Intellectual Property

  • October 15, 2025

    TTAB Denies 'Gasparilla' TM Despite Deal With Other IP Holder

    The Trademark Trial and Appeal Board has rejected a bid to register "Gasparilla" for mugs and clothing, because of potential confusion with "Gasparilla Treasures," concluding in a precedential opinion that a consent agreement offered by the parties was not enough to overcome a likelihood of consumer confusion.

  • October 15, 2025

    Engineering Firm, Ex-Worker Resolve Noncompete Dispute

    A global environmental and engineering consulting firm has resolved a suit alleging a former employee violated a noncompete agreement by accepting a similar job at a direct competitor, according to a docket entry.

  • May 22, 2025

    Fed. Circ. Says Professor Lacks Standing To Fight Rapunzel TM

    The Federal Circuit on Thursday backed the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board's rejection of a professor's challenge to a "Rapunzel" trademark as a consumer of fairy tale toy characters, saying the board properly used a framework laid out by the U.S. Supreme Court.

  • October 15, 2025

    Chase Accused Of IP Theft By Fintech Startup

    A fintech startup has accused JPMorgan Chase Bank NA of stealing artificial intelligence trade secrets after months of trying out the trade-optimizing technology, claiming that the bank backed out of their deal in bad faith, costing the small firm $5 million in out-of-pocket expenses as well as undetermined additional damages.

  • October 14, 2025

    Sirius XM Can't Yet Ditch Proposed Class Action Over Pricing

    An Oregon federal judge on Tuesday refused to toss a proposed class action claiming Sirius XM concealed a royalty charge from subscribers, ruling that the subscribers have adequately alleged they did not know about the fee or the true cost of their subscription when they signed up.

  • October 14, 2025

    NJ, Del. Judges Stress Value Of Local Counsel For IP Attys

    Six judges with significant experience overseeing pharmaceutical patent litigation in the districts of New Jersey and Delaware urged litigators on Tuesday to rely on the expertise of local counsel if they're hoping to impress the court.

  • October 14, 2025

    Smucker Sues To Squash Trader Joe's 'Uncrustables' Copycat

    J.M. Smucker, whose "Uncrustables" sandwiches have been a staple in countless school lunchrooms, is taking Trader Joe's to the courtroom, accusing the grocery chain of swiping Smucker's intellectual property to market its own copycat version of the crustless PB&Js.

  • October 14, 2025

    Skinny Labels, Orange Book Take Center Stage In IP Talks

    Patent litigators focused on pharmaceuticals and biotechnology met Tuesday to work through the biggest issues in their industries, including possible reform to skinny label law, frustration with position-switching in litigation, concerns about when to list patents in the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's Orange Book and data on the relatively low impact of new policies at the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.

  • October 14, 2025

    Full Fed. Circ. Won't Revisit Dumbbell, Database Patent Cases

    The Federal Circuit on Tuesday issued orders rejecting requests for full court scrutiny of separate panel decisions that saved a dumbbell patent owned by PowerBlock Holdings Inc. and that revived Google's challenges to patent claims covering database systems.

  • October 14, 2025

    Full 3rd Circ. Won't Rethink $45M CareDx False Ad Case

    The Third Circuit on Tuesday turned down medical testing company CareDx's request to have a full panel mull whether to reinstate a $45 million jury award in a false advertisement case over genetic testing technology against rival Natera.

  • October 14, 2025

    Whirlpool Says Samsung Infringed Dishwasher Rack Patent

    Whirlpool Corp. has hit competitor Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. with a patent infringement suit in Texas federal court, alleging Samsung infringed its patented "enhanced top rack" dishwasher technology, which includes separate third racks with dedicated sprayers at the top of its dishwashers.

  • October 14, 2025

    Squires Calls For 2nd Look At PTAB Wins By Visa

    U.S. Patent and Trademark Office Director John Squires has ordered Patent Trial and Appeal Board officials to review final decisions largely backing Visa Inc. in challenges to three credential verification patents, after patent owner Cortex MCP Inc. argued the holdings were flawed.

  • October 14, 2025

    Exec Tells Fla. Jury He Wanted To Protect Nicklaus Brand

    An executive for the company bearing Jack Nicklaus' name denied making alleged defamatory statements in emails to clients regarding the golf legend's interest in a competing Saudi Arabian league, telling a Florida state court jury on Tuesday that he received contradicting information and wanted to protect the business' brand name.

  • October 14, 2025

    Rakoff Irked By 'Kindergarten-Like' Depo In 'Top Gun' IP Case

    U.S. District Judge Jed S. Rakoff admonished attorneys representing Paramount Pictures Corp. and a man who claims he wasn't credited for writing key scenes in the 2022 film "Top Gun: Maverick," saying the numerous objections, colloquies and accusations on both sides devolved into "kindergarten-like behavior."

  • October 14, 2025

    PTAB Discretionary Denials, Reexam Bids Way Up: Report

    The number of Patent Trial and Appeal Board petitions that were denied for discretionary reasons reached a record level in the third quarter of 2025 — more than 200% higher than in all of last year — and patent reexamination requests also spiked, according to a new report from Unified Patents.

  • October 14, 2025

    Knicks, Raptors Agree That Data 'Mole' Case Is Closed

    The New York Knicks and Toronto Raptors have agreed to call off their legal dispute of more than two years involving a video assistant the Knicks accused of being a "mole" who took proprietary data with him when he left them for the Raptors.

  • October 14, 2025

    Hytera 'Can't Be Trusted,' Motorola Says In Push For Payment

    Motorola Solutions argued Tuesday that Chinese rival Hytera Communications Corp. should pay the full $371.7 million it still owes on a 2020 judgment and be permanently blocked from selling any mobile two-way radios using stolen source code so their long-running trade theft dispute in Illinois federal court can be brought to a just close.

  • October 14, 2025

    Attempts To Revive Stroke Treatment Patents Fail At Fed. Circ.

    The Federal Circuit on Tuesday tossed without analysis a challenge to Patent Trial and Appeal Board rulings that invalidated patents covering a stroke treatment system, letting stand one of the decisions deemed precedential by a former U.S. Patent and Trademark Office director.

  • October 14, 2025

    Campbell's Sues Mich. Candidate Over Soup Can Images

    The Campbell's Co. has sued a Michigan congressional candidate for using the soup maker's iconic can design in her campaign, saying her "Soup for Change 2026" and "Campbell for Congress" images create a false impression that the company endorses her candidacy.

  • October 14, 2025

    Law Firm Seeks Court Order To End Trademark Dispute

    Personal injury law firm CR Legal Team LLP has asked a North Carolina federal court to rule that it did not infringe another law firm's trademarks, arguing that the two firm's legal services are dissimilar and don't cause client confusion.

  • October 14, 2025

    Blood Test Co. Can't Escape Willful Infringement Claims

    A company that makes diagnostic medical tests has been denied a bid to escape from a medical research firm's claims that it willfully infringed patents when a judge held that reading the allegations in combination creates a plausible basis that the company had knowledge of the patents.

  • October 13, 2025

    Energy Data Co. Says Info Supply Cut-Off Was Justified

    An energy data supplier owned by a consortium of British power companies has denied unfairly cutting off an energy startup, arguing that it refused to supply data because the startup repeatedly breached its deal by sharing data with third parties.

  • October 10, 2025

    Some Cases Advance In Latest Stewart Discretionary Rulings

    Deputy U.S. Patent and Trademark Office Director Coke Morgan Stewart rejected 37 Patent Trial and Appeal Board petitions Friday night, but allowed 17 challenges to proceed.

  • October 10, 2025

    Fed. Circ. Not Sure IPR Estoppel Binds Patent Office

    A panel of Federal Circuit judges seemed wary Friday that language from the America Invents Act barring private parties from raising multiple patent challenges also applies to the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.

  • October 10, 2025

    Squires Says Patent Eligibility Needed For National Security

    The newly confirmed head of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office has solidified his views that making more inventions eligible for patent protection is imperative for national security, saying expansive eligibility speaks to "the very spirit of American ingenuity."

Expert Analysis

  • A Word On Ensuring Precision In Patent Claim Construction

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    The Federal Circuit's recent decision in Express Mobile v. Meta Platforms, overruling the Patent Trial and Appeal Board's interpretation of the term "style," highlights the importance of articulating claim constructions that are as clear as possible, says Derrick Carman at Robins Kaplan.

  • Series

    Playing Mah-Jongg Makes Me A Better Mediator

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    Mah-jongg rewards patience, pattern recognition, adaptability and keen observation, all skills that are invaluable to my role as a mediator, and to all mediating parties, says Marina Corodemus.

  • Does Research Tool Safe Harbor Cover AI Drug Development?

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    As artificial intelligence increasingly takes root in drug development, many questions may emerge regarding current gaps in courts' application of the research tool exception to the safe harbor defense against patent infringement, and whether that defense applies to AI-based tools, say attorneys at Arnold & Porter.

  • Tips For Business Users After 2 Key AI Copyright Decisions

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    Because two recent artificial intelligence copyright decisions from the Northern District of California — Bartz v. Anthropic and Kadrey v. Meta — came out mostly in favor of the developers using the plaintiffs' works to train large language models, business users should proceed with care, says Chris Wlach at Acxiom.

  • Series

    Law School's Missed Lessons: Navigating Client Trauma

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    Law schools don't train students to handle repeated exposure to clients' traumatic experiences, but for litigators practicing in areas like civil rights and personal injury, success depends on the ability to view cases clinically and to recognize when you may need to seek help, says Katie Bennett at Robins Kaplan.

  • Copyright Takeaways From 2 Calif. GenAI Rulings

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    Two California federal court decisions suggest that the fair use defense may protect generative artificial intelligence output, but given the ongoing war between copyright holders and AI platforms, developers should still consider taking steps to reduce legal risk, says Lincoln Essig at Knobbe Martens.

  • Opinion

    Juries Are Key In Protecting The Rule Of Law

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    Absent from the recent discourse about U.S. rule of law is the crucial role of impartial jurors in protecting the equitable administration of justice, and attorneys and judges should take affirmative steps to reverse the yearslong decline of jury trials at this critical moment, says consultant Clint Townson.

  • Opinion

    4 Former Justices Would Likely Frown On Litigation Funding

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    As courts increasingly confront cases involving hidden litigation finance contracts, the jurisprudence of four former U.S. Supreme Court justices establishes a constitutional framework that risks erosion by undisclosed financial interests, says Roland Eisenhuth at the American Property Casualty Insurance Association.

  • Brand Protection Takeaways From OpenAI Trademark Case

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    The ongoing battle between IYO and OpenAI offers critical lessons on diligent trademark enforcement and proactive risk management for startups and established players alike navigating branding in the rapidly evolving artificial intelligence sector, say attorneys at Dykema.

  • How Attys Can Use AI To Surface Narratives In E-Discovery

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    E-discovery has reached a turning point where document review is no longer just about procedural tasks like identifying relevance and redacting privilege — rather, generative artificial intelligence tools now allow attorneys to draw connections, extract meaning and tell a coherent story, says Rose Jones at Hilgers Graben.

  • IP Due Diligence Tips For AI Assets In M&A Transactions

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    Artificial intelligence systems' integration into business operations creates new considerations for intellectual property due diligence in mergers and acquisitions and financing transactions, and implementing a practical approach to identifying AI assets can help avoid litigation and losses, say Armin Ghiam and Senna Hahn at Hunton.

  • How To Strengthen A Case By Mastering Expert Witness Prep

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    A well-prepared expert witness can bolster a case's credibility with persuasive qualifications, compelling voir dire responses and concise testimony that can withstand cross-examination, says Allison Rocker at Baker McKenzie.

  • A Look At Florida's New Protected Series LLC Legislation

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    A new law in Florida enhances the flexibility of using limited liability companies as the entities of choice for most privately held businesses, moving Florida into a small group of states with reliable uniform protected series legislation for series LLCs, says Louis Conti at Holland & Knight.

  • Opinion

    New USPTO Leadership Must Address Low-Quality Patents

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    With John Squires in line to become the new director of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, the agency has an opportunity to refocus its mission on prioritizing quality in patent examination and taking a harsher stance against low-quality patents and patent trolls, says Jill Crosby at Engine Advocacy & Foundation.

  • Opinion

    High Court Must Overrule Outdated Patent Eligibility Doctrine

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    A certiorari petition should directly ask the U.S. Supreme Court to correct its 1972 patent decision in Gottschalk v. Benson, the critical point where patent eligibility law veered from the statutory text toward judicial policymaking, says Robert Greenspoon at Dunlap Bennett.

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