Apple Took Masimo IP But No Remedy Warranted, Judge Says

By Lauren Berg

A California federal judge determined Apple misappropriated two out of five of Masimo Corp.'s asserted trade secrets related to pulse oximetry technology for its smartwatches, but found Masimo's requests for an injunction and attorney fees unwarranted, according to a December bench trial ruling that was unsealed this week.

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

2nd Circ. Judge Unimpressed By OpenAI's IP Suit Stance

By Aaron Keller

A Second Circuit judge on Wednesday expressed surprise when an OpenAI attorney couldn't explain whether the company's artificial intelligence system duplicated Raw Story Media Inc.'s news articles while allegedly removing copyright management information from the online reports.

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

Zuckerberg, Snap CEO Likely Must Testify In School MDL Trial

By Dorothy Atkins

A California federal judge indicated Wednesday that Meta and Snap's CEOs will likely need to testify in an upcoming school district bellwether trial in the social media addiction multidistrict litigation, and declined Meta's bid to block arbitration demands, saying, "Meta's got plenty of money, go file a motion with the arbitration panel."

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

Google Wins Dismissal Of Tech Patent Fight In Calif.

By Adam Lidgett

A California federal judge has thrown out litigation accusing Google of infringing search and computer processing patents, finding the Irish company that sued it didn't have standing in one case and that a second case was duplicative of the first.

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

DOJ Defends Labeling Anthropic A Security Risk

By Tom Lotshaw

The Trump administration told a California federal judge it lawfully labeled Anthropic PBC a supply chain risk to national security after the company tried to "strong-arm" the U.S. Department of Defense into usage restrictions for its artificial intelligence tools.

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

'Chicken Soup' Publisher Says AI Cos. Stole Books' Soul

By Rae Ann Varona

The publisher of the "Chicken Soup for the Soul" books has accused Google, OpenAI and other Big Tech companies in California federal court of mass copyright infringement, saying the companies downloaded pirated copies of its first-person narrative books so that their artificial intelligence systems could replicate an "authentic human voice."

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

BMG Launches Copyright Suit Against Anthropic

By Elliot Weld

Music publisher BMG has hit artificial intelligence startup Anthropic with a copyright infringement suit alleging it made unauthorized use of recordings to train its Claude AI models, adding to a heap of legacy media companies accusing AI firms of infringement.

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

Squires' Latest Order Grants 9 Patent Reviews, Spurns 6

By Theresa Schliep

A new bulk order from the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office director on America Invents Act patent challenges denied six petitions and granted nine others, bringing the total number of institution decisions he's made since October past 400.

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

Senator Unveils Draft AI Bill Intended To Wipe Out State Regs

By Hailey Konnath

Sen. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., on Wednesday released a draft of proposed legislation that would override a "patchwork" of state artificial intelligence regulations, touting the proposal as protecting "children, creators, conservatives and communities" and slamming the state regulations as hindering "AI innovation."

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

Meta Smart Glasses Pose Mass Surveillance Risk, Sens. Warn

By Rae Ann Varona

Three U.S. senators Wednesday warned in a letter to Meta that the tech giant's plans to integrate facial recognition technology into its smart glasses risk "normalizing mass surveillance" at a time the federal government is using similar tech to "intimidate protesters and chill speech."

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

USPTO Wants 900 New Patent Examiners By October

By Dani Kass

The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office plans to hire 900 patent examiners focusing on sciences and engineering by Oct. 1, two agency managers said in a Wednesday webinar.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

FCC Removes 4 Drone Systems From Security Risk List

By Christopher Cole

The Federal Communications Commission has authorized more drones for distribution on the U.S. market, after defense officials cleared them from posing national security risks.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

NTIA Still Crafting Plans For $21B In 'Non-Deployment' Funds

By Christopher Cole

The U.S. Department of Commerce has doled out many billions of dollars for broadband projects and has been asking for public input about how to spend roughly $21 billion in unspent funds, but there is no target date to unveil any decisions, the federal official in charge of spending the money said Wednesday.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Colo. AI Law Rewrite Targets Transparency For Consumers

By Rachel Konieczny

Colorado's governor has endorsed a legislative framework aimed at ensuring Coloradans are aware when artificial intelligence or automated decision-making systems are used in decisions affecting consumers.

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

Wash. Law Ensures Personality Rights Cover AI Deepfakes

By Rachel Riley

Washington state has adopted a law clarifying that using someone's "forged digital likeness" without their consent counts as a personality rights violation, in an effort to address broader privacy concerns stemming from the proliferation of AI-generated deepfakes.

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

Brief

FCC Warns 'Rip, Replace' Participants That It Will Be Watching

By Nadia Dreid

Companies receiving Federal Communications Commission funds under the "rip and replace" program ought to be keeping good records of how they're spending the agency's money and disposing of the equipment they're supposed to be replacing, the FCC warned recently.

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

DraftKings Gets Judge To Narrow Mobile App Patent Suit

By Adam Lidgett

A New Jersey federal judge has trimmed a suit alleging DraftKings infringed patented features of its sports betting and fantasy game mobile application, saying only the claims asserting that DraftKings directly infringed a pair of patents can proceed.

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

Core Scientific Must Turn Over Pre-Ch. 11 IP Docs, Judge Says

By José Luis Martínez

A Texas federal judge has ruled that cryptocurrency mining company Core Scientific Inc. must turn over prebankruptcy documents in a suit accusing it of infringing cryptography patents, noting that although damages or causes of action are limited by bankruptcy, discovery is not.

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

Zillow Preview Appeases Compass Enough To Drop Ban Suit

By Bryan Koenig

Compass dropped its New York federal court antitrust lawsuit against Zillow on Wednesday, satisfied that a new "preview" feature for pre-market home listings was enough of a departure from a contested rule that banned listings from appearing on Zillow if they had been marketed elsewhere for more than a day.

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

ICE Must Face Class Claims Over Virtual Access To NJ Courts

By Matthew Santoni

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security and Immigration and Customs Enforcement can't duck a lawsuit that New Jersey detainees at a Pennsylvania detention center had filed over their lack of virtual access to state court proceedings, a federal judge ruled Tuesday.

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

Glass Products Co. Reaches Deal In Data Breach Suit

By Kelcey Caulder

Glass products maker AGC America Inc. has agreed to shell out nearly $600,000 to wrap up a lawsuit alleging that a December 2023 data breach exposed the personal data of thousands of its workers, according to a filing in Georgia federal court.

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

Philips, Fitbit End Fight Over Health Monitoring Patents

By Gina Kim

Philips North America and Google-owned Fitbit have agreed to resolve their yearslong patent fight over health monitoring fitness-tracking technologies in wearable devices, according to a stipulation filed Tuesday in Massachusetts federal court. 

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

Wall Street Giants Challenge Chip Co. Stock Scheme Claims

By Sydney Price

Morgan Stanley Smith Barney LLC and Interactive Brokers Group Inc. have asked a New York federal court to dismiss them from a stock manipulation suit filed by an investor in Israeli chipmaker Eltek Ltd., arguing the complaint's claims that they depressed the company's share prices are contradictory.

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

Kyndryl Hid Cash Management Malpractice, Investor Claims

By Sydney Price

Information technology services company Kyndryl Holdings Inc. and a current and former executive were hit with a proposed shareholder class action accusing them of misleading investors with representations that the company had sufficient control over its cash management practices.

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

Ex-CEO, Atty Misappropriated Patent, Gaming Co. Says

By Kelcey Caulder

A game developer specializing in electronic bingo gaming machines has filed suit against its former chief executive officer and an attorney for allegedly scheming to use their positions and access within the company to steal a patent.

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

KKR Plugs $310M Into Partnership With Indian E-Bus Biz

By Jade Martinez-Pogue

Private equity giant KKR on Wednesday unveiled a strategic partnership with Indian electric commercial vehicle maker PMI Electro Mobility Solutions Private Ltd. and Allfleet in which KKR will plug up to $310 million to help grow Allfleet's electric bus platform and advance PMI Electro's manufacturing capabilities.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

CyberLink Targets Former Unit Perfect Corp. In $198.6M Bid

By Al Barbarino

Beauty and fashion-focused artificial intelligence company Perfect Corp. said Wednesday it is weighing a roughly $198.6 million take-private offer backed by its CEO and CyberLink International Technology Corp. 

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Security Biz Xbow Valued At $1B Following $120M Fundraise

By Jade Martinez-Pogue

Offensive security company Xbow on Wednesday revealed that it reached a $1 billion valuation after closing a $120 million Series C funding round.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Ligado Asks Judge To Pause $100M Payment To Inmarsat

By Jarek Rutz

A telecom company has asked a Delaware bankruptcy judge to let it delay a $100 million payment owed to satellite operator Inmarsat, arguing that Inmarsat's alleged breach of a key settlement agreement undermined the value of the deal and caused potentially significant harm.

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

5th Circ. Upholds Gun Charge, Approves Plate Reader Use

By Elizabeth Daley

A wanted man who was charged with illegal possession of a machine gun after Mississippi police tracked his vehicle with the help of a license plate reader cannot argue that locating him using the technology violated his privacy, a panel of the Fifth Circuit has ruled, denying his constitutional challenge.

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

FTC Says Amazon Seeks 'Impossible' Standard For Sanctions

By Bryan Koenig

The Federal Trade Commission pressed a Washington federal judge Tuesday to sanction Amazon.com for using autodeleting Signal chats and deleting raw meeting notes to hide evidence of company policies that created an artificial pricing floor across online retail stores, arguing Amazon is fighting the motion by inventing an "impossible-to-meet standard" for imposing sanctions.

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

LA Driver Used $2M COVID Loan For Crypto, DOJ Says

By Jonathan Capriel

A Los Angeles man who allegedly took $2 million from federal COVID-19-related relief programs and used the money to fund cryptocurrency trading now faces money laundering, wire fraud and bank fraud charges, according to a Department of Justice announcement issued Wednesday.

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

Latham Hires Desmarais IP Partner In DC

By Jack Rodgers

Latham & Wakins LLP has hired a Desmarais LLP partner in D.C., who helped represent GlaxoSmithKline Biologicals in an ongoing infringement suit against Moderna Inc., the firm announced Tuesday.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Dorsey & Whitney Hires Seattle Perkins Coie IP, Tech Attorney

By Ben Adlin

Dorsey & Whitney LLP added Cyrus Ansari as a partner in its technology commerce group, the firm announced Tuesday, touting the attorney's experience in technology transactions and intellectual property litigation.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

How To Wield The Clarity Act As A Litigation Defense Tool

The Clarity Act is being discussed as a future compliance statute, but for litigators it can be used as a present-day defense tool to strengthen fair‑notice framing, argue for forward‑looking remedies rather than punitive ones and reprice settlement leverage as statutory clarity approaches, say attorneys at Baker McKenzie.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Bid Protest Spotlight: Commerciality, Amendments, Evidence

Recent decisions from the U.S. Government Accountability Office and the Small Business Administration illustrate the statutory and regulatory preference for acquiring commercial solutions, how failing to acknowledge a solicitation amendment can be fatal to a bid, and a protester's duty to support its allegations with evidence, says James Tucker at MoFo.

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

Series

Law School's Missed Lessons: The Human Element

Law school teaches you to quickly apply intellect and logic when handling a legal issue, but every fact pattern also involves a person, making the ability to balance expertise with empathy critical to the growth of relationships with clients, colleagues and adversaries, says Rachel Adcox at Adcox Strategies.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Employer Strategies For Limiting Data Breach Litigation Risks

Employers must invest in robust cybersecurity and incident response protocols to both prevent data breaches and position themselves favorably in potential litigation, as legal defenses will increasingly rely on demonstrating reasonable security measures, prompt breach notification and transparent response efforts, says Gerald Maatman at Duane Morris.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Analysis

Texas Biz Court's Likely Role In Patent Fights Becoming Clear

By Dani Kass

The Texas Business Court has released its first opinion exploring when intellectual property can be used to create jurisdiction, and attorneys say the decision involving state trade secret law offers insight into when patent matters can be pursued there.

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

Conn. Justices Won't Hear Ex-Alex Jones Atty's Ethics Case

By Andrea Keckley

The Connecticut Supreme Court will not hear a challenge to the two-week suspension of Alex Jones' former lawyer, leaving intact an intermediate Appellate Court decision affirming the pared-down punishment surrounding his law firm's handling of Sandy Hook Elementary School massacre victims' personal information.

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

Calif. Bills Would Reform Litigation Funding, Client Recruiting

By Emily Sawicki

Two new bills introduced to the California Assembly this week seek to impose reforms on the state's legal industry, including adding mandatory disbarment for attorneys convicted of felony "capping" — or illegally paying for client recruitment — and blocking corporate litigation funders from influencing cases.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Biotech Investor Blames Pierce Atwood For Messy Asset Sale

By Julie Manganis

A Ukrainian billionaire who was recently ordered to pay other investors in a failed genetic testing company more than $1.8 million in damages is blaming the Pierce Atwood LLP lawyers who advised him on what a court later found to be a "fundamentally unfair" forced asset sale.

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

Powell Says He Won't Make Fed Exit While Facing DOJ Probe

By Jon Hill

Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell said Wednesday that he will stay on as a board member of the central bank if he remains under U.S. Department of Justice investigation when his term as Fed chairman runs out this spring.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »