York on Wednesday sued the son of celebrity psychologist Dr. Phil in state court, claiming that he and his production company plan to air a reality television show about the New York Police Department that contains footage that would threaten the lives and safety of active police officers, witnesses and victims.

  • January 21, 2026

    PE Firm Used Jail Threats To Steer Cannabis Deal, Court Told

    A private equity firm can't free itself from a contract breach spat between a CBD and hemp product manufacturer and its business partner, as the firm not only interfered with the contract but also threatened to have people thrown in jail if they refused to capitulate, a North Carolina federal court heard Wednesday.

  • January 21, 2026

    Novartis Gets Win On Entresto Patent Tied To Earlier Ruling

    A Delaware federal judge found Wednesday that MSN Pharmaceuticals Inc. infringed a patent covering Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corp.'s blockbuster cardiovascular drug Entresto, saying the issue has already been litigated before.

  • January 21, 2026

    Licensing Deal Saves Cisco From Lionra Suit, Fed. Circ. Says

    The Federal Circuit rebuffed Lionra Technologies Ltd.'s efforts to save its patent infringement case against Cisco Systems Inc., with a panel finding Wednesday that a licensing agreement foreclosed the lawsuit and calling Lionra's characterization of the agreement "skewed."

  • 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.

Expert Analysis

  • IP Ownership Risk Grows In Booming Cancer Drug Market

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    The ownership of intellectual property has become strategically decisive in deals involving valuable cancer therapeutics known as ADCs, as highlighted by the recent Takeda-Innovent deal, with the commercial value of a license resting on the integrity and defensibility of the underlying technology, say attorneys at Loeb & Loeb.

  • Series

    My Miniature Livestock Farm Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Raising miniature livestock on my farm, where I am fully present with the animals, is an almost meditative time that allows me to return to work invigorated, ready to juggle numerous responsibilities and motivated to tackle hard issues in new ways, says Ted Kobus at BakerHostetler.

  • The Future Of Gen AI Training Amid Reddit Data Scraping Suit

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    Reddit's lawsuit against Perplexity AI is not framed as a classic copyright infringement fight, demonstrating that even when companies avoid fair use claims, the path by which training data is obtained is legally consequential, say attorneys at Troutman Pepper.

  • Litigation Funding Could Create Ethics Issues For Attorneys

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    A litigation investor’s recent complaint claiming a New York mass torts lawyer effectively ran a Ponzi scheme illustrates how litigation funding arrangements can subject attorneys to legal ethics dilemmas and potential liability, so engagement letters must have very clear terms, says Matthew Feinberg at Goldberg Segalla.

  • E-Discovery Quarterly: Recent Rulings On Dynamic Databases

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    Several recent federal court decisions illustrate how parties continue to grapple with the discovery of data in dynamic databases, so counsel involved in these disputes must consider how structured data should be produced consistent with the requirements of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, say attorneys at Sidley.

  • Questions To Ask Inventors Before Drafting AI Patents

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    Practitioners should use interview questions tailored to help inventors articulate the patentable aspects of their artificial intelligence and machine learning innovations, as this can elicit information needed for a patent application to forestall indefiniteness, abstract-idea and enablement challenges, say attorneys at Marshall Gerstein.

  • ITC Ruling Highlights Conflicts Hurdles For Law Firms

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    As supply chains become more interconnected, a recent U.S. International Trade Commission order — disqualifying a complainant's law firm for concurrently representing a third-party supplier relevant to the case — underscores the reality that conflicts may increasingly lurk within the building blocks of devices, says Matt Rizzolo at Ropes & Gray.

  • Revisiting Jury Trial Right May Upend State Regulatory Power

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    Justice Neil Gorsuch’s recent use of a denial of certiorari to call for the U.S. Supreme Court to revisit whether the Seventh Amendment jury trial right extends to states, building off last year's Jarkesy ruling, could foretell a profound change in state regulators' ability to enforce penalties against regulated companies, say attorneys at Sidley.

  • Series

    Building With Lego Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Building with Lego has taught me to follow directions and adapt to unexpected challenges, and in pairing discipline with imagination, allows me to stay grounded while finding new ways to make complex deals come together, says Paul Levin at Venable.

  • The Rise Of Trade Secret Specificity As A Jury Question

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    Recent federal appellate court decisions have clarified that determining sufficient particularity under the Defend Trade Secrets Act is a question of fact and will likely become a standard jury question, highlighting the need for appropriate jury instructions that explicitly address the issue, says Amy Candido at Simpson Thacher.

  • Series

    Law School's Missed Lessons: Networking 101

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    Cultivating a network isn't part of the law school curriculum, but learning the soft skills needed to do so may be the key to establishing a solid professional reputation, nurturing client relationships and building business, says Sharon Crane at Practising Law Institute.

  • Defeating Estoppel-Based Claims In Legal Malpractice Actions

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    State supreme court cases from recent years have addressed whether positions taken by attorneys in an underlying lawsuit can be used against them in a subsequent legal malpractice action, providing a foundation to defeat ex-clients’ estoppel claims, says Christopher Blazejewski at Sherin and Lodgen.

  • Trade Secret Rulings Reveal The Cost Of Poor Preparation

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    Two recent federal appellate decisions show that companies must be prepared to prove their trade secrets with specificity, highlighting how an asset management program that identifies key confidential information before litigation arises can provide the clarity and documentation that courts increasingly require, say attorneys at Mintz.

  • Series

    The Biz Court Digest: How It Works In Massachusetts

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    Since its founding in 2000, the Massachusetts Business Litigation Session's expertise, procedural flexibility and litigant-friendly case management practices have contributed to the development of a robust body of commercial jurisprudence, say James Donnelly at Mirick O’Connell, Felicia Ellsworth at WilmerHale and Lisa Wood at Foley Hoag.

  • Weighing Risks Of Ambush Marketing Around Sports Events

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    American brands tempted to insert themselves into conversations around the 2026 World Cup and 2028 Olympic Games, but without the coveted sponsorship, should consider the legal hazards and minimize the risks by avoiding elements that imply an unauthorized commercial association with FIFA or the International Olympic Committee, say attorneys at Debevoise.

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