Intellectual Property

  • July 23, 2025

    Fed. Circ. Deems 'Kist' And 'Sunkist' Marks Confusingly Alike

    The Federal Circuit on Wednesday reversed a trademark tribunal's conclusion that "Kist" and "Sunkist" soft drink marks were not confusingly similar, saying the board was wrong to distinguish the goods by focusing on images of red lips and the sun in marketing materials for the products.

  • July 23, 2025

    Indiana CPA Gets 3 Years In Royalty Payment Tax Scheme

    An Indiana accountant received a three-year prison sentence for willfully preparing tax returns for clients who inappropriately claimed millions of dollars worth of business deductions based on false royalty payments made for using intellectual property, according to federal prosecutors.

  • July 23, 2025

    PTAB Ends Remote Hearings Beginning Sept. 1

    The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office is mandating that all Patent Trial and Appeal Board proceedings take place in person, starting Sept. 1.

  • July 23, 2025

    Fed. Circ. Backs Decision Clearing Seismic Bracing In IP Case

    The Federal Circuit on Wednesday said it won't revive an intellectual property lawsuit SME Steel Contractors launched against a company founded by its former head engineer, finding that a lower court rightly sided with the newer company on patent, copyright and other claims it had faced.

  • July 23, 2025

    Bradley Arant Taps Arnall Golden Fintech Pro In Atlanta

    Bradley Arant Boult Cummings LLP has added a former Arnall Golden Gregory LLP attorney as a partner in the firm's banking and financial services group to extend its Atlanta team counseling technology companies.

  • July 23, 2025

    Trump Publishes AI 'Action Plan' With 90 Policy Proposals

    In an effort to secure America's leadership in artificial intelligence, the Trump administration released a blueprint Wednesday outlining ideas to accelerate innovation, modernize infrastructure and foster international collaboration while safeguarding national security.

  • July 23, 2025

    Developer Accuses Payment App Of 'Cynical' Data Theft Claim

    A former consultant with a company that provides card payment services to taxi drivers has accused it of "opportunistically" launching a legal claim to stifle his legitimate business, denying he stole proprietary information to develop his system.

  • July 22, 2025

    Brandt's Fruit Trees Says Farm Misuses 'Pink Lady' Apple TM

    Brandt's Fruit Trees filed a trademark infringement suit in Washington federal court Monday accusing a Yakima Valley farm of illegally using its Pink Lady apple trademark in connection with approximately 55,000 unlicensed trees that produce Lady in Red apples, in violation of their grower licensing agreement.  

  • July 22, 2025

    Engineer Cops To Stealing Missile Tracking Tech To Aid China

    An engineer who worked at a tech company admitted in California federal court to stealing trade secrets regarding nuclear missile detection used by the U.S. government after previously seeking to help the People's Republic of China with its military research, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.

  • July 22, 2025

    IP Atty's FCA Suit Against Valeant Over Apriso Tossed Again

    A California federal judge on Tuesday again threw out an attorney's whistleblower False Claims Act suit alleging Valeant Pharmaceuticals fraudulently obtained a patent to block generic Apriso, but gave him several weeks to amend his case.

  • July 22, 2025

    Fed. Circ. Urged To Nix Motorola Fintiv Memo Withdrawal Fight

    Stellar Inc. has urged the Federal Circuit to ignore Motorola's challenge to a decision by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office's acting leader that shut down its attempt to invalidate various Stellar patents at the Patent Trial and Appeal Board.

  • July 22, 2025

    NY Judge Backs Calif. Bioscience Co. In $15M Arbitration Row

    A New York federal judge has ruled that a California-based bioscience company can enforce an arbitration award rejecting a more than $15 million claim asserted by a Hong Kong biopharmaceutical firm, saying there is no genuine dispute since the biopharmaceutical firm failed to respond.

  • July 22, 2025

    Fed. Circ. Won't Stop Entresto Generic During Novartis Appeal

    The Federal Circuit won't stop MSN Pharmaceuticals from releasing its generic version of Novartis' blockbuster cardiovascular drug Entresto while the latter appeals a noninfringement ruling, according to a Tuesday order.

  • July 22, 2025

    Sandals Owes Longtime Ad Partner $50K In Copyright Trial

    Resort giant Sandals owes nearly $50,000 to a former, longtime, advertising partner for copyright infringement regarding 33 photos and videos, a Florida federal judge ruled Monday following a bench trial, but found that over 600 other claimed works don't qualify for damages.

  • July 22, 2025

    Fair Use Carveout Applies To Med Device Repairs, Judge Says

    A D.C. federal judge has shot down two industry groups' challenge to a rule that placed medical device diagnostic procedures and repairs under fair use copyright exceptions, saying all of their challenges under the Administrative Procedure Act were unpersuasive.

  • July 22, 2025

    Zynga PTAB Win Upheld As Fed. Circ. Finds No 'Shenanigans'

    The Federal Circuit on Tuesday upheld the Patent Trial and Appeal Board's invalidation of an IGT gambling patent challenged by mobile game maker Zynga, saying the board did not engage in unlawful "shenanigans" by reviewing the patent after an earlier dispute between the parties.

  • July 22, 2025

    Judge Nixes 'Ghost' Lawyer's Suit Against Ex-Employee, Atty

    A Florida judge has tossed a lawsuit that an attorney accused of ghosting and defrauding his clients brought against his former paralegal and a legal malpractice lawyer alleging they conspired to steal his clients and trash his reputation.

  • July 22, 2025

    Maxell Seeks Boost To $112M Patent Award, Samsung Hits Back

    Maxell Ltd. has asked a Texas federal judge to enhance a $112 million jury verdict and permanently bar Samsung from infringing patents covering functions in personal electronics, while Samsung said the verdict should be thrown out as a matter of law.

  • July 22, 2025

    Fed. Circ. Won't Intervene In Pipe Liner Discovery Dispute

    The Federal Circuit on Tuesday rejected German packaging company Buergofol GmbH's bid to override a South Dakota federal court's decision saying pipe liner company Omega Liner Co. Inc. can obtain certain information in discovery as part of a patent infringement suit against Omega.

  • July 22, 2025

    WTO Finds China's Anti-Suit Injunctions Violate TRIPS

    China's use of anti-suit injunctions in patent litigation violates an international intellectual property agreement, according to arbitrators at the World Trade Organization.

  • July 22, 2025

    Brandy Melville Hits Temu For 'Bait-And-Switch' Copycat Garb

    Bargain-shopping app Temu's entrance into the "ultra fast fashion" market might have been "meteoric," but that's because it rips off other brands' intellectual property to sell cheap copycat products, Brandy Melville alleges in a federal lawsuit, claiming Temu even uses the clothing brand's photographs to pull a "bait-and-switch" on shoppers.

  • July 22, 2025

    IP Notebook: Cox Piracy Appeal, Ugliest House, Keyword Feud

    The U.S. Supreme Court's decision to review Cox Communications Inc.'s appeal regarding the liability of internet service providers for their customers' music piracy has prompted defendants to request stays in separate intellectual property litigation until the question is resolved, but plaintiffs say that's no reason for delays.

  • July 22, 2025

    USPTO Employee Held In China Amid Visa Disclosure Dispute

    The U.S. State Department said Tuesday it is speaking with Chinese government officials about a U.S. Patent and Trademark Office employee who is being prevented from leaving the country.

  • July 22, 2025

    Ex-Mich. Players Say Ohio Ruling Can't Sink $50M NIL Suit

    Former University of Michigan football players have told the court the NCAA and the Big Ten Conference cannot use a similar case in Ohio to escape the players' antitrust suit accusing the defendants of monopolizing profits and depriving athletes of their fair share.

  • July 22, 2025

    SAP Sues Startup For IP Infringement Amid US Antitrust Suit

    German software giant SAP SE has sued a smaller rival for patent infringement in Europe's patent court, as it defends against U.S. claims that it is pushing the competitor out of the vaguely defined market for business process analysis service.

Expert Analysis

  • AI Use In Class Actions Comes With Risks And Rewards

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    The use of artificial intelligence in class actions holds promise for helping to analyze complex evidence, but attorneys and experts must understand how to use it correctly, and how to explain it clearly, say Simone Jones and Eric Mattson at Sidley and Anna Shakotko at Cornerstone Research.

  • 10 Soft Skills Every GC Should Master

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    As businesses face shifting regulatory and technological uncertainty, general counsel will need to strengthen certain soft skills to succeed, from admitting when they make a mistake to maintaining a healthy dose of dispassion, says Douglas Brown at Manatt.

  • Fed Circ.'s PTAB Ruling Highlights Obsolete Rationale

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    The Federal Circuit's recent decision in In re: Riggs shines a new light on its 2015 decision in Dynamic Drinkware v. National Graphics, and raises questions about why the claim support requirement established by Dynamic Drinkware exists at all, say attorneys at Patterson Belknap.

  • An Unrestrained, Bright-Eyed View Of Legal AI's Future

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    Todd Itami at Covington offers a bright-eyed, laughing-all-the-way, skydive look at what the legal industry could look like after an artificial intelligence revolution, which he believes may happen much sooner and more dramatically than we expect.

  • Tracking The Evolution In Litigation Finance

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    Despite continued innovation, litigation finance remains an immature market with borrowers recieving significantly different terms as lenders learn to value cases, which firms need a strong handle on to ensure lending terms do not overwhelm collateral value, says Robert Wilkins at Lightfoot Franklin.

  • How Courts Weigh Section 1782 Discovery For UPC Cases

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    A look at cases from six different federal district courts reveals a number of discretionary factors that influence how courts consider Section 1782 discovery applications in connection with Unified Patent Court proceedings, say attorneys at Finnegan.

  • Series

    Volunteer Firefighting Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    While practicing corporate law and firefighting may appear incongruous, the latter benefits my legal career by reminding me of the importance of humility, perspective and education, says Nicholas Passaro at Ford.

  • Unpacking FTC's New Stance On Standard-Essential Patents

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    Under its new chairman, Andrew Ferguson, the Federal Trade Commission is likely to bring more stand-alone Section 5 cases to challenge anticompetitive conduct, and it will be important for companies to see how the FTC responds to allegations of patent holdup by standard-essential patent holders committed to fair, reasonable and nondiscriminatory terms, say attorneys at Mayer Brown.

  • Unpacking USPTO Foreign Fraudulent Trademark Crackdown

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    The recent show cause order issued by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office to Shenzhen Seller Growth Network Technology Co. Ltd. and its affiliates could lead to the cancellation of approximately 42,000 trademark registrations, highlighting the necessity of heightened vigilance in vetting foreign trademark filings, says Judy Yen at Omnus Law.

  • E-Discovery Quarterly: The Perils Of Digital Data Protocols

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    Though stipulated protocols governing the treatment of electronically stored information in litigation are meant to streamline discovery, recent disputes demonstrate that certain missteps in the process can lead to significant inefficiencies, say attorneys at Sidley.

  • Series

    Law School's Missed Lessons: Preparing For Corporate Work

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    Law school often doesn't cover the business strategy, financial fluency and negotiation skills needed for a successful corporate or transactional law practice, but there are practical ways to gain relevant experience and achieve the mindset shifts critical to a thriving career in this space, says Dakota Forsyth at Olshan Frome.

  • How Patent Prosecution Length Affects Infringement Findings

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    A statistical analysis of patent litigation shows an inverse correlation between the number of office actions a patent application receives before allowance and the likelihood that a patent will be found infringing, though this trend varies based on examiner toughness, say attorneys at Baker Botts.

  • Takeaways From Gov't Report On AI Copyrightability

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    A recent report from the U.S. Copyright Office is a critical step toward establishing a framework for determining the copyrightability of work created in whole or in part by artificial intelligence systems, solidifying the office's positions on AI tools and advanced prompt techniques, say attorneys at Skadden.

  • Strategies To Help Witnesses Manage Deposition Anxiety

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    During and leading up to deposition, witnesses may experience anxiety stemming from numerous sources and manifesting in a variety of ways, but attorneys can help them mitigate their stress using a few key methods, say consultants at Courtroom Sciences.

  • 3 Red Flags To Watch For When Valuing Patent Portfolios

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    As forward-looking intellectual property valuations become increasingly popular, recognizing potential concerns during the due diligence process can help develop a more accurate understanding of a portfolio's true value and potential risk, says Keegan Caldwell at Caldwell Law.

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