Intellectual Property

  • October 16, 2025

    7th Circ. Affirms French Montana's Win In Copyright Case

    The Seventh Circuit on Thursday backed French Montana's win in a copyright case brought by a musician who alleged the rapper sampled his instrumental song to make the hit single "Ain't Worried About Nothin'," saying there wasn't evidence to show Montana duplicated the work "as opposed to merely imitating it."

  • October 16, 2025

    Songwriters Claim Udio AI Was Trained On Copyrighted Music

    A group of songwriters is suing artificial intelligence company Udio AI, claiming its music-generating AI models were trained using copyrighted music scraped from the internet.

  • October 16, 2025

    Amazon Claims Calif. Lawyer, Chinese Firms Pulled IP Scheme

    Amazon is suing a California lawyer and four Chinese companies, among others, over an alleged scheme to fraudulently register thousands of trademarks with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office and then wrongfully report infringement by other Amazon sellers.

  • October 16, 2025

    USPTO Says Fed. Circ. Should Skip 'Settled Expectations' Case

    The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office wants the Federal Circuit to reject a challenge to the way the agency has denied review of patents based on the owner's "settled expectations," saying Thursday it has full discretion on whether to review patents or not.

  • October 16, 2025

    Authors Say Salesforce Used Pirated Books To Train Its AI

    A pair of authors accused Salesforce of improperly training its artificial intelligence models on copyrighted works, telling a California federal court Wednesday that the cloud-based software company used their pirated books in "its acts of massive copyright infringement."

  • October 16, 2025

    Fed. Circ. Won't Revive Gesture Patent After Reexam

    The Federal Circuit on Thursday backed a Patent Trial and Appeal Board decision that tossed claims in a motion sensor patent owned by Gesture Technology Partners LLC, the latest development in a larger patent dispute involving the company.

  • October 16, 2025

    Research Exec Faked Data, Worked For Rivals, $10M Suit Says

    A Massachusetts marketing and political research firm that has done work for Snapchat, Paramount and the government says its co-founder and former chief analytics officer falsified data and used its resources on projects for competitors, and is seeking at least $10 million in damages in a recently launched lawsuit.

  • October 16, 2025

    Jazz Denied Preferred Drug Royalty Rate, But Still Gets Boost

    A Delaware federal judge has agreed to increase the royalty rate a specialty drugmaker has to pay drug manufacturer Jazz Pharmaceuticals Inc. for using a patented process behind a newer narcolepsy drug, but by less than what Jazz asked for.

  • October 16, 2025

    'GirlDad' TM Fight Expands To 'GirlMom,' 'BoyDad,' 'BoyMom'

    A trademark battle over the "GirlDad" trademark expanded to the marks "GirlMom," "BoyDad" and "BoyMom" as an apparel company accused a rival of infringing all four in Ohio federal court.

  • October 16, 2025

    Netflix Keeps Win In Documentary IP Suit From Atty's Film Co.

    A New Jersey federal judge this week declined to reconsider his order throwing out an attorney's copyright infringement suit against Netflix Inc. over his documentary about sexual abuse in the Boy Scouts of America.

  • October 16, 2025

    Nexus Wants New Trial After Exela Cleared In $89M IP Case

    Nexus Pharmaceuticals has asked a Delaware federal judge to order a new trial on its patent infringement claims against rival Exela Pharma Sciences, saying a jury that cleared Exela of those claims in September did so "against the great weight of evidence."

  • October 16, 2025

    Music Giants Say Cox Case Isn't About Grandma Losing Wi-Fi

    Leading music publishers have urged the U.S. Supreme Court to affirm that internet service providers can be contributorily liable for their customers' piracy if they fail to take action, saying a jury verdict against Cox Communications that led to a $1 billion award showed that the company "made a deliberate and egregious decision" to put profits first.

  • October 15, 2025

    Jack Smith And Other Ex-DOJ Staffers Slam Trump Purge

    Former U.S. Department of Justice employees, including former special counsel Jack Smith, spoke out Wednesday in support of colleagues fired or forced to resign by the Trump administration, issuing a warning about the "existential crisis" born from efforts to use the agency to punish the president's political opponents.

  • October 15, 2025

    Monster Energy Gets Another Shot At Camping Gear IP Claims

    The Ninth Circuit on Wednesday found that a lower court erred in throwing out Monster Energy's trademark infringement suit against the manufacturers of 4Monster camping gear, finding that a reasonable juror could find that the marks are confusingly similar.

  • October 15, 2025

    Top Del. Judge Details Views On Willful Infringement Issues

    A lawsuit cannot provide an accused infringer with the notice needed for a patent owner to allege indirect and willful infringement, and enhanced infringement demands aren't subject to dismissal motions, Delaware's top judge has ruled.

  • October 15, 2025

    Patent Examiners Facing Productivity Push, Higher Standards

    Officials at the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office on Wednesday detailed changes to patent examiners' performance requirements, outlining increased productivity goals, heightened supervisory scrutiny, and more strenuous evaluation standards for the examiner corps.

  • October 15, 2025

    Justices Told PTAB Has No Business Reviewing Expired IP

    Gesture Technology Partners LLC urged the U.S. Supreme Court on Wednesday to consider whether the Patent Trial and Appeal Board can review expired patents, pushing back on arguments from the government and several tech giants that the justices have already ruled it can't.

  • October 15, 2025

    Smart Thermostat Makers Keep PTAB, ITC Wins At Fed. Circ.

    Causam Enterprises owns the electrical utilities control patent it has accused ecobee and others of infringing with smart thermostats, but the patent is not valid, the Federal Circuit concluded Wednesday in a pair of precedential opinions.

  • October 15, 2025

    Professor Takes 'Rapunzel' TM Case To Supreme Court

    A law professor seeking to challenge a "Rapunzel" trademark as a consumer of fairy-tale toy characters has asked the U.S. Supreme Court to hear her out after the Federal Circuit upheld a finding that she lacked standing because her alleged injury wasn't commercial in nature.

  • October 15, 2025

    Fed. Circ. Won't Halt Magistrate Trial In Google Patent Case

    The Federal Circuit on Wednesday denied a request from a location tracking patent owner to prevent a magistrate judge from holding a bench trial on Google's equitable defenses to his infringement claims, saying the patent owner had not shown that proceeding with the case and filing an appeal after a judgment would be inadequate.

  • October 15, 2025

    Fed. Circ. Says Anti-SLAPP Motion Wrongly Denied In IP Case

    The Federal Circuit on Wednesday said a California district court wrongly denied several semiconductor manufacturers' anti-SLAPP motion in a case where they are accused of stealing trade secrets, saying in a precedential opinion that filing a patent application is protected activity under the state's law.

  • October 15, 2025

    Munchkin Wants $3.9M Sippy Cup Verdict Boosted To $8.2M

    Munchkin Inc. has asked an Illinois federal court to award it almost $8.2 million in damages after a jury last month said baby product maker TOMY International owes it $3.9 million for infringing a pair of patents on a spill-proof cup.

  • October 15, 2025

    Sysnet Says Ex-Worker Breached Noncompete With New Job

    Cybersecurity company Sysnet North America Inc. has filed suit against one of its former business relationship managers in federal court for allegedly violating the restrictive covenants in his employment contract by taking a job with a "direct competitor."

  • October 15, 2025

    Fed. Circ. Again Urged To Probe Settled Expectations Rule

    A nonprofit represented by former U.S. Patent and Trademark Office Director Kathi Vidal has thrown its weight behind the latest Federal Circuit petition challenging the USPTO's policy of denying review of patents based on the owner's "settled expectations," saying the rule is "economically harmful and legally unsound."

  • October 15, 2025

    Cal Poly Athletes Told Objections To NIL Deal Don't Hold Water

    The members of a college swimming and diving team that was eliminated by its school last March should blame the school itself for its demise, not the negotiators of a $2.78 billion class action athlete compensation settlement, the NCAA and the athlete class representatives told a California federal court in response to their objections.

Expert Analysis

  • 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.

  • Series

    Playing The Violin Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Playing violin in a string quartet reminds me that flexibility, ambition, strong listening skills, thoughtful leadership and intentional collaboration are all keys to a successful legal practice, says Julie Park at MoFo.

  • DOJ Enforcement Trends To Watch In 2nd Half Of 2025

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    Recent investigations, settlements and a declination to prosecute suggest that controlling the flow of goods into and out of the country, and redressing what the administration sees as reverse discrimination, are likely to be at the forefront of the U.S. Department of Justice's enforcement agenda the rest of this year, say attorneys at Baker Botts.

  • The State Of AI Adoption In The Patent Field

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    The use of generative artificial intelligence in patent-related practices has lagged behind early predictions, which may be explained by a number of core concerns that organizations must address before seriously considering adoption, say attorney Michael Drapkin and leadership coach Michael Colacchio.

  • Purdue Case Could Transform Patent Obviousness Analyses

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    If accepted for review by the U.S. Supreme Court, Purdue Pharma v. Accord Healthcare — concerning whether Purdue's abuse-deterrent opioid formulation patents were invalid as obvious — could significantly shift how courts weigh secondary considerations in patent obviousness analyses, say attorneys at Lathrop.

  • 'Top Gun' And 'Together' IP Suits Spotlight Similarity Issues

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    The outcome of recent lawsuits revolving around the films "Top Gun: Maverick" and "Together" may set meaningful precedents for how courts analyze substantial similarity in creative works, say attorneys at Greenspoon Marder.

  • Series

    Law School's Missed Lessons: Practicing Self-Care

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    Law schools don’t teach the mental, physical and emotional health maintenance tools necessary to deal with the profession's many demands, but practicing self-care is an important key to success that can help to improve focus, manage stress and reduce burnout, says Rachel Leonard​​​​​​​ at MG+M.

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