Intellectual Property Law

Townsend Firm Axes 9 Lawyers, 25 Staff

It was a grim Wednesday this week at the California offices of Townsend and Townsend and Crew, as the intellectual property boutique axed nine lawyers and 25 staff members. Most of the attorneys let go were associates, although a few senior lawyers were also cut, the firm’s chair, Maureen Sheehy,…

Aug 19, 2010 6:28 PM CDT

Bratz Maker MGA Accuses Mattel GC and Quinn Emanuel in Alleged RICO Toy-Spying Conspiracy

Toy maker MGA Entertainment, accused of stealing the idea for the Bratz doll by hiring Mattel workers, has turned the tables on its rival with a counterclaim that alleges a Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act conspiracy to glean secret toy information by Mattel lawyers and other top executives. In…

Aug 18, 2010 12:28 PM CDT

Best Buy Sends Cease-and-Desist Letter to ‘God Squad’ Priest

A Wisconsin priest who drives a Volkswagen Beetle with a “God Squad” logo has gotten a cease-and-desist letter from Best Buy. The letter informs Father Luke Strand at the Holy Family Parish in Fond Du Lac that his logo too closely resembles Best Buy’s trademarked Geek Squad logo, according to…

Aug 16, 2010 2:00 PM CDT

Oracle Sues Google, Claims Android Infringes on Patented Java Technology

An operating system for the Google Android, an Internet and social media smartphone designed by Motorola, infringes on patented Java technology, according to a federal lawsuit filed Thursday by Oracle America. The phone’s software uses Java applications, and infringes on parts of seven different patents, according to the complaint filed…

Aug 13, 2010 4:00 PM CDT

New Fashion Law Institute Sews Up Legal Niche

Fashion is serious business. Just ask Susan Scafidi, who next month will help Fordham University open its Fashion Law Institute, a first in legal academia. Scafidi, who blogs at Counterfeit Chic, has developed a niche focusing on fashion-related legal issues and pushing for intellectual property protections for designers who are…

Aug 12, 2010 6:40 PM CDT

Despite Improving Economy, Brinks Hofer Axes 18

Only yesterday, Crain’s New York Business reported that the pace of law firm layoffs slowed down significantly last month. But while the bloodletting of recent months and years may have slowed from a gush to a relative trickle, it hasn’t been totally shut off. This week, Chicago-based Brinks Hofer Gilson…

Aug 11, 2010 9:42 PM CDT

Seyfarth Lawyer Warns Take-Out Stand About ‘Lizard-Like’ Monsters

Lawyers for a Japanese company are warning a Maine food stand named Grill Zilla BBQ that it needs to drop its big, green mascot attired in a red apron. Grill Zilla BBQ operates out of old Frito-Lay delivery truck, the Kennebec Journal reports. So far its owners aren’t budging. The…

Aug 9, 2010 3:36 PM CDT

‘Attack Dog’ Group Buys Newspaper Copyrights, Sues 86 Websites

So-called patent trolls have gotten lots of press for buying up and enforcing patents, but there appears to be a new kind of practitioner with a different intellectual property focus—the copyright troll. A Las Vegas start-up called Righthaven has purchased several copyrights to the Las Vegas Review-Journal and sued at…

Aug 4, 2010 11:34 AM CDT

Beyond Big Brother: Some Web Hosts Are Watching Your Every Keystroke

There’s a cost to that free content you probably enjoy on the Internet—a loss of privacy. Web hosts are watching what you read, what you say, what you buy and where you go online, via cookies and other tracking tools that enable them to assemble—and sell—detailed profiles to other companies,…

Aug 2, 2010 11:02 PM CDT

Mark Trail

Online companies get a bye on using trademarks

Aug 1, 2010 5:09 AM CDT

Standing by Its Flexible Standards

The Bilski ruling will keep the patent bar churning

Aug 1, 2010 5:08 AM CDT

Hobson’s Choice for Ansel Adams Heirs: $200M Might Be Theirs If They Say Newfound Pix are Legit

Faced with a claim that a construction worker paid $45 at a garage sale for lost Ansel Adams negatives that could bring in some $200 million, outraged heirs and administrators of the famed black-and-white nature photographer’s legacy are faced with a Hobson’s choice. They might be able to claim much…

Jul 30, 2010 1:27 AM CDT

$17M for Legal Fees Is Money Well Spent, RIAA Says

The Recording Industry Association of America is defending more than $17 million spent on legal fees in 2008 after bloggers claimed the organization’s aggressive pursuit of damages for illegal downloading was yielding little legal in the way of legal recoveries. Two blogs, Recording Industry vs The People and ITProPortal, had…

Jul 29, 2010 11:00 AM CDT

Library of Congress Allows iPhone ‘Jailbreaking,’ Turns Aside Apple’s IP Objection

A final rule issued yesterday by the Library of Congress gives iPhone users the freedom to bypass controls on the devices without fear of running afoul of copyright law. The Library of Congress, which has the power to set exceptions to the Digital Millennium Copyright Act, said such “jailbreaking” is…

Jul 27, 2010 11:40 AM CDT

Head of Dewey & LeBoeuf Palo Alto Office Leads 3-Partner Team to Kaye Scholer

Barely two years after joining Dewey & LeBoeuf, the managing partner of the firm’s East Palo Alto office is leaping to the nearby Menlo Park, Calif., office of Kaye Scholer. Barbara Caulfield is leading a three-partner team to her new firm, all of whom have an intellectual property focus, reports…

Jul 27, 2010 12:10 AM CDT