Intellectual Property

  • August 01, 2025

    Swimsuit Biz Sues Chris Brown Over 'Breezy Bowl' Tour Name

    Miami swimsuit company Breezy Swimwear Inc. has sued singer Chris Brown and several companies affiliated with his "Breezy Bowl XX" tour, claiming they used "copycat branding" that created a risk of confusion among consumers.

  • August 01, 2025

    Full Fed. Circ. Won't Eye Effect Of PTAB Ax In Groupon Case

    The full Federal Circuit on Friday rejected Groupon's request for review of a decision that allowed a patent suit against it to proceed on some claims after similar ones were invalidated in an inter partes review, although two dissenting judges said the holding undermines the America Invents Act.

  • August 01, 2025

    Lamborghini Says Trade Secrets Case Best Heard In Italy

    Lamborghini has told a Texas federal court that a case brought by an Italian auto racing engineering firm alleging the sports carmaker stole steering wheel trade secrets is best left to Italian courts and is part of a long-running business dispute in that country.

  • August 01, 2025

    Fed. Circ. Won't Move Fintiv, Apple Trial Date

    The Federal Circuit on Friday denied Fintiv Inc.'s request to delay its Monday trial against Apple over a patent for storing virtual credit cards on mobile devices for contactless payments.

  • August 01, 2025

    Chancery Rules Gallagher Owes $50M In 'Earnout' Suit

    An Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. subsidiary breached a contract by withholding $50 million owed to a patent insurance and underwriting venture under first-year terms of a three-year merger and earnout deal, a Delaware vice chancellor has found.

  • August 01, 2025

    Ex-Copyright Chief Appeals Denial Of Reinstatement Bid

    The former head of the U.S. Copyright Office will appeal a D.C. federal judge's denial of her request to be immediately reinstated to her former position after she was fired by President Donald Trump while her suit remains pending.

  • August 01, 2025

    NC Atty Says Ex-Wife Has No Claim To Firm's Future Earnings

    An intellectual property lawyer in North Carolina told the state's top court that his ex-wife isn't entitled to half the value of his law firm in their divorce, arguing that whatever he earns from the firm's goodwill in the future can't be divvied up as part of the marital estate.

  • August 01, 2025

    Fed. Circ. Backs PTAB Ax Of Claims In Network Speed Patents

    The Federal Circuit on Friday affirmed a handful of Patent Trial and Appeal Board decisions that found claims across four patents on increasing network communication speed owned by Israeli tech company Bright Data were invalid.

  • August 01, 2025

    Mintz Welcomes Longtime Fenwick & West IP Atty In NY

    Mintz said Wednesday that it has added a longtime Fenwick & West LLP lawyer who helped his former firm establish itself in New York to its intellectual property prosecution practice.

  • August 01, 2025

    Rising Star: Morrison Foerster's Timothy Chen Saulsbury

    Timothy Chen Saulsbury of Morrison Foerster LLP helped defeat a $900 million trade secrets suit over wearable medical device technologies and won a favorable jury verdict for Epic Games on a patent infringement claim, earning him a spot among the intellectual property lawyers under age 40 honored by Law360 as Rising Stars.

  • August 01, 2025

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

    This past week in London has seen several telco giants hit with a trademark claim, a collapsed hotel company sue a property investor in an ongoing dispute over a decades-old hotel sale, and two litigation funders square off against each other.

  • August 01, 2025

    Disney Settles IP Dustup Over 'Pickles' Baseball Team

    Disney has quietly settled a trademark suit brought by the Portland Pickles, an Oregon summer league baseball team that has attained a kind of cult status within the game, over the depiction of a softball team named the Pickles in one of its animated series.

  • July 31, 2025

    Pandora Says IP Suit Should Be Axed, Backing Special Master

    Pandora Media told a California federal judge on Wednesday that a special master was right to recommend handing it a summary judgment win in high-stakes copyright infringement litigation by a group of comedians who allege that the streaming service lacked licenses for the underlying jokes in their comedy routines.

  • July 31, 2025

    'Abusive Behavior' Spurs $195M Add To Phillips 66 IP Verdict

    A California state judge added $195 million in exemplary damages to a $605 million trade secrets verdict against oil giant Phillips 66 following its "abusive behavior" toward startup and onetime acquisition target Propel Fuels.

  • July 31, 2025

    PTAB Takes Down Automotive USB Patent

    The Patent Trial and Appeal Board has found that the single claim of an automotive technology supplier's patent on USBs for automobiles was invalid, agreeing with Microchip Technologies that it was obvious.

  • July 31, 2025

    ITC Judge Recommends General Import Ban In Shoe IP Case

    A U.S. International Trade Commission judge recommended a complete block on imports of women's ballet flats that the maker of Tieks shoes proved infringed its design patents on its signature blue-soled footwear.

  • July 31, 2025

    Paramount Gets Partial Dismissal Of 'Top Gun' Credit Suit

    A Manhattan federal judge on Thursday dismissed part of a suit brought by the cousin of a "Top Gun: Maverick" screenwriter, tossing his claims to joint ownership and authorship of the film, but allowing his copyright infringement claim to survive.

  • July 31, 2025

    American Airlines Can't Stay Claims In Wi-Fi Patent Suit

    A Texas federal judge shot down American Airlines' bid to stay two claims in a suit accusing the airline of infringement for its use of hardware that allows for internet connection on flights, saying the airline failed to show it was merely a passive user of the technology.

  • July 31, 2025

    3 Federal Circuit Clashes To Watch In August

    The Federal Circuit's argument calendar for August includes Brita's effort to revive a patent suit against water filter rivals that fell short at the U.S. International Trade Commission, and a prolific inventor's bid to undo a decision clearing Coca-Cola of infringing a beverage dispenser patent.

  • July 31, 2025

    Microsoft Fights Demand For AI Deal Data In Databricks Suit

    Third-party Microsoft Corp. urged a California magistrate judge Thursday to block a subpoena by a group of writers accusing San Francisco-based Databricks of using their copyrighted works to train its artificial intelligence tool MosaicML, arguing that Microsoft has already exceeded third-party obligations by providing certain data agreements and that the request is overbroad.

  • July 31, 2025

    18 GOP Sens. Urge Trump To Fill IP Negotiator Post

    Eighteen Republican U.S. senators urged President Donald Trump to appoint someone to the vacant role of chief innovation and intellectual property negotiator of the U.S. Trade Representative in order to work to remove what they called "market-distorting price controls" in the pharmaceutical industry.

  • July 31, 2025

    Rising Star: WilmerHale's Steven Horn

    WilmerHale's Steven Horn has been a strategic leader on the firm's work defending Intel Corp. from the sprawling, big-dollar patent infringement litigation brought by VLSI Technology LLC, earning him a spot among the intellectual property attorneys under age 40 honored by Law360 as Rising Stars.

  • July 31, 2025

    NC Judge Questions Barings' Bid For Ex-Employees' Emails

    A North Carolina business court judge seemed leery Thursday of forcing former Barings' employees to fork over their personal emails and text messages as part of a deposition notice, suggesting Barings was trying to bypass U.K. law to get information from a foreign witness in its suit alleging former executives conducted a "corporate raid" to start a competing credit platform.

  • July 31, 2025

    ITC Ends Dermatology Needle Import Ban After Settlement

    The International Trade Commission has lifted a ban on certain imports of skin treatment devices that infringed patents owned by a South Korean dermatologist's needle business after it settled with a rival.

  • July 31, 2025

    Weil Lands Latham IP Litigation Trio In California, Texas

    Weil Gotshal & Manges LLP announced Thursday that it has welcomed three intellectual property lawyers from Latham & Watkins LLP, two of whom began their legal careers at Weil and will now co-head its IP, technology and science litigation practice.

Expert Analysis

  • A Cold War-Era History Lesson On Due Process

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    The landmark Harry Bridges case from the mid-20th century Red Scare offers important insights on why lawyers must be free of government reprisal, no matter who their client is, says Peter Afrasiabi at One LLP.

  • Series

    Improv Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Improv keeps me grounded and connected to what matters most, including in my legal career where it has helped me to maintain a balance between being analytical, precise and professional, and creative, authentic and open-minded, says Justine Gottshall at InfoLawGroup.

  • How BigLaw Executive Orders May Affect Smaller Firms

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    Because of the types of cases they take on, solo practitioners, small law firms and public interest attorneys may find themselves more dramatically affected by the collective impact of recent government action involving the legal industry than even the BigLaw firms named in the executive orders, says Reuben Guttman at Guttman Buschner.

  • Opinion

    Lawsuits Shouldn't Be Shadow Assets For Foreign Capital

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    Third-party litigation financing amplifies inefficiencies from litigation and facilitates national exposure to foreign influence in the U.S. justice system, so full disclosure of financing arrangements should be required as a matter of institutional integrity, says Roland Eisenhuth at the American Property Casualty Insurance Association.

  • How To Accelerate Your Post-Attorney Career Transition

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    Professionals seeking to transition to nonattorney careers may encounter skepticism as nontraditional candidates, but there are opportunities for thought leadership and to leverage speaking and writing to accelerate a post-attorney career transition, say Janet Falk at Falk Communications and Evgeny Efremkin at Toronto Metropolitan University.

  • 5 Key Licensing Considerations For AI Innovations

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    As businesses increasingly integrate artificial intelligence technology into their operations, they must prepare to address complex intellectual property challenges and questions surrounding licensing AI-based innovations, which require careful consideration of ownership, usage rights and regulatory compliance, says Lestin Kenton at Sterne Kessler.

  • A Higher Bar For Expert Witnesses In Drug Patent Litigation

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    With recent decisions emphasizing courts' growing insistence on robust methodologies in pharmaceutical patent disputes, litigators must be strategic in how they utilize expert testimony and adapt to venue-specific expectations, says Jeremy Scholem at WIT Legal.

  • Series

    Law School's Missed Lessons: Be An Indispensable Associate

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    While law school teaches you to research, write and think critically, it often overlooks the professional skills you will need to make yourself an essential team player when transitioning from a summer to full-time associate, say attorneys at Stinson.

  • Protecting Brand Identity In An AI-Driven Marketplace

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    A lawsuit recently filed in New York federal court marks a critical moment in the intersection of artificial intelligence and trademark law, underscoring the importance of — and challenges surrounding — IP owners' ability to protect their brands as AI-generated content continues to grow, says Wendy Heilbut at Heilbut LLC.

  • Series

    Birding Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Observing and documenting birds in their natural habitats fosters patience, sharpens observational skills and provides moments of pure wonder — qualities that foster personal growth and enrich my legal career, says Allison Raley at Arnall Golden.

  • Justices May Clarify What IP Competitors In Litigation Can Say

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    If the U.S. Supreme Court agrees to weigh in on Atturo Tire v. Toyo Tire, it may be able to provide guidance on the murky questions surrounding what companies enforcing their intellectual property against competitors are allowed to say in public, say attorneys at Ballard Spahr.

  • How To Ensure Confidentiality When Using AI In Discovery

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    In light of a recent case in the Southern District of New York involving the dissemination of AI-generated content containing confidential information, there are steps that law firms and lawyers should take to protect client and third-party data during litigation, say attorneys at Steptoe.

  • An Update On IPR Issue Preclusion In District Court Litigation

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    Two recent Federal Circuit rulings have resolved a district court split regarding issue preclusion based on Patent Trial and Appeal Board outcomes, potentially counseling petitioners in favor of challenging not only all the claims of an asserted patent, but also related patents that have not yet been raised in district court, say attorneys at Alston & Bird.

  • Series

    Adapting To Private Practice: From DOJ Leadership To BigLaw

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    The move from government service to private practice can feel like changing one’s identity, but as someone who has left the U.S. Department of Justice twice, I’ve learned that a successful transition requires patience, effort and the realization that the rewards of practicing law don’t come from one particular position, says Richard Donoghue at Pillsbury.

  • In-House Expert Testimony Is Tricky, But Worth Considering

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    Litigation counsel often reject the notion of designating in-house personnel to provide expert opinion testimony at trial, but dismissing them outright can result in a significant missed opportunity, say David Ben-Meir at Ben-Meir Law and Martin Pitha at Lillis Pitha.

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