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Intellectual Property
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April 24, 2024
Feds Want Disbarred Atty's FOIA Suit Over USPTO Docs Axed
The federal government urged a North Carolina federal court Wednesday to toss a disbarred attorney's sprawling Freedom of Information Act lawsuit over U.S. Patent and Trademark Office documents, arguing the case is one of a dozen duplicative, meritless suits the plaintiff has filed.
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April 24, 2024
3 Takeaways On How AI Is Forcing Publicity Rights To Evolve
As digital replicas of someone's voice, image or likeness become easier to create with the help of artificial intelligence, this new era of deepfakes is shining a spotlight on the nation's patchwork of right-of-publicity laws and raising questions over when Congress may act to pass a national framework.
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April 24, 2024
Map Co. Objects To Recommendation Of Tossing IP Case
A mapping company has taken issue with a recommendation by a federal magistrate judge in New York that its copyright infringement lawsuit against environmental risk assessment data company ERIS Information should be tossed.
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April 24, 2024
Judge Unconvinced That Barstool Sports Swiped Shop Photo
A new copyright lawsuit against Barstool Sports may not get off the ground after a New York federal judge questioned whether the image the photographer included in her complaint is the same one the company used on its website.
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April 24, 2024
Sanction Bank Workers Who Hid IP Grab, Branding Firm Says
An architectural and marketing firm has asked a Philadelphia federal judge for sanctions against two of its former employees who jumped ship for Republic Bank, saying that texts between the ex-employees show the "nadir of bad faith" about evidence destruction in their trade secrets misappropriation suit.
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April 24, 2024
Pegasystems Cuts $35M Deal To End Investor Suit
Pegasystems Inc. has agreed to pay $35 million to settle a shareholder suit in Massachusetts federal court alleging the software company failed to properly disclose a rival's trade secret litigation that led to a $2 billion verdict.
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April 24, 2024
Under Armour Must Show Shoe Sponsor Deals In Patent Row
Under Armour is being forced to turn over information relating to deals it has with athletes like basketball star Stephen Curry as part of a patent infringement lawsuit, but the Texas federal judge in the case limited how much the sportswear company has to provide.
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April 24, 2024
Reggie Bush Scores Heisman Back After Nearly 15 Years
Nearly 15 years after being stripped of his records and awards, former University of Southern California running back and football legend Reggie Bush is getting his 2005 Heisman Trophy back, with the Heisman Trophy Trust citing "enormous changes" in the college football environment.
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April 24, 2024
Ex-Yukos Oil Shareholders To Auction Russian Vodka Brands
The Benelux rights to trademarks for 18 Russian vodka brands, including Stolichnaya and Moskovskaya, will go to auction in June in the Netherlands, the former shareholders of Yukos Oil Co. said Wednesday as they sought to enforce arbitral awards now valued at $60 billion.
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April 24, 2024
Colo. Cooler-Maker Says License Didn't Undo Patent Rights
A Colorado company that makes soft-sided coolers has argued a 2023 licensing agreement didn't give away its exclusive rights to some patents as a Canadian rival has claimed, arguing the deal preserved its right to enforce the patents at issue.
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April 24, 2024
Toy Developer, Chinese Co. Settle Robot Source Code Suit
A Pittsburgh-based robot toy designer has settled and dismissed its dispute with a Chinese competitor over the alleged copying of the source code for a toy design acquired from a predecessor, according to federal court filings Tuesday.
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April 23, 2024
10th Circ. Orders Redo Of $96M Award After Top Court Ruling
The Tenth Circuit on Tuesday ordered an Oklahoma federal court to recalculate a $96 million trademark infringement award won by a radio control maker against its European former partners after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled last year that the Lanham Act applies only to domestic conduct in commerce.
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April 23, 2024
Sanctioned Patent Challenger Fights VLSI Bid To ID Members
Patent Quality Assurance LLC, which successfully challenged a VLSI chip patent but was sanctioned by the patent office, urged a Virginia federal judge Tuesday not to make it identify the people behind the company, saying VLSI wants their names to "seek retribution against them."
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April 23, 2024
Meta Secures Partial Trim Of Video Technology Patent Suit
A federal judge has narrowed a suit accusing Meta Platforms Inc. of infringing patents related to video technology, throwing out one of VideoLabs' patents but letting the patent owner keep moving forward with another.
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April 23, 2024
Forbes Wins Bid To Nix Order In Mexican Distributor Fight
A New York federal judge on Tuesday barred a Mexican distributor of Forbes magazine from trying to enforce an order from a court in Mexico City precluding the publication from terminating their deal while the companies gear up to arbitrate a renewal dispute.
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April 23, 2024
NY Judge Won't Allow Default Judgment On Tekashi 6ix9ine
A New York federal judge said a Miami rapper's motion for default judgment against Tekashi 6ix9ine, aka Daniel Hernandez, in a copyright infringement lawsuit should be denied, saying the rapper hadn't fully complied with the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act to show Hernandez isn't in the military.
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April 23, 2024
Jury Suggests $25M Damages For Co.'s Malicious IP Misuse
A Colorado federal jury has said a display technology company must pay $5.1 million for misusing a business partner's trade secrets during the development of a wireless headset, and recommended the company be punished with another $19.7 million in damages for its malicious conduct.
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April 23, 2024
Medtronic Patent Fight With Axonics Set For September Trial
A California federal judge has lifted a stay in Medtronic's patent infringement suit against Axonics over an electrical stimulation system, while also scheduling a trial for September.
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April 23, 2024
CoStar Rival Is Asking To Free Ride, 9th Circ. Told
CoStar urged the Ninth Circuit not to revive antitrust counterclaims from Commercial Real Estate Exchange Inc., despite backing from the Federal Trade Commission, arguing the rival is trying to use antitrust law to get free access to its platforms.
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April 23, 2024
AI Invention Guidance Adds New Patent Wrinkles, Attys Say
Recent guidance from the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office that inventions developed with assistance from artificial intelligence tools can be patented prompted a sigh of relief among many attorneys, but confronting the nuances will create challenges, experts said Tuesday.
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April 23, 2024
Wash. Urges Federal Court To Set Bad Faith Test For IP Cases
A Washington federal judge should apply a standard analyzing patterns of harassment when determining whether the owner of a data processing network patent acted in bad faith by issuing nearly 2,000 uniform demand letters alleging infringement, the state attorney general's office has argued.
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April 23, 2024
Buchanan Ingersoll Lands Former PTAB Judge In Del.
A former administrative judge at the Patent Trial and Appeal Board is going back to private practice, helping build Buchanan Ingersoll & Rooney PC's Delaware presence of patent professionals.
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April 23, 2024
Embattled Ex-Animal Rescue Executive Hit With TM Suit
Last Chance Ranch, a nonprofit animal shelter and rescue based in Pennsylvania, has sued its former executive director — who was accused of stealing a kangaroo — and a new nonprofit she created, alleging unauthorized use of the shelter's name and trademarks.
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April 22, 2024
Eli Lilly Tells Fed. Circ. $177M Patent Loss Was Rightly Axed
Eli Lilly & Co. has urged the Federal Circuit to uphold a Massachusetts federal judge's decision that wiped out a $176.5 million verdict against it for infringing Teva migraine drug patents, saying the lower court correctly found the patent claims to be invalid.
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April 22, 2024
Jack Daniel's, VIP Hold Firm In Yearslong Dog Toy TM Fight
Jack Daniel's has told an Arizona federal court that VIP Products LLC's contention that its chewy, poop-themed dog toys in the shape of whiskey bottles do not infringe or dilute Jack Daniel's brand is an old argument, borne from a desire to litigate the case "from scratch" after the U.S. Supreme Court rejected its First Amendment defense last year.
Expert Analysis
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Series
Serving As A Sheriff's Deputy Made Me A Better Lawyer
Skills developed during my work as a reserve deputy — where there was a need to always be prepared, decisive and articulate — transferred to my practice as an intellectual property litigator, and my experience taught me that clients often appreciate and relate to the desire to participate in extracurricular activities, says Michael Friedland at Friedland Cianfrani.
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Fears About The End Of Chevron Deference Are Overblown
While some are concerned about repercussions if the U.S. Supreme Court brings an end to Chevron deference in the Loper and Relentless cases this term, agencies and attorneys would survive just fine under the doctrines that have already begun to replace it, say Daniel Wolff and Henry Leung at Crowell & Moring.
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How Suit Over An AI George Carlin May Lead To Legislation
George Carlin’s estate recently sued a company over an artificial intelligence-generated podcast allegedly impersonating the late comedian, highlighting the importance of much-needed state and federal protection against unauthorized representations of an individual’s image in the time of AI, say Anna Chauvet and Maxime Jarquin at Finnegan.
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Parsing Chinese Governance On AI-Generated Content
As essential risk-mitigation, companies with a China reach should be aware of recent developments in Chinese oversight of AI-generated content, including the latest rulings and regulations as well as the updated ambit for supervisory bodies, say Jet Deng and Ken Dai at Dacheng.
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Negotiating Milestones In Pharma Licenses Requires Care
For life sciences companies, understanding the unique issues that arise in licensing agreements' milestone payment provisions can increase the likelihood and amount of payments received by the licensor and ensure payments are carefully and closely tied to events that truly drive value for the licensee, say Edward Angelini at Amneal Pharmaceutical and Lori Waldron at Sills Cummis.
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Former Minn. Chief Justice Instructs On Writing Better Briefs
Former Minnesota Supreme Court Chief Justice Lorie Gildea, now at Greenberg Traurig, offers strategies on writing more effective appellate briefs from her time on the bench.
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Trending At The PTAB: How Q1 Policymaking Affects Practice
Attorneys at Finnegan consider the first quarter's U.S. Patent and Trademark Office policymaking initiatives and how they may affect practice before the PTAB, including a rule that would codify the current pilot program that allows patent owners two opportunities to amend the challenged claims.
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Stay Interviews Are Key To Retaining Legal Talent
Even as the economy shifts and layoffs continue, law firms still want to retain their top attorneys, and so-called stay interviews — informal conversations with employees to identify potential issues before they lead to turnover — can be a crucial tool for improving retention and morale, say Tina Cohen Nicol and Kate Reder Sheikh at Major Lindsey.
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Direct Claims Ruling May Alter Gov't Ties To Software Firms
A recent Federal Circuit decision allowing a software developer to pursue legal action under the Contract Disputes Act could change the government's relationship with commercial software providers by permitting direct claims, even in third-party purchase situations, say Dan Ramish and Zach Prince at Haynes Boone.
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The Fed. Circ. In February: A Reminder On Procedure Rule 28
Because the Federal Circuit does not often issue a sua sponte precedential order emphasizing an important rule of practice, it is useful to look at how the court applied the restrictions of appellate procedure Rule 28 in Promptu v. Comcast last month, and in cases that preceded it, say Jeremiah Helm and Sean Murray at Knobbe Martens.
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Calif. High Court Ruling Has Lessons For Waiving Jury Trials
The California Supreme Court’s recent decision in TriCoast Builders v. Fonnegra, denying relief to a contractor that had waived its right to a jury trial, shows that litigants should always post jury fees as soon as possible, and seek writ review if the court denies relief from a waiver, say Steven Fleischman and Nicolas Sonnenburg at Horvitz & Levy.
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A Defense Strategy For Addressing Copyright Fee-Shifting
Permissive fee-shifting under Section 505 of the Copyright Act poses unique challenges for copyright defendants, carrying an outsize impact on the economic incentive structure in copyright litigation, but relying on a Federal Rule of Civil Procedure may offer a potential solution by allowing defendants to recover attorney fees, say Hugh Marbury and Molly Shaffer at Cozen O'Connor.
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Design Rights Can Build IP Protection, EU Lego Ruling Shows
The EU General Court's recent ruling in Delta Sport v. EU Intellectual Property Office — that Lego's registered community design for a building block was valid — helps clarify when technically dictated designs can enjoy IP protection, and demonstrates how companies can strategically use design rights to protect and enhance their market position, says Christoph Moeller at Mewburn Ellis.
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Contract Disputes Recap: Facts Differ But Same Rules Apply
Zachary Jacobson and Sarah Barney at Seyfarth examine two decisions illustrating that reliance on a technicality may not save an otherwise untimely appeal, and that enforcement of commercial terms and conditions under a federal supply schedule contract may be possible.
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Untangling The Legal Complexities Of Trade Secrets And AI
With broad adoption of generative artificial intelligence, some have suggested trade secret law is the best means for protecting innovations, but while this protection may apply to all forms of information, the breadth of coverage may make identifying the information and later misappropriation difficult, say Joshua Lerner and Nora Passamaneck at WilmerHale.