Telecommunications

May 28, 2025
EchoStar Says FCC Should Not Question Buildout Extension

Echostar Corp. says the FCC has created a "dark cloud of uncertainty" by opening the door to comments about whether the agency should have given the company an extension on its deadline for building a broadband service using spectrum it acquired for its open RAN network plan.
May 28, 2025
Judge Says Nokia Might Have License In AT&T 5G Patent Case

A Texas federal magistrate judge has recommended that the Eastern District of Texas reject an Irish company's effort to defeat Nokia's argument that it couldn't have infringed a telecommunications patent because it has a license from the patent's former owner.
May 28, 2025
FCC Urged To Reject Waiver For Alaska Plan Mapping

The Federal Communications Commission ought not lower its standards for telecoms hoping to receive federal dollars in order to bring high-speed internet to Alaska, according to a trade group, who is arguing the end result would simply be worse service for Alaskans.
May 28, 2025
SG Backs Cox's High Court Bid In Music Copyright Battle

The U.S. solicitor general has pressed the U.S. Supreme Court to review a Fourth Circuit ruling affirming a contributory copyright infringement verdict against Cox Communications Inc., saying the circuit court's "sweeping view" of that kind of infringement can have downstream effects on internet access.
May 28, 2025
Va. Ruling Undercuts Railroads' Broadband Suit, 4th Circ. Told

Virginia's attorney general is looking to turn a state court loss into a federal court win, telling the Fourth Circuit that a recent Virginia Supreme Court decision curbing a new law that eases access for broadband providers on railroad property actually diminishes a railroad industry association's standing.
May 28, 2025
Justices Seek SG's Take On Falun Gong Case Against Cisco

The U.S. Supreme Court has asked the solicitor general to weigh in on an Alien Tort Statute suit revived by the Ninth Circuit and lodged by a class of Falun Gong practitioners alleging that Cisco Systems aided in the Chinese government's crackdown on the religious movement.
May 28, 2025
Amazon Seeks To End FTC's Prime Subscription Case

Amazon and the Federal Trade Commission have both asked a Washington state federal court to hand them wins ahead of trial in the agency's case accusing the e-commerce giant of trapping consumers into Prime subscriptions.
May 28, 2025
Telecom Groups Ask Trump To Push BEAD Program Ahead

A bevy of broadband industry groups are seeking help from the White House in nudging the U.S. Department of Commerce to hasten the distribution of federal funding for internet deployment projects in underserved areas of the country.
May 28, 2025
DOJ Gets Some Discovery Seeking HPE-Juniper Witness Bias

A California federal magistrate judge granted the U.S. Department of Justice only limited discovery Tuesday as it looks for potential "bias" from an industry analyst Hewlett Packard Enterprise may call in defense of its planned $14 billion purchase of Juniper Networks Inc.
May 28, 2025
Hill Dems Blast 'Indefensible' Delay In Multilingual Alert Regs

More than two dozen congressional Democrats called on the Federal Communications Commission to complete the rollout of a bipartisan rule meant to provide wireless emergency alerts in multiple languages, claiming untenable delays in the process.
May 28, 2025
Nielsen Rival Wants To Ditch Viewing Data Patent Case

A rival of Nielsen Co. LLC has asked a Delaware federal judge to toss a suit by Nielsen that claims infringement of a patent covering a way to measure audience viewership outside the home through mobile phone data, arguing that the subject matter is patent-ineligible.
May 28, 2025
Redgrave Hires E-Discovery Co.'s Microsoft 365 Tech Pro

E-discovery and information law firm Redgrave LLP has hired one of the minds behind the creation of e-discovery company Lighthouse's Microsoft compliance and security compliance team, touting what the firm calls his "niche practice built to address the impact of cloud computing on eDiscovery and information governance."
May 28, 2025
Fiber Network Co. Everstream Hits Ch. 11 With Over $1B Debt

Everstream Networks, a provider of fiber networks to businesses, and several affiliates filed for Chapter 11 protection in Texas on Wednesday, citing at least $1 billion of estimated liabilities.
May 27, 2025
CardiacSense Gives Patent Suit Against Garmin Another Go

Wearable tech company CardiacSense Ltd. dove deeper into a fitness tracker patent it accuses Garmin International Inc. of infringing after a Michigan federal judge last month dismissed its lawsuit but allowed for an amended complaint given the suit's "technical issues."
May 27, 2025
11th Circ. Won't Revisit FCC Ownership Ruling

The Eleventh Circuit won't take a second whack at its order upholding a Federal Communications Commission finding that Gray Television had broken agency ownership consolidation rules by owning one too many stations in Anchorage, Alaska.
May 27, 2025
Judge Follows The Users And The Money In Meta's FTC Case

A D.C. federal judge on Tuesday looked for the right metrics to measure the effect that Meta Platforms Inc. has had on Instagram and WhatsApp in terms of users, growth and money spent buying the apps in deals the Federal Trade Commission says were designed to buy or bury the competition.
May 27, 2025
FCC Mulls Adding Connected Vehicle Tech To Covered List

The Federal Communications Commission is thinking about adding more technologies to the list of those whose components are banned if they come from China or Russia, but it wants to hear what the industry thinks first.
May 27, 2025
Debate Over Moratorium On State AI Oversight Goes To Senate

Before going on recess, the U.S. House of Representatives passed their budget reconciliation bill that includes a hotly debated moratorium on states' enforcement of artificial intelligence-related legislation, and the debate continues as the bill heads to the U.S. Senate, where at least a few Republicans have voiced opposition.
May 27, 2025
DOJ Wants Google Docs Analyzing Potential Ad Tech Breakup

Enforcers are asking a Virginia federal court for access to Google documents analyzing a potential break up of the company's ad tech business, as the court considers what remedies to impose after finding Google monopolized key ad tech markets.
May 27, 2025
Wireless Mics Need Fewer Reg Restrictions, FCC Told

A group that advocates for making more spectrum available for wireless microphones has its own ideas about what regulations the Federal Communications Commission should be cutting, starting with two areas it says are hindering the wireless mic industry.
May 23, 2025
Law360 Reveals Titans Of The Plaintiffs Bar

This past year, a handful of attorneys secured billions of dollars in settlements and judgments for both classes and individual plaintiffs against massive companies and organizations like Facebook, Dell, the National Association of Realtors, Johnson & Johnson, UFC and Credit Suisse, earning them recognition as Law360's Titans of the Plaintiffs Bar for 2025.
May 23, 2025
Senate Dems Bash Spectrum 'Giveaway' In Budget Bill

Key Senate Democrats who oversee telecommunications issues have lambasted House Republicans for "handing over" swaths of radio spectrum to the wireless industry in the sweeping budget reconciliation bill that GOP lawmakers passed Thursday.
May 23, 2025
NY Judge Won't Rethink Sanctions Against Chinese Tech Co.

A New York federal judge has refused to reconsider a prior ruling that partially sanctioned a Chinese video technology company and its U.S. distributor that are both embroiled in a rival's trade secrets suit.
May 23, 2025
Musk Doubles Down After OpenAI Drops For-Profit Transition

OpenAI's decision to abandon its transition into a for-profit enterprise was not enough to appease Elon Musk, who doubled down Thursday with an amended California federal court complaint continuing to allege the ChatGPT maker tricked him into contributing nearly $45 million with false promises of remaining a nonprofit.
May 23, 2025
Fed. Circ. Partly Revives Allstate Challenge To Tech Patent

The Federal Circuit on Friday threw out the Patent Trial and Appeal Board's finding that Allstate failed to show the invalidity of two claims in a patent on cellphone sensors that can tell if a vehicle has accelerated or crashed, telling the board to take another look.

Expert Analysis

Top 10 Legal Issues This Year For Transportation Industry GCs

General counsel must carefully consider numerous legal and policy challenges facing the automotive and transportation industry in the year to come, especially while navigating new technologies, regulations and global markets, says Francesco Liberatore at Squire Patton.
Exploring Venue Strategy For Trump-Era Regulatory Litigation

Litigation will likely play a prominent role in shaping policy outcomes during the second Trump administration, and stakeholders have several tools at their disposal to steer regulatory litigation toward more favorable venues, say attorneys at Covington.
Searching For Insight On Requested Google Chrome Remedy

The potential for Google to divest its Chrome browser — a remedy requested by the Justice Department following a D.C. federal court’s finding the company is a monopolist — has drawn both criticism and endorsement, but legal precedent likely supports the former, say attorneys at Ballard Spahr.
How The UPC, ITC Complement Each Other In Patent Law

Attorneys at Ropes & Gray discuss the similarities and differences between the Unified Patent Court and the International Trade Commission, as well as recent matters litigated in both venues and why parties choose to file at these forums.
Series

Playing Esports Makes Me A Better Lawyer

Competing in a global esports tournament at Wimbledon last year not only fulfilled my childhood dream, but also sharpened skills that are essential to my day job, including strategic thinking, confidence and networking, says AJ Schuyler at Jackson Lewis.
An Associate's Guide To Career Development In 2025

As the new year begins, associates at all levels should consider establishing career metrics, fostering key relationships and employing other specific strategies to help move through the complexities of the legal profession with confidence and emerge as trailblazers, say EJ Stern and Amanda George at Fractional Law Firm.
10 Noteworthy CFPB Developments From 2024

In a banner year for consumer finance regulation, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau made significant strides in its efforts to rein in Big Tech and nonbank financial firms, including via rules regarding open banking, credit card late fees, and buy now, pay later products, say attorneys at Wiley.
Series

Fixing Up Cars Makes Me A Better Lawyer

From problem-solving to patience and adaptability to organization, the skills developed working under the hood of a car directly translate to being a more effective lawyer, says Christopher Mdeway at Kaufman Dolowich.
Making The Pitch To Grow Your Company's Legal Team

In a compressed economy, convincing the C-suite to invest in additional legal talent can be a herculean task, but a convincing pitch — supported by metrics and cost analyses — may help in-house counsel justify the growth of their team, say Elizabeth Smith and Roger Garceau at Major Lindsey.
4 Trade Secret Pointers From 2024's Key IP Law Developments

Four significant 2024 developments in trade secret law yield practical tips about defending trade secrets overseas, proving unjust enrichment claims, forcing compliance with posttrial orders and using restrictive covenants to prevent employee leaks of confidential intellectual property, say attorneys at Faegre Drinker.
Data Privacy Landscape After Mass. Justices' Wiretap Ruling

In Vita v. New England Baptist Hospital, Massachusetts’ highest court recently ruled that the state’s wiretap law doesn’t prohibit all tracking of website user activity, but major financial and reputational risks remain for businesses that aren't transparent about customer’s web data, says Seth Berman at Nutter.
Gov't Scrutiny Of Workplace Chat Apps Set To Keep Growing

The incoming Trump administration and Republican majorities in Congress are poised to open numerous investigations that include increasing demands for entities to produce communications from workplace chat apps, so companies must evaluate their usage and retention policies, say attorneys at Orrick.
When US Privilege Law Applies To Docs Made Outside The US

As globalization manifests itself in disputes over foreign-created documents, a California federal court’s recent trademark decision illustrates nuances of both U.S. privilege frameworks and foreign evidentiary protections that attorneys must increasingly bear in mind, say attorneys at Hunton.
Notable 2024 Trademark Cases And What To Watch In 2025

Emerging disputes between established tech giants and smaller trademark holders promise to test the boundaries of trademark protection in 2025, following a 2024 marked with disputes in areas ranging from cybersquatting to geographic marks, says Danner Kline at Bradley Arant.
What 2024 Trends In Marketing, Comms Hiring Mean For 2025

The state of hiring in legal industry marketing, business development and communications over the past 12 months was marked by a number of trends — from changes in the C-suite to lateral move challenges — providing clues for what’s to come in the year ahead, says Ben Curle at Ambition.