Intellectual Property Law

Discovery Debacle: How Not to Duplicate Qualcomm’s E-Mail Issues

After some $10 million in court-ordered penalties, attorney sanctions and a switch of both in-house and outside counsel, it is clear that Qualcomm Inc. didn’t handle its discovery obligations in a patent dispute with Broadcom Corp. in an optimal manner. But despite these severe sanctions over 46,000 e-mails that Qualcomm…

Mar 6, 2008 1:32 AM CST

Frigid Fracas

Low-Temp Locales Lay Claim to Worst Winter Weather, Slug It Out in Court Over Teeth-Chattering Title

Mar 1, 2008 8:05 AM CST

Judge Refuses Default Judgment in File-Sharing Suit, Cites Lack of Evidence

Legal observers say a judge’s refusal to grant a default judgment in a suit alleging illegal file-sharing is a setback for the music industry. U.S. District Judge Janet Bond Arterton of Connecticut said in Feb. 13 ruling that a copyright infringement lawsuit filed by several recording companies appeared to lack…

Feb 27, 2008 7:43 PM CST

Lerach’s Gone, But Business Is Booming at Coughlin Stoia

Coughlin Stoia Geller Rudman & Robbins is flourishing despite the loss of founder William Lerach, who was sentenced to two years in prison for a scheme to pay kickbacks to lead plaintiffs while at his former firm. Coughlin Stoia is filing more cases on average than in the months before…

Feb 26, 2008 1:50 PM CST

Troll Tracker Outs Himself, $15K Reward Remains Unclaimed

The anonymous author of the Patent Troll Tracker blog has revealed that he is Richard Frenkel, an intellectual property lawyer who is a director in Cisco Systems’ IP group. Frenkel said he decided to out himself after he received an e-mail threat from someone who threatened to go public with…

Feb 26, 2008 12:23 PM CST

M&M Lawsuit Just One Part of Naked Cowboy’s Financial Plan

The singing Naked Cowboy has ambitions beyond winning his trademark lawsuit against the Mars candy company over a billboard featuring an M&M dressed in the same attire—or lack of it—that he sports. The cowboy, Robert Burck, is seeking $6 million, but he already makes a pretty good living, the Washington…

Feb 21, 2008 6:59 PM CST

McDermott Ordered to Pay Attorney Fees for ‘Abuse of Advocacy’

A federal judge in Colorado has ordered McDermott Will & Emery and one of its clients to pay the legal fees of an opponent in a patent infringement case because of “abuse of advocacy.” U.S. District Judge Richard Matsch chastised two McDermott lawyers, Terrence McMahon and Vera Elson, in his…

Feb 15, 2008 12:57 PM CST

Writers Used YouTube To Drum Up Support

Writer’s Guild members used their strike time creatively—to drum up public sympathy, their chief negotiator says. Writers Guild of America-West President Patric Verrone, chief negotiator for 10,500 TV and film writers during the three-month strike, is an Emmy-winning producer-writer for the animated series Futurama. He’s also a member of the…

Feb 15, 2008 12:16 AM CST

NYC’s Naked Cowboy Says Candy Corp. Stole His Trademark Skimpy Outfit

Robert Burck has spent years developing his well-known persona as a seemingly naked cowboy playing his guitar in New York City’s Times Square. Now he is suing a major candy company over an advertising campaign featuring an animated M&M dressed in a similar skimpy outfit. The 37-year-old “has his tighty…

Feb 14, 2008 12:31 AM CST

Bell Boyd Raids 2 San Diego Firms, Opens New Office

A well-known Chicago-based firm is establishing a West Coast presence, raiding two San Diego law offices to open a six-attorney outpost there. (It will also be staffed from the outset with seven Ph.D-credentialed specialists, and two of the lawyers apparently have Ph.Ds, too.) The partners at the helm of Bell,…

Feb 13, 2008 11:15 PM CST

Sixth-Highest Patent Verdict Reported

A federal jury in Texas has awarded a New Jersey radiologist $431.9 million in a suit against Boston Scientific Corp. for infringing his patent for a heart stent. Plaintiff Bruce Saffran has also sued Johnson & Johnson in another infringement suit related to stents, the Wall Street Journal reports. The…

Feb 13, 2008 4:54 PM CST

Internet Ban Plan Would Bar Illegal Downloaders, Under ‘3 Strikes’ Rule

A proposal to ban illegal music and film downloaders from using the Internet that has been under discussion for months by Hollywood entertainment industry officials and Internet service providers may be moving closer to reality. Proposed legislation to implement the enforcement system will be unveiled in the United Kingdom next…

Feb 12, 2008 7:42 PM CST

Hedge Fund Sues Over General Counsel’s $10M Bonus

A hedge fund has filed a lawsuit claiming that a $10 million bonus awarded to the general counsel of Transmeta Corp. is “outrageous, illegal and unconscionable.” The stockholder’s derivative suit was filed by Riley Investment Management, which owns about 7 percent of Transmeta and has offered to buy the company,…

Feb 12, 2008 11:45 AM CST

Outsourcing Alternative: Law Firm Sets Up Own Shop in India

Apparently weary of seeing clients defect to to low-cost companies in India and elsewhere when it came time to perform so-called legal process work, at least one major U.S. law firm reportedly is fighting back. Howrey is opening its own office in India, although outsourcing is not what it is…

Feb 11, 2008 6:06 PM CST

$5K DePaul Student Award Honors Slain IP Lawyer

A $5,000 award has been established in memory of a Chicago intellectual property lawyer who was murdered in a shooting rampage at his law firm in late 2006. The scholarship will be awarded to a third-year student at DePaul University College of Law who is “expected to make the greatest…

Feb 5, 2008 12:39 AM CST