Ex-DOJ Chief Lambastes 'Abuses Of Power' In Goldstein Case

By Jeff Overley

The U.S. Department of Justice constantly made false statements in its criminal case against famed appellate advocate Tom Goldstein, and his convictions must be erased because "prosecutorial misconduct pervaded every stage of the proceedings," a former DOJ prosecutor told the Fourth Circuit.

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Analysis

AI 'Brainrot' Fight Tests Copyright, TM Reach Of Viral Memes

By Ivan Moreno

A bat-wielding wooden drum named Tung Tung Sahur is raising questions Mickey Mouse, Godzilla and James Bond never posed: Can a "brainrot" character created using artificial intelligence be protected by copyright, and can it later function as a trademark if it went viral before anyone used it as a brand?

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Disney, Cameron Beat Actress' 'Avatar' Likeness Suit, For Now

By Rae Ann Varona

A California federal judge on Friday dismissed indigenous actress Q'orianka Kilcher's lawsuit accusing Disney and director James Cameron of using her face to craft the main character in the science fiction film "Avatar," but gave the actress a chance to amend her suit.

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Carlton Fields Can Fight For Fees In Miss America Case

By Rose Krebs

A Florida federal judge has ruled that Carlton Fields can intervene in a dispute involving its charging lien for unpaid legal fees in a $500 million fight over the ownership of the Miss America competition, saying the firm has a "sufficient interest" to intervene.

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Judge Questions Whether 'Lawfare' Fund Fight Is Really Moot

By Jared Foretek

A Virginia federal judge seemed unlikely to toss a challenge to the Trump administration's nixed "Anti-Weaponization Fund" and tax audit immunity for the Trump family Friday, saying she worries the fund could be revived in a different form down the road.

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Universal, Sony Expand IP Battle With AI Music Startup

By Carolyn Muyskens

Sony Music Entertainment and Universal Music Group launched a new suit against artificial intelligence company Suno Inc. on Friday after they discovered "millions" of copyrighted songs in the training data for an AI song generator, but were not permitted by a judge to add the works to an existing lawsuit.

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Paramount Gets Foreign Investment Nod For $110B WBD Deal

By Al Barbarino

The Federal Communications Commission has approved a Paramount Skydance request to permit foreign ownership as part of its $110 billion plan to buy Warner Bros. Discovery. 

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McGraw-Hill Can't Exit Authors' Textbook Royalty Suit

By Elliot Weld

A Manhattan federal judge has refused to grant publisher McGraw-Hill a win in litigation brought by textbook authors over book royalties, ruling that a reasonable jury could conclude there was a breach of a section of their publishing agreements.

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Apple Says Ex-Worker Took 33 Files, Wiped Mac For OpenAI

By Ivan Moreno

Apple has told a California federal judge that a former engineer now at OpenAI downloaded at least 33 confidential files from Apple's Box repository after his departure, wiped an Apple-owned computer before returning it, and later told another former Apple employee who had joined OpenAI to erase her device.

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DraftKings' Owner Urges PTAB To Invalidate Lutnick's Patent

By Dani Kass

The owner of DraftKings has asked the Patent Trial and Appeal Board to invalidate a mobile wagering system patent that lists U.S. Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick as its lead inventor.

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3rd Circ. Refuses To Pause Daniel's Law Cases Amid Appeal

By Carla Baranauckas

The Third Circuit on Friday refused to pause discovery in consolidated litigation accusing data brokers of violating New Jersey's judicial privacy statute, known as Daniel's Law, while it considers a First Amendment challenge to the statute.

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Facebook's Notes System Better Handles Misinfo, Exec Says

By Cara Salvatore

Meta's chief product officer told a New Mexico jury Friday that Facebook's switch from fact-checkers to crowdsourced notes helped combat misinformation, but he was also grilled about a Mark Zuckerberg email that supposedly envisioned "tricking" users into public posting.

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NJ Seeks Quick Win On TikTok's Money Transfers

By Joyce Hanson

New Jersey's attorney general urged a state court Friday to find TikTok liable for operating an unlicensed money transmission business via its livestreaming service, arguing the platform receives users' money, converts it into virtual currency and ultimately pays creators in cash.

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Roblox, Fortnite Not Actually Classroom-Safe, Student Says

By Emily Field

A Florida teenager has sued online gaming platforms Roblox and Fortnite in California federal court, alleging that although the games are marketed as educational and safe for children — even in classrooms — his gaming addiction harmed his academic performance.

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Gaming Record Label Sues Rival Over YouTube Takedowns

By Rachel Riley

Video-game music record label GameChops launched a lawsuit in Washington federal court Friday accusing a Washington-based competitor of a campaign to force it to accept "unjustified and unreasonable demands," primarily by flagging its YouTube videos for takedown based on fabricated copyright concerns.

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Roblox Struggles To Shake LA County Public Nuisance Suit

By Craig Clough

As a California judge appeared poised Friday to deny Roblox's bid to dismiss Los Angeles County's lawsuit alleging the child-focused gaming platform is a "hunting ground for predators," a company attorney encouraged him to at least trim some allegations on free speech grounds.

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Analysis

Keeping Google Ad Tech Biz Intact 'Not A Close Call'

By Bryan Koenig

The Justice Department Antitrust Division and Federal Trade Commission are now 0-3 in their efforts to break up major technology companies, and with monopolization trials still ahead against Amazon.com and Apple, observers say a Virginia federal judge's newly unsealed ruling underscores the legal and practical difficulties of those efforts.

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OpenAI Can't See SpaceXAI, Apple Antitrust Settlement Terms

By Ganesh Setty

OpenAI cannot access a confidential settlement between Elon Musk's SpaceXAI and Apple Inc. over SpaceXAI's antitrust lawsuit challenging Apple's integration of OpenAI's ChatGPT into its devices, a Texas federal court has ruled, finding the settlement isn't relevant to the case against OpenAI.

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Disney Plan Must Cover Trans Child's Mental Health Treatment

By Gina Kim

Disney's benefits plan must reimburse an employee for her transgender child's medical care at a residential treatment facility for major depressive disorder, suicidal ideations and instances of self-harm, after a California federal judge ruled such care was necessary, "appropriate, and not feasible at a lower level of care."

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FCC OKs Swedish Lawnmower Robots Amid Foreign Ban

By Nadia Dreid

For the first time since banning all foreign-made robots from being imported into the country, the Federal Communications Commission is making an exception for certain Swedish-made robotic lawnmowers.

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4th Circ. Punts Decision On Forcing FCC Political Ad Ruling

By Christopher Cole

The Fourth Circuit deferred action Friday on a request from Democrats to force a Federal Communications Commission ruling on whether broadcasters have to charge the lowest broadcast ad rates for political committees tied to candidates.

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Roundup

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

By Poppy Grainger

The past week in London has seen Victoria's Secret and Thomas Pink file competing IP claims, more than 1,000 retail consumers launch a group action against Binance, Baker Hughes targeted in a commercial claim by its former Russian subsidiary and university students hit four British institutions with breach of contract claims over pandemic-era closures.

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5th Circ. Embedding Decision Could Recast Copyright Claims

The Fifth Circuit's decision in Emmerich v. Particle Media addresses decades of ambiguity surrounding whether embedded content can constitute copyright infringement, potentially affecting how defense counsel fight against such claims, say attorneys at Greenberg Glusker.

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Senior Lawyers Survey: Tell Us About Your Career

How are senior lawyers adapting to evolving career paths and emerging technologies? Share your perspective in this five-minute survey.

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The 2026 Regional Powerhouses

By Cara Bayles

From major deals to high-profile litigation, the firms named to Law360's 2026 Regional Powerhouses list are leading the way across 14 states. They deliver deep regional expertise and make a lasting impact at the state and local level.

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Analysis

Attys 'Itching' To Join Congressional Probes Of Trump Admin

By Phillip Bantz

Efforts to recruit high-powered lawyers to Capitol Hill to potentially lead congressional committee probes into the various dealings of President Donald Trump's administration are gaining momentum as Democrats push to retake control of Congress in the quickly approaching midterm elections.

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Roundup

Taxation With Representation: Davis Polk, Latham, Sullivan

By Zak Kostro

In this week's Taxation With Representation, a group backed by Michael Dell's family office and Sequence Holdings acquires a majority interest in The Baldwin Group, May Mobility merges with a blank check company, and Infineon Technologies sells its memory chip business to Winbond Electronics.

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Ex-Wis. Judge Keeps License Amid ICE Conviction Appeal

By Ryan Boysen

The ex-Wisconsin judge convicted of obstructing an ICE arrest will remain an attorney in good standing while she appeals, after the Supreme Court of Wisconsin declined to suspend her law license.

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Richards Layton Litigator Selected For Chancery Seat In Del.

By Rose Krebs

A Richards Layton & Finger PA attorney has been nominated by Delaware Gov. Matt Meyer to serve on the bench of the nationally important Chancery Court, a venue that adjudicates some of the biggest corporate law cases.

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Chief US District Judge In SC To Take Senior Status Oct. 1

By Courtney Bublé

Chief U.S. District Judge Timothy Cain of the District of South Carolina has informed the president that he will be taking semiretired status on Oct. 1, according to an update posted Friday by the federal judiciary.

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Roundup

GC Cheat Sheet: The Hottest Corporate News Of The Week

By Michele Gorman

Starbucks settled a high-profile discrimination suit with Florida over its diversity, equity and inclusion policies, agreeing not to use race- or sex-based goals in hiring and promoting. And the SEC floated changing how publicly traded companies seek shareholder input, including promising to end one pathway for shareholders to place their proposals on corporate ballots. These are among the stories in corporate legal news you may have missed in the past week.

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Reed Smith Defends Docs Production In Ex-Atty's Bias Suit

By Jake Maher

Reed Smith LLP urged a New Jersey court on Thursday to reject an "impulsive" motion from a former attorney suing it for gender discrimination seeking to strike its answer and affirmative defenses.

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Law360's Legal Lions Of The Week

By Kevin Penton

Schemery Zicolello leads this week's edition of Law360 Legal Lions, after a Third Circuit panel ruled that police cannot conduct warrantless strip searches outside of jails or prisons absent consent or an emergency.

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In Case You Missed It: Hottest Firms And Stories On Law360

For those who missed out, here's a look back at the law firms, stories and expert analyses that generated the most buzz on Law360 last week.

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