Telecommunications

October 02, 2025
PTAB Axes Amended Claims After Fed. Circ. Ordered Redo

The Patent Trial and Review Board invalidated six claims that were added to a challenge to a University of New Mexico-owned wireless communications patent by network equipment maker Zyxel Communications Corp., finding that they were substantially similar to the already-disallowed claims.
October 02, 2025
Top Groups Lobbying The FCC

Lobbying at the Federal Communications Commission slowed in September, continuing a late-summer lag, but several groups kept busy on several issues. Here's a look at a few groups that contacted the FCC at least three times during September and a sampling of what they care about.
October 02, 2025
Many Cos. Not Ready For National Security Risks, Report Says

At least a third of U.S. companies aren't fully prepared to address key national security compliance risks they face, and the C-suite often isn't aligned with its in-house counsel as to who is primarily responsible for those efforts, according to a new survey from Eversheds Sutherland.
October 02, 2025
National Security Vets, App-Devs Back Google In Epic Fight

A group of former national security officials and scholars is urging the U.S. Supreme Court to stay the district court injunction requiring Google to distribute third-party app stores and allow app developers to provide alternate payment links directly to users, saying the order creates serious national and cybersecurity risks.
October 02, 2025
Deals Rumor Mill: Global Infrastructure, Yahoo, MRI Software

BlackRock's Global Infrastructure Partners is nearing a deal to take over utility company AES in a deal that could exceed $38 billion in value, Yahoo is reportedly ready to sell AOL to an Italian tech company for $1.4 billion, and private equity-backed real estate software company MRI Software is exploring options that could value it at up to $10 billion.
October 02, 2025
Feds, Mont. Tribe Dispute $325K Law Enforcement Contract

The Interior Department and the Northern Cheyenne Tribe are both asking for summary judgment wins in a dispute over law enforcement funding after the tribe accused the U.S. government of failing to provide it with adequate services to maintain programs on its 440,000-acre Montana reservation.
October 01, 2025
Ga. High Court Says State Can Kill Right Of Way Contracts

Georgia can cancel right of way contracts with broadband providers any time it wants — and so can the broadband providers, the Supreme Court of Georgia has ruled in a decision hearkening back to a century-old precedent that says contracts with no end date can be canceled whenever.
October 01, 2025
Economist Says Google's Ad Tech Fix Enough To Boost Rivals

Google's expert economics witness urged a Virginia federal judge Wednesday not to break up the search giant's advertising placement technology business, arguing the company's counterproposal would free up rivals without the "market reengineering" threatened by the Justice Department's proposed remedies.
October 01, 2025
Court OKs Policy Rescission In $2.5M Tax Coverage Row

An insurer for a telecommunications company owes no coverage for its $2.5 million settlement with the Illinois government over claims that it failed to collect and remit certain taxes and fees owed by customers, an Illinois federal court ruled, finding the insurer was entitled to rescind its policy.
October 01, 2025
OpenAI Blasts X's Suit Over Apple Deal As 'Lawfare' Campaign

Apple Inc. and OpenAI Inc. have asked a Texas federal court to toss an antitrust case from X targeting a deal to integrate ChatGPT into iPhones, with OpenAI saying X's billionaire owner Elon Musk is waging a multipronged "lawfare" campaign against it.
October 01, 2025
FCC Sets Furlough Plan In Motion With Government Shutdown

The Federal Communications Commission's staff halted most regular operations Wednesday as Congress failed to reach a deal to continue funding agencies after the end of the government's fiscal year.
October 01, 2025
Va. Biz Group Calls Charter, Cox Tie-Up Good For Consumers

The Virginia Chamber of Commerce urged the Federal Communications Commission to approve the planned $34.5 billion merger of cable giants Charter and Cox, saying it would be good for consumers as the companies cut costs through scale.
October 01, 2025
Opt-Outs Lacked Clarity About $100M Verizon Deal, Panel Told

A New Jersey trial court exceeded its authority by validating opt-outs from a $100 million class deal based on signatures transposed from retainer agreements that never mentioned the settlement, counsel for Verizon Wireless told a state appellate panel during oral arguments Wednesday.
October 01, 2025
InterDigital Wants Disney's Video Tech Antitrust Case Tossed

Wireless technology company InterDigital Inc. has asked a Delaware federal judge to dismiss an antitrust suit brought by Disney that claims InterDigital isn't offering reasonable licenses on patents for streaming video, saying the entertainment giant's claims were either deficient or time-barred.
September 30, 2025
Google Ad Tech Judge Says Court Order Is 'Elephant In Room'

A Virginia federal judge again wondered Tuesday how far she must go to address Google's advertising placement technology monopolies, asking if a breakup is needed since, no matter what happens, the company will be under a court order banning efforts to put its thumb on the scales of competition.
September 30, 2025
FTC Hits Sendit App Over Kids' Data, Fake Messages

The operator of the anonymous messaging app Sendit and its top executive have been illegally collecting personal information from children that they're "well aware" were using their service, and tricking users with fake messages and other misleading tactics to entice consumers into buying paid subscriptions, the Federal Trade Commission alleged in a California federal lawsuit.
September 30, 2025
4 Federal Circuit Clashes To Watch In October

The Federal Circuit will hear arguments next week in cases where a nearly $42 million patent win for Seagen hangs in the balance due to a later post-grant review invalidity decision and where Regenxbio is seeking to undo the invalidation of its gene therapy patent for covering a natural product.
September 30, 2025
State Telecom Roundup: Age Verification Laws

State laws requiring that websites verify the ages of users in order to access adult content have been picking up speed in recent years. Half the country now has laws on the books that require certain platforms to confirm that users are adults, a trend proponents say will protect children and that opponents have called an attack on the right to access free speech. Here, Law360 takes a look at some of those laws.
September 30, 2025
Jury Says Uber Was Negligent, But Not Liable For Sex Assault

A California state jury found Tuesday that Uber was negligent with respect to safety measures it took to protect a passenger who says she was sexually assaulted by her driver, but ruled it isn't liable for damages in the high-profile bellwether trial because its negligence wasn't a substantial factor in causing her harm.
September 30, 2025
FCC Pushes Prison Phone Jamming, Despite Dem's Concerns

The Federal Communications Commission on Tuesday advanced a plan to let state and local prisons jam the signals of contraband cellphones, even as a Democratic commissioner voiced worries about the potential for interference with lawful communications.
September 30, 2025
Senate Bill Would Allow Claims Against AI Cos.

A pair of senators unveiled a bill Tuesday that would classify artificial intelligence technologies as products under the law to allow consumers to sue if an AI product causes harm, an issue testing the courts as litigation targets AI-fueled chatbots.
September 30, 2025
FCC Aims To Remove Broadband Deployment Barriers

The Federal Communications Commission took a pair of actions Tuesday aimed at speeding up the deployment of broadband infrastructure by reducing regulatory hurdles.
September 30, 2025
FCC Embarks On Four-Year Media Ownership Review

The Federal Communications Commission pushed ahead Tuesday with a proposal to ease restrictions on how many TV or radio stations a single broadcaster can control in a market.
September 30, 2025
NPR Fights CPB's $30M Grant Shift In Court

A federal judge got assurances from Corporation for Public Broadcasting lawyers Tuesday that it won't commit $30 million to a new National Public Radio alternative for managing the public radio satellite system for at least the next month as he considers a motion from NPR for an injunction blocking the move indefinitely.
September 29, 2025
Google VP Says Ad Tech Breakup Has Risks For Publishers

A Google LLC executive tried to convince a Virginia federal judge Monday that the U.S. Justice Department has the company's advertising placement technology business backward, arguing that instead of helping website publishers, the breakup sought by the government would cost time and money, while artificial intelligence is scrambling prospects too much to warrant greater intervention.

Expert Analysis

Series

My Opera And Baseball Careers Make Me A Better Lawyer

Though participating in opera and the world of professional baseball often pulls me away from the office, my avocations improve my legal career by helping me perform under scrutiny, prioritize team success, and maintain joy and perspective at work, says Adam Unger at Herrick Feinstein.
4 Consumer Class Action Trends To Watch In 2nd Half Of 2025

The first half of 2025 has seen a surge of consumer class action trends related to online tools, websites and marketing messages, creating a new legal risk landscape for companies of all sizes, says Scott Shaffer at Olshan Frome.
8 Ways Lawyers Can Protect The Rule Of Law In Their Work

Whether they are concerned with judicial independence, regulatory predictability or client confidence, lawyers can take specific meaningful actions on their own when traditional structures are too slow or too compromised to respond, says Angeli Patel at the Berkeley Center of Law and Business.
Series

Law School's Missed Lessons: Communicating With Clients

Law school curricula often overlook client communication procedures, and those who actively teach this crucial facet of the practice can create exceptional client satisfaction and success, says Patrick Hanson at Wiggam Law.
3 Judicial Approaches To Applying Loper Bright, 1 Year Later

In the year since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Chevron deference in its Loper Bright Enterprises v. Raimondo decision, a few patterns have emerged in lower courts’ application of the precedent to determine whether agency actions are lawful, say attorneys at Husch Blackwell.
Trending At The PTAB: Shifts In Parallel Proceedings Strategy

Dynamics are changing between the Patent Trial and Appeal Board and federal courts, with two recent discretionary denials and one Federal Circuit decision offering takeaways for both patent owners and challengers navigating parallel proceedings, say attorneys at Finnegan.
Series

Adapting To Private Practice: From US Rep. To Boutique Firm

My transition from serving as a member of Congress to becoming a partner at a boutique firm has been remarkably smooth, in part because I never stopped exercising my legal muscles, maintained relationships with my former colleagues and set the right tone at the outset, says Mondaire Jones at Friedman Kaplan.
2025's First Half Brings Regulatory Detours For Fintechs

The first half of the year has resulted in a bifurcated regulatory environment for fintechs, featuring narrowed enforcement in some areas, heightened scrutiny in others and a policy window that, with proper compliance, offers meaningful opportunities for innovation, say attorneys at Sheppard Mullin.
Opinion

Senate's 41% Litigation Finance Tax Would Hurt Legal System

The Senate’s latest version of the Big Beautiful Bill Act would impose a 41% tax on the litigation finance industry, but the tax is totally disconnected from the concerns it purports to address, and it would set the country back to a time when small plaintiffs had little recourse against big defendants, says Anthony Sebok at Cardozo School of Law.
Series

Performing As A Clown Makes Me A Better Lawyer

To say that being a clown in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade has changed my legal career would truly be an understatement — by creating an opening to converse on a unique topic, it has allowed me to connect with clients, counsel and even judges on a deeper level, says Charles Tatelbaum at Tripp Scott.
Series

Law School's Missed Lessons: Rejecting Biz Dev Myths

Law schools don’t spend sufficient time dispelling certain myths that prevent young lawyers from exploring new business opportunities, but by dismissing these misguided beliefs, even an introverted first-year associate with a small network of contacts can find long-term success, says Ronald Levine at Herrick Feinstein.
Move Beyond Surface-Level Edits To Master Legal Writing

Recent instances in which attorneys filed briefs containing artificial intelligence hallucinations offer a stark reminder that effective revision isn’t just about superficial details like grammar — it requires attorneys to critically engage with their writing and analyze their rhetorical choices, says Ivy Grey at WordRake.
9th Circ. Has Muddied Waters Of Article III Pleading Standard

District courts in the Ninth Circuit continue to apply a defunct and especially forgiving pleading standard to questions of Article III standing, and the circuit court itself has only perpetuated this confusion — making it an attractive forum for disputes that have no rightful place in federal court, say attorneys at Gibson Dunn.
Series

Competing In Modern Pentathlon Makes Me A Better Lawyer

Opening myself up to new experiences through competing in modern Olympic pentathlon has shrunk the appearance of my daily work annoyances and helps me improve my patience, manage crises better and remember that acquiring new skills requires working through your early mistakes, says attorney Mary Zoldak.
Series

Law School's Missed Lessons: Teaching Yourself Legal Tech

New graduates often enter practice unfamiliar with even basic professional software, but budding lawyers can use on-the-job opportunities to both catch up on technological skills and explore the advanced legal and artificial intelligence tools that will open doors, says Alyssa Sones at Sheppard Mullin.