Court limits where plaintiffs can bring claims in three rulings

This Supreme Court term turned out to be important for civil procedure, with three significant rulings on personal jurisdiction—when a court has control of the particular parties in a case.

Aug 1, 2017 1:20 AM CDT

Supreme Court rules patent holders may not bar otherwise timely lawsuits with laches

The U.S. Supreme Court ruled today that patent holders may not use the doctrine of laches—that is, may not argue that defendants slept too long on their rights—as a defense to lawsuits filed within the Patent Act’s six-year statute of limitations. The 7-1 decision (PDF) extended a similar decision on…

Mar 21, 2017 3:15 PM CDT

In ‘surprise’ ruling, full appeals court reinstates Apple’s $119.6M infringement award

A federal appeals court has reinstated a $119.6 million award to Apple in its infringement battle against Samsung over smartphone technology. In an en banc decision, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit reinstated the award for infringement of Apple technology for sliding to unlock the phone; automatic…

Oct 7, 2016 12:21 PM CDT

Federal Circuit appears unlikely to reverse order disqualifying company’s entire legal department

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit doesn’t appear inclined to reverse a federal judge’s order disqualifying the entire in-house legal department at Acacia Research Corp., a company known in some circles as a patent troll or a “patent privateer.” The Federal Circuit heard arguments last week on…

Aug 9, 2016 7:00 AM CDT

Federal judge scraps Cleveland’s restrictions on protests during RNC in July

U.S. District Judge James Gwin has struck down Cleveland’s plans for a 3.3-square-mile event zone to prohibit protests and parades during the Republican National Convention next month. Gwin cited the zone as unconstitutional and an infringement of the rights to free speech and assembly, Cleveland.com reported. During the hearing, Gwin…

Jun 24, 2016 3:00 PM CDT

SCOTUS to mull Federal Circuit refusal to apply top court’s copyright laches ruling in patent case

Does the same laches standard recognized by the U.S. Supreme Court in a 2014 copyright infringement case also apply in a patent infringement case? In an en banc decision last year, a divided 6-5 panel of the U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit crafted its own hybrid…

May 2, 2016 2:00 PM CDT

Can patent laws halt the reselling of used ink cartridges? Federal Circuit to consider

Feb 1, 2016 2:50 AM CST

Tug-of-war over interpretations of patent law continues between Federal Circuit and SCOTUS

Jan 1, 2016 3:00 AM CST

These plaintiffs argue derogatory words can’t hurt them

Jan 1, 2016 12:40 AM CST

Ban on disparaging trademarks violates First Amendment, Federal Circuit rules in band’s appeal

The en banc U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit has struck down a provision of the Lanham Act that denies registration for “disparaging” trademarks. The Federal Circuit ruled in an appeal by Simon Shiao Tam, who wants to trademark the name of his Asian-American rock band, the Slants.…

Dec 23, 2015 9:35 AM CST

Lawyer blasted by federal appeals court for forwarding judge email did nothing wrong, state bar says

Corrected: Although blasted by a federal appeals court last year for circulating a congratulatory email from a federal judge, a BigLaw partner did nothing calling for attorney discipline, the California State Bar has determined. Partner Edward Reines of Weil Gotshal & Manges said in an August pro hac vice motion…

Oct 2, 2015 12:55 PM CDT

‘Raging Bull’ decision could rouse patent holders to sue decades after alleged infringement

Sep 1, 2015 3:00 AM CDT

Federal Circuit trims $1.5B patent win, says nothing owed for chips made, used and sold outside US

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit has trimmed a $1.5 billion award for patent infringement in a decision that said there is no liability for products manufactured, used and sold outside the United States. The Federal Circuit trimmed the award to Carnegie Mellon University to $278 million,…

Aug 5, 2015 8:11 AM CDT

Federal Circuit: US must pay attorney’s fee to lawyer who took veteran’s case 20 years ago

Nearly 20 years after he agreed to represent a U.S. military veteran in a disability case, a Maine lawyer has gotten a definitive answer about his 20-percent contingent attorney fee. The U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit on Tuesday ruled that the feds owe attorney Francis Jackson…

Jun 3, 2015 4:25 PM CDT

‘Clear error’ standard of review in factual disputes applies in patent claims, SCOTUS says

The U.S. Supreme Court has ruled for a drug company fighting generic competitors in a decision on the proper standard of review in patent infringement cases involving factual issues. In a 7-2 decision (PDF), the Supreme Court held that factual conclusions by trial judges in claim construction cases should be…

Jan 20, 2015 10:45 AM CST