Intellectual Property Law

2220 ABA Journal Intellectual Property Law articles.

3 Thelen Practice Leaders Join Proskauer

Heads of three practice groups at Thelen Reid Brown Raysman & Steiner are moving to Proskauer Rose, along with two associates. The three, who will be partners in their new 750-lawyer firm’s technology practice group in New York, are: Jeffrey Neuburger, who chaired Thelen’s technology, media and communications department; Robert…

Apr 25, 2008 6:34 PM CDT

Imagine: Yoko Ono in 2 Lawsuits Over John Lennon Rights

In two separate lawsuits, the widow of John Lennon is seeking to protect her late husband’s memory from commercial exploitation. Yoko Ono reportedly wants to force the removal of an excerpt from Lennon’s song “Imagine” from a documentary about Darwinian evolution and regain possession of a 1970 home video that…

Apr 24, 2008 11:19 PM CDT

Paralegal Says Victoria’s Secret Stole ‘Very Sexy’ Bra Design

A paralegal in New York says Victoria Secret infringed on her 2004 patented bra design when the company created its “Very Sexy” convertible model. Katerina Plew, 38, says she spent about $12,000 to patent her design and develop a prototype, but began contacting companies seeking a manufacturing partner when she…

Apr 22, 2008 3:43 PM CDT

Shocked Judge Says A&O Overbilled; Firm Spent $10.4M for 5-Day Trial

Updated: A shocked judge on the United Kingdom’s High Court has criticized one of the country’s most prominent law firms for spending way too much time representing Research In Motion UK in an infringement case concerning BlackBerry patents. Justice Christopher Floyd pointed out that Allen & Overy racked up nearly…

Apr 18, 2008 4:51 PM CDT

Law Firm Strikes Out as Yankees ‘Sponsor’

An athletic shoe company, a tire manufacturer, and even China’s largest dairy are sponsors of the New York Yankees. But a law firm? That’s what nine-attorney Manhattan personal injury firm Belluck & Fox was claiming earlier this week on the website HomeRunLegal.com. The site featured a photo of Yankee Stadium,…

Apr 16, 2008 11:47 AM CDT

J.K. Rowling: Harry Potter is My World, Not Fan’s

Does an encyclopedia of Harry Potter lore take too much and do too little, simply rearranging the furniture of J.K. Rowling’s famous seven-book series of children’s novels? Or is the Harry Potter Lexicon composed by a fan of the books protected by the fair use doctrine? That is the question…

Apr 14, 2008 8:50 PM CDT

Facebook Close to Resolving Origin Claims?

An uncomfortable challenge to the popular college student-networking site Facebook may be near settlement. Three former Harvard students sued Facebook claiming that the idea for the social networking site was theirs, the New York Times reports. Brothers Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss went to Harvard with Mark Zuckerberg, the founder of…

Apr 8, 2008 3:21 PM CDT

Online Music Store Agrees Not to Sell Early Beatles Tape Pending Decision

An online music store has agreed to an injunction barring it from selling an early recording of a Beatles performance featuring then-new drummer Ringo Starr pending resolution of a lawsuit filed by Apple Corps Ltd., the Beatles record label. Michael Joblove, the lawyer for online music company Fuego Entertainment Inc.,…

Apr 7, 2008 7:22 PM CDT

Einstein’s Notes Sued for Publishing Prof’s Practice Questions, Lecture Notes

A lawsuit filed in a Florida federal court contends Einstein’s Notes committed copyright violations by publishing lecture notes and practice questions from a University of Florida professor. The suit (PDF) contends professor Michael Moulton took notes during his own lectures on wildlife issues in the new millennium, obtained a copyright…

Apr 7, 2008 1:04 PM CDT

The Lanier Law Firm, Known for PI Work, Opens IP Office

Plaintiffs lawyers, sensing opportunity for profit, are branching out into intellectual property litigation. The latest entrant in the field is the Texas-based Lanier Law Firm, known for its asbestos and Vioxx work, the Recorder reports. The firm has announced associate Christopher Banys is leaving Howrey to open a new IP…

Apr 2, 2008 3:45 PM CDT

Judge Overturns Rule Changes to Streamline the Patent Process

A federal judge in Virginia has ruled the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office doesn’t have the authority to make rule changes designed to streamline the patent process. Patent applicants had been “apoplectic” over the PTO proposal, which was designed to make the patent process more efficient by encouraging patent applicants…

Apr 2, 2008 2:26 PM CDT

Free Legal Advice Offered for Accused Music Pirates

Students in San Francisco’s Bay Area have an ally if the Recording Industry Association of America comes knocking and accuses them of pirating music. The college students can turn to the University of San Francisco’s legal clinic—part of the Internet and Intellectual Property Justice Project—that aims to match tech-savvy law…

Apr 1, 2008 9:04 PM CDT

Gangster Museum Reopens After Dillinger Nephew Settles Suit

American gangster history enthusiasts will get a chance to explore the life and times of the notorious John Dillinger. The Dillinger Museum reopened Friday in Hammond, Ind., after a long-fought court battle between local tourism officials and Dillinger’s great-nephew Jeffery Scalf, the Post-Tribune reports. Scalf, who owns Dillinger LLC, which…

Mar 31, 2008 8:36 PM CDT

Pfizer Global Patent Director Arrested on Child Pornography Charges

The global patent director of Pfizer Inc., Alan Hesketh, has been arrested and charged with child pornography, the Associated Press reports. Hesketh is a British citizen who is a permanent U.S. resident working in Pfizer’s legal division in Connecticut. He is on a leave of absence, a Pzifer spokeswoman says.…

Mar 28, 2008 3:41 PM CDT

Hanify Boutique Raids Bingham, Sets Up New D.C. IP Office

A Boston commercial litigation boutique has scored a double coup by stealing five intellectual property lawyers from Bingham McCutchen. First, the five will create a new Washington, D.C., office for Hanify & King. But, perhaps even more important, they will add considerably more depth to the firm’s intellectual property practice,…

Mar 27, 2008 8:10 PM CDT

Read more ...