Analysis

Copyright Law's Nuances Pose Challenges To AI Music Suits

By Ivan Moreno

The rise of music created by artificial intelligence is introducing new challenges to copyright law, especially when AI-generated songs can sound strikingly similar to the works the technology is trained on.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Epic Beats $32.5M Infringement Claim Over Fortnite Concerts

By Rachel Riley

A Seattle federal jury said on Monday that Epic Games did not commit patent infringement by staging interactive concerts for players in the Fortnite virtual world starring pop artist Ariana Grande and rapper Travis Scott, rejecting an intellectual property firm's $32.5 million damages request following a weeklong trial.

Verdict attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Justices OK Tossing Copyright Case Against Ta-Nehisi Coates

By Adam Lidgett

A man who says author and journalist Ta-Nehisi Coates copied his work without permission lost his case at the U.S. Supreme Court after a majority of the justices recused themselves from the dispute.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Fed. Circ. Sides With Samsung In PTAB Fight With Power2B

By Adam Lidgett

Samsung on Monday won a fight at the Federal Circuit over Patent Trial and Appeal Board decisions regarding a pair of patents on stylus detection technology, finding all the challenged claims were unpatentable.

Opinion attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

9th Circ. Weighs 'WallStreetBets' Ownership In Reddit TM Suit

By Ivan Moreno

The Ninth Circuit on Monday wrestled with whether the founder of Reddit Inc.'s WallStreetBets forum owns the name or if it belongs to the platform, with a judge at one point wondering whether the parties could find a way to coexist.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Judge Gilstrap Recuses From Cisco Patent Cases In EDTX

By Adam Lidgett

U.S. District Judge Rodney Gilstrap has agreed to step away from overseeing a pair of lawsuits in his Texas courtroom accusing Cisco Systems Inc. of patent infringement, handing the cases off to another judge.

2 documents attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Va. State Judge Clears VLSI's Fraud Suit Against PQA

By Dani Kass

Patent Quality Assurance and an associated attorney must face litigation accusing them of fraud during an inter partes review against VLSI Technology, a Virginia state judge has concluded.

Opinion attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Bluebird Beats Patent Case Over Blood Disease Therapies

By Theresa Schliep

A Delaware federal judge has tossed a lawsuit against Bluebird Bio alleging two of its multimillion-dollar gene therapy treatments for blood disorders infringed patents held by San Rocco Therapeutics LLC, after the dispute had been narrowed by a previous claim construction ruling.

Opinion attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

USPTO Seeks Input On Guidelines For Fighting Online Fakes

By Elaine Briseño

The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office published a notice in the Federal Register on Monday requesting comments from intellectual property rights holders, online marketplaces and others on draft guidelines to combat the illicit trade and sale of counterfeit goods on the internet.

Motion attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Co. Topples IP Dispute By Having Crane Patent Nixed

By Theresa Schliep

A Washington federal judge has dismissed an inventor's patent infringement case against a heavy lifting and transport company, finding that claims in the patent covering a crane system are invalid as indefinite.

Opinion attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Licensing Co. Ends Caller ID Patent Suit Against Salesforce

By Isaac Monterose

A patent licensing company has decided to permanently end its suit in Texas federal court against Salesforce, which was accused of infringing the company's caller ID patent with its AI software products.

1 document attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

U. Of Minnesota, Broadcom End Computer Storage IP Case

By Isaac Monterose

The Regents of the University of Minnesota have settled their hard disk drive patent infringement claims against two indirect Broadcom subsidiaries, according to a joint status report filed in California federal court.

2 documents attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Fed. Circ. Sends TM Fight Over Perfume Mark Back To TTAB

By Ivan Moreno

The Federal Circuit on Monday found that a trademark tribunal wrongly dismissed Sferra Fine Linens' opposition to Sfera Joven's trademark application, remanding the case with a directive that some of the likelihood-of-confusion factors be reanalyzed.

Opinion attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

'Baby Shark' Wins Bid To Keep Knockoff Products Off Shelves

By Gina Kim

The PinkFong Co., creator of the viral "Baby Shark" song, has been granted a temporary restraining order against counterfeit businesses infringing its trademarks by advertising and distributing knockoff merchandise through their seller accounts on Amazon and Walmart, according to an order unsealed last week in New York federal court.

Complaint attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Heineken Unit Settles Palm Trees Beer Logo Dispute

By Isaac Monterose

A Heineken unit's beer brand with Cuban origins and its holding company have settled their trademark infringement suit accusing a rival brewery of infringing their palm trees logo, according to a Monday notice filed in Florida federal court.

Notice attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Let's Talk About Rights: Salt-N-Pepa Sue UMG To Reclaim IP

By Gina Kim

Hip-hop duo Salt-N-Pepa sued UMG in New York federal court on Monday, saying the music company refused to return the copyrights for several of their hits, including "Push It" and "Let's Talk About Sex," and for punishing their attempt to assert their rights by removing songs from streaming platforms and distribution channels.

Complaint attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

4th Circ. Partially Revives Eye Drop Maker's IP Theft Suit

By Dorothy Atkins

A Fourth Circuit panel partially revived Monday eye drop maker OSRX Inc.'s trade secret theft lawsuit against a former sales executive who is accused of defecting to rival ImprimisRx with OSRX's confidential information, affirming the lower court's decision to send claims against the ex-executive to arbitration, but rebooting allegations against ImprimisRx.

Opinion attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Ex-Workers Want Mercer Global's Info Theft Suit Tossed

By Kelcey Caulder

Two former employees and their new company have asked a Georgia federal court to dismiss wealth management firm Mercer Global Advisors' lawsuit accusing them of stealing confidential information to unlawfully solicit clients and transfer $90 million to their new business.

Motion attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

NCAA Defends Latest NIL Deal Revisions In Bid For Approval

By David Steele

Contrary to claims by some athletes that they will be harmed by roster limitations in a proposed $2.78 billion name, image and likeness settlement, the NCAA has told a California federal judge the latest changes will ensure "beyond a doubt" those athletes are treated fairly.

2 documents attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

5 Tribunals' Rules To Help Patent Litigators Avoid AI Disasters

Tech-savvy patent litigators are uniquely poised to stay current on the latest developments in artificial intelligence, such that courts may have even higher expectations for their compliance with AI rules, including the standing orders of several patent-heavy fora, say attorneys at Finnegan.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Feds To Use FCA To Go After Antisemitism, DEI Policies

By Lauren Berg

The U.S. Department of Justice announced Monday that it will use the False Claims Act to go after any recipients of federal funds that the agency determines promote diversity, equity and inclusion policies, and allow antisemitism to thrive.

Memorandum attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Posner Wins Ex-Staffer's $170K Wage Suit

By Emily Sawicki

A former executive at retired Seventh Circuit Judge Richard Posner's short-lived pro bono legal services organization lost his bid for $170,000 in back pay he claimed to be owed on Monday when an Indiana federal court found claims to be untimely.

Opinion attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Goldstein Assails 'Radical' DOJ Case, Probe Of 'Sexual Habits'

By Jeff Overley

In his most forceful attack on tax evasion charges that have roiled the U.S. Supreme Court bar, indicted appellate icon Thomas C. Goldstein is accusing the U.S. Department of Justice of embracing "breathtaking" legal theories and revealing prurient information about him "to bias the grand jury."

8 documents attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Ex-Litigator Settles Disability Bias Suit Against Wilson Elser

By Emily Sawicki

A former Wilson Elser Moskowitz Edelman & Dicker LLP litigator on Monday agreed to permanently drop his federal disability bias suit against the firm, after the sides came to a confidential resolution.

1 document attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Avenatti Rips 'Draconian' Bid To Add 13 Years To Sentence

By Elliot Weld

Former high-profile attorney Michael Avenatti asked a California federal judge to reject the government's request to tack on more than 13 years to his prison term, saying such a "draconian" result would conflict with a Ninth Circuit ruling wiping out a previous sentence in the fraud case.

2 documents attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Justices Allow End Of Temporary Protections For Venezuelans

By Katie Buehler

The U.S. Supreme Court ruled Monday that the Trump administration may rescind temporary protected status for Venezuelans, lifting a California federal judge's order requiring the government to keep Biden-era removal protections and work authorizations in place during a legal battle over a policy change.

Order attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Split DC Circ. Pauses Halt On Trump's Union Rights Order

By Beverly Banks

A divided D.C. Circuit panel greenlighted President Donald Trump's request to pause a lower court decision that blocked the implementation of an executive order aimed at ending collective bargaining rights for federal employees, concluding the injunction ruling "ties the government's hands."

Order attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Kirkland Guides Blackstone's $11.5B Deal For TXNM Energy

By Al Barbarino

Blackstone Infrastructure has agreed to acquire regulated utility holding company TXNM Energy in an all-cash transaction valued at $11.5 billion, including net debt and preferred stock, TXNM said in a Monday announcement.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »