Intellectual Property

  • February 18, 2025

    Ex-Goldman Atty Squires Expected To Be Named USPTO Head

    John A. Squires — Goldman Sachs' longtime chief intellectual property counsel, co-founder of Fortress' IP Investment fund and current Dilworth Paxson LLP partner — is expected to be chosen as the Trump administration's nominee for U.S. Patent and Trademark Office director, about a half-dozen sources with knowledge of the agency said Tuesday.

  • February 14, 2025

    ITC Bans Some Power Converter Devices In Vicor Patent Case

    The U.S. International Trade Commission has issued a limited order banning certain power converter modules and computing systems from being imported into the U.S., in a final decision that upheld most of an administrative law judge's findings in the dispute over patents held by electronics company Vicor Corp.

  • February 14, 2025

    Tech Cos. Say Gilstrap Bungled Eligibility Instructions

    Three tech companies are taking issue at the Federal Circuit with jury instructions in a Texas case that implicate the U.S. Supreme Court's Alice decision, telling the Federal Circuit that the instructions "lower the standard for patent eligibility."

  • February 14, 2025

    Justices Urged To Skip Fed. Circ. 1-Word Order Case

    LG Electronics Inc. and TCL Industries Holdings Co. urged the U.S. Supreme Court on Friday to reject the latest case asking the justices to review the Federal Circuit's use of one-word orders to affirm decisions from the Patent Trial and Appeal Board, saying the court has "repeatedly" skipped such challenges and shouldn't change tack now.

  • February 14, 2025

    ITC Bans Imports Of Bluenix Ice Machines Over IP Infringement

    The U.S. International Trade Commission has issued a final decision on Thursday that ice-making machines made by Korean kitchen appliance company Bluenix infringe patents owned by Japanese rival Hoshizaki, issuing a limited exclusion order against the importation of the machines and their components.

  • February 14, 2025

    Trump Aims To End Limits On President's Power To Fire

    President Donald Trump has his sights set on taking down a 90-year-old U.S. Supreme Court ruling that protects certain government officials from being fired, a U.S. Department of Justice letter confirms, and he plans to leverage his prior legal victories to deliver the precedent's death knell and expand presidential power.

  • February 14, 2025

    Fed. Circ. Risks Relying On 'Science Fiction,' Justices Told

    The Federal Circuit's presumption that prior art is always enabled can lead it to "sacrifice true innovations based on earlier science fiction," the owner of invalidated food wrapping patents told the U.S. Supreme Court on Thursday.

  • February 14, 2025

    Bill Opposing Artists' Radio Station Royalties Back In House

    The battle over whether local radio stations should pay royalties to performers whose songs they air is heating up.

  • February 14, 2025

    Supreme Court Asked To Rule On Fee Award After TM Mistrial

    A cosmetics distributor that was sued for trademark infringement and lost has asked the U.S. Supreme Court to determine whether attorney fees and costs awarded to the prevailing party should have been trimmed to account for a default judgment that was reversed and a mistrial attributed to the plaintiff's counsel.

  • February 14, 2025

    Fed. Circ. Rejects COVID Test Suit In Gilstrap-Authored Ruling

    A California federal judge properly found that Spectrum Solutions LLC didn't infringe a COVID-19 test maker's patent directed to preserving biological samples, the Federal Circuit said Friday in an opinion written by a top patent judge visiting the court.

  • February 14, 2025

    X Gets Pause On Content Filter IP Suit Pending PTAB Decision

    A Texas federal judge has granted X Corp.'s request to stay an infringement lawsuit from Sterling Computers Corp. over Sterling's content filtering patent while the Patent Trial and Appeal Board decides whether to initiate a review of the patent.

  • February 14, 2025

    Fed. Circ. Ruling Shows Even Small Cos. Can Win At ITC

    A small biotech company's recent patent win, where the Federal Circuit held that even its limited domestic investments qualified it to sue at the U.S. International Trade Commission, makes clear that the ITC's powerful import bans aren't just available to major businesses, attorneys say.

  • February 14, 2025

    'Trump Too Small' Rejection Dooms Other Trump-Related TMs

    The Trademark Trial and Appeal Board has rejected four applications from a New York man who wanted to register trademarks that referred to U.S. President Donald Trump in a negative context, saying that the U.S. Supreme Court's decision last year affirming the board's refusal to register "Trump Too Small" in another case foreclosed his First Amendment arguments.

  • February 14, 2025

    Judge Upholds Pay-For-Delay Ban Law, But Only In Calif.

    A California federal judge has upheld part of a new state law that the Association for Accessible Medicines alleged unlawfully restricted "reverse payment" settlements between makers of brand-name and generic drugs, finding that the law's attempt to regulate deals outside of California runs afoul of the Constitution, but is otherwise valid.

  • February 14, 2025

    Fat Joe Gets Revised Lawsuit Over Hit Song Credit Trimmed

    Rapper Fat Joe managed to get the New York state law claims brought against him in a copyright suit over his 2016 hit single "All The Way Up" dismissed Friday but must continue facing the federal claims brought by fellow artist and purported song co-author Fly Havana.

  • February 14, 2025

    Alvarez & Marsal Appoints Tax Leader For Southeast Asia

    Alvarez & Marsal has appointed a former PwC senior tax partner as a managing director and head of tax for the Southeast Asia region.

  • February 14, 2025

    Illinois Vs. The Internet: IP Suits Over Online Sales Stir Debate

    Brands have unleashed a torrent of lawsuits across the U.S. that group dozens of online sellers into a single complaint for allegedly peddling counterfeit products, with Chicago emerging as the preferred venue for the litigation and inspiring a local federal judge to declare it has become "Illinois vs. The Internet."

  • February 14, 2025

    BakerHostetler Can't Keep Ga. Malpractice Suit In Fed. Court

    BakerHostetler lost its bid Friday to keep a former client's suit alleging the firm botched its legal representation of its patent applications for a smart wardrobe system in federal court, with a Georgia federal judge rejecting the firm's argument that the claims involve patent law.

  • February 14, 2025

    K&L Gates Continues IP Growth With New Partner In Seattle

    An intellectual property attorney specializing in protecting design rights has moved his practice to K&L Gates LLP's Seattle office after more than 13 years with boutique IP firm Lee & Hayes PC.

  • February 14, 2025

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

    This past week in London has seen Spice Girls star Mel B's ex-husband bring a defamation claim against the publisher of The Sun, a hotel sue a former director convicted of embezzling its funds for breach of fiduciary duty, and comedian Russell Brand face a sexual abuse claim. Here, Law360 looks at these and other new claims in the U.K.

  • February 13, 2025

    4 Takeaways From 1st Opinion On AI Training And Fair Use

    A Delaware federal court's rejection of a company's fair use defense for using copyrighted material to train an artificial intelligence program is a key moment in the clash between copyright law and AI development, as both intellectual property owners and tech companies seek favorable judicial guidance.

  • February 13, 2025

    ASUSTeK Hit With $10.5M Verdict In Chip Patent Case

    A jury in the Eastern District of Texas on Thursday found that Taipei-based laptop maker ASUSTeK infringed electronic component patents by a fellow Taiwanese rival and owed $10.5 million.

  • February 13, 2025

    After Winning $18M, ASUSTek Foe Asks For New Patent Trial

    A patent litigation company that obtained a nearly $18 million award from a federal jury in Waco, Texas, against Taiwanese computer manufacturer ASUSTeK says it wants to try winning some more money at a new trial, though the company admitted it "recognizes the extraordinary nature of the relief it is requesting."

  • February 13, 2025

    PQA Loses Bid To Fight VLSI's Extortion Claims In Fed. Court

    Patent Quality Assurance LLC must return to state court to face a suit claiming it had extortionary intent when challenging VLSI Technology's chip patent, a Virginia federal judge held Thursday.

  • February 13, 2025

    Fed. Circ. Revives Drill Bit Patent ITC Found Abstract

    The U.S. International Trade Commission erred when invalidating US Synthetic Corp.'s patent for a compound used in diamond drill bits for not meeting eligibility standards, the Federal Circuit said Thursday.

Expert Analysis

  • Use The Right Kind Of Feedback To Help Gen Z Attorneys

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    Generation Z associates bring unique perspectives and expectations to the workplace, so it’s imperative that supervising attorneys adapt their feedback approach in order to help young lawyers learn and grow — which is good for law firms, too, says Rachael Bosch at Fringe Professional Development.

  • Opinion

    Congress Can And Must Enact A Supreme Court Ethics Code

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    As public confidence in the U.S. Supreme Court dips to historic lows following reports raising conflict of interest concerns, Congress must exercise its constitutional power to enact a mandatory and enforceable code of ethics for the high court, says Muhammad Faridi, president of the New York City Bar Association.

  • Series

    The Pop Culture Docket: Justice Lebovits On Gilbert And Sullivan

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    Characters in the 19th century comic operas of Gilbert and Sullivan break the rules of good lawyering by shamelessly throwing responsible critical thought to the wind, providing hilarious lessons for lawyers and judges on how to avoid a surfeit of traps and tribulations, say acting New York Supreme Court Justice Gerald Lebovits and law student Tara Scown.

  • ​​​​​​​Trending At The PTAB: Evolution Of Granting Stays Post-AIA

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    Kara Specht and Guanshi Li at Finnegan take a look at the evolving trends in the Patent Trial and Appeal Board's authority to grant stays in parallel reexamination and reissue proceedings under the America Invents Act since 2019, showing that it has become exceedingly difficult to successfully argue against a stay in most cases.

  • 2nd Circ. American Girl Ruling Alters Test Purchase Norms

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    The Second Circuit's recent ruling in American Girl v. Zembrka overturns years of precedent that required completed test purchase shipments to establish jurisdiction in infringement cases, but litigators shouldn't abandon the strategy entirely, say Robert Wasnofski and Sara Gates at Dentons.

  • State Of The States' AI Legal Ethics Landscape

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    Over the past year, several state bar associations, as well as the American Bar Association, have released guidance on the ethical use of artificial intelligence in legal practice, all of which share overarching themes and some nuanced differences, say Eric Pacifici and Kevin Henderson at SMB Law Group.

  • The Shifting Role Of Patent Attorneys In The Age Of AI

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    The integration of artificial intelligence into patent drafting represents a significant change in how legal work is performed, and patent attorneys must shift from manual drafting to a strategy-oriented approach, says Ian Schick at Draft Builders.

  • 8 Childhood Lessons That Can Help You Be A Better Attorney

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    A new school year is underway, marking a fitting time for attorneys to reflect on some fundamental life lessons from early childhood that offer a framework for problems that no legal textbook can solve, say Chris Gismondi and Chris Campbell at DLA Piper.

  • 2nd Circ. Provides NY Pathway For Fighting Foreign Infringers

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    A recent decision from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit provides a road map for expeditiously obtaining personal jurisdiction in New York against foreign trademark infringers based on a single purchase of counterfeit goods, meaning the Second Circuit could now be the preferred venue for combating foreign infringement, says Jeffrey Ratinoff at Spencer Fane.

  • Opinion

    This Election, We Need To Talk About Court Process

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    In recent decades, the U.S. Supreme Court has markedly transformed judicial processes — from summary judgment standards to notice pleadings — which has, in turn, affected individuals’ substantive rights, and we need to consider how the upcoming presidential election may continue this pattern, says Reuben Guttman at Guttman Buschner.

  • Consider Best Legal Practices For Commissioning Public Art

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    Commissioning public art for real estate projects can provide many benefits to real estate developers and the public, but it's important to understand the unique legal and contracting aspects of the process to ensure that projects are completed on time and on budget, says Sarah Conley Odenkirk at ArtConverge.

  • A Look At The PTAB's Assessment Of Prior Art Exceptions

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    The Patent Trial and Appeal Board's approach over the last 10 years to assessing Section 102(b) prior art exceptions reveals a few trends, including that evidence of common ownership may have a higher likelihood of successfully disqualifying prior art under Section 102(b)(2)(C) at the institution stage, say Louis Panzica and David Holman at Sterne Kessler.

  • Series

    Playing Diplomacy Makes Us Better Lawyers

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    Similar to the practice of law, the rules of Diplomacy — a strategic board game set in pre-World War I Europe — are neither concise nor without ambiguity, and weekly gameplay with our colleagues has revealed the game's practical applications to our work as attorneys, say Jason Osborn and Ben Bevilacqua at Winston & Strawn.

  • How Patent Litigation Is Changing Amid Decline In Filings

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    Marked by a notable decline in case filings and preferred venue shifts, patent litigation has undergone significant changes over the last decade and litigation hot spots have shifted, encouraging a more strategic approach to patent disputes, says Saishruti Mutneja at Winston & Strawn.

  • Primer On Chinese Trade Secret Disputes For US Practitioners

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    Increasing cross-border disputes over trade secret misappropriation between U.S. and Chinese entities emphasize the need for U.S. practitioners to navigate China's legal landscape following recent reforms that enhance the viability of litigation in Chinese courts, say attorneys at Jones Day.

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