Patent Law

WilmerHale Could Save $214M Due to a Deadline Provision in the Patent Bill

Critics are labeling a patent reform bill “The Dog Ate My Homework Act” for the protection it gives WilmerHale and its client the Medicines Company. The bill would award patents to inventors who are “first to file” with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, rather than those who are “first…

Sep 8, 2011 12:08 PM CDT

3 Alston & Bird IP Partners Will Be Opening New DC Office for Quinn Emanuel

A major West Coast business litigation boutique today announced that it is opening a Washington, D.C., office. It will initially be staffed largely by two practice leaders and another partner from Alston & Bird’s office there. Paul Brinkman, Alex Lasher and Alan Whitehurst will be joining Quinn Emanuel Urquhart &…

Sep 1, 2011 8:46 PM CDT

A Comeback for the Federal Circuit: This Term, SCOTUS Is No Longer the ‘Court of Correction’

It had been a tough 10 years for the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit. Created in part to provide definitive rulings on patent law, the Federal Circuit found its patent rulings be coming anything but definitive—thanks to the U.S. Supreme Court. Starting in 2000, the high court…

Sep 1, 2011 8:00 AM CDT

Steve Jobs Has His Name on 313 Apple Patents, Outpacing Other High-Tech Leaders

Steve Jobs’ wide-reaching influence at Apple is evident in the 313 patents that bear his name. Other leaders of high-tech companies generally have their names on far fewer patents, the New York Times reports. Bill Gates has his name on nine Microsoft patents, while Google co-founders Larry Page and Sergey…

Aug 25, 2011 11:46 AM CDT

Stanley Kubrick Thought of iPad Design First, Samsung Says in Patent Spat with Apple

Stanley Kubrick and his filmmakers thought of the basic design for the iPad long before Apple came out with the device, Samsung asserts in defense of a patent infringement suit targeting its Android products. Samsung made the claim in a document filed with the San Jose, Calif., federal court on…

Aug 25, 2011 10:30 AM CDT

Google’s Acquisition of Motorola Is All About the Patents; IP Lawyers in Big Demand

Google executives confirmed Monday that the focus was on patents when the company agreed to buy Motorola Mobility Holdings Inc. Google hopes to use the patents acquired in the $12.5 billion deal to protect itself in litigation over its Android software for smartphones, according to the Chicago Tribune and Bloomberg…

Aug 16, 2011 1:43 PM CDT

Federal Circuit Rules Isolated Genes Can Be Patented

A federal appeals court has ruled that companies can patent isolated human genes, overturning a lower court ruling that had surprised some observers. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit ruled on Friday for Myriad Genetics Inc. and its patents on genes associated with increased risk of breast…

Aug 1, 2011 1:19 PM CDT

Fast-Forward: Federal Circuit Makes It Easier to Enforce Injunctions in Patent Cases

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit has changed the equation in patent enforcement by making it easier to bring contempt proceedings against a defendant for violating an injunction. In its April en banc decision in TiVo Inc. v. EchoStar Corp., the Federal Circuit also said courts should…

Aug 1, 2011 7:30 AM CDT

WilmerHale Leader Is Confident Firm Won’t Have to Pay $214M Malpractice Settlement

Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr reached a $214 million malpractice settlement in February, but co-managing partner William Perlstein says he’s confident the money won’t have to be paid. So far, the litigation over a patent deadline is in WilmerHale’s favor, according to The BLT: The Blog of Legal Times.…

Jun 29, 2011 12:53 PM CDT

Cozen Raids IP Litigation Boutique in NYC, Takes Away 19 of 27 Lawyers, Including 5 Senior Partners

In a raid that is expected to significantly enhance its intellectual property litigation team, Philadelphia-based Cozen O’Connor has lured away most of the lawyers from Cohen Pontani Lieberman & Pavane. The New York City IP litigation boutique is losing 19 of its 27 lawyers to Cozen, including five senior partners,…

Jun 21, 2011 11:48 PM CDT

Supreme Court to Consider Patentability of Drug Dosage Diagnostic Method

The U.S. Supreme Court has agreed to hear an appeal by the Mayo Clinic that challenges the right to patent a medical diagnostic method that gauges how patients react to varying drug dosages. Mayo is challenging a patent held by Prometheus Laboratories Inc. on its process for analyzing blood tests…

Jun 21, 2011 2:22 PM CDT

Supreme Court Rules Against Microsoft in Its Appeal of $240M Verdict

In a big loss for Microsoft Corp., the U.S. Supreme Court has refused to disturb the standard of proof needed to establish that an infringement plaintiff’s patent is invalid. The unanimous opinion (PDF) by Justice Sonia Sotomayor holds that an invalidity defense must be proven by “clear and convincing evidence.”…

Jun 9, 2011 2:42 PM CDT

Supreme Court Rules Against Stanford in HIV Patent Battle

The U.S. Supreme Court has ruled against Stanford University in a patent battle over a testing procedure that measures the HIV virus in blood samples. The Supreme Court ruled for Roche Molecular Systems Inc. in a 7-2 opinion (PDF) by Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. Roberts wrote that Stanford…

Jun 6, 2011 3:56 PM CDT

Ex-BigLaw Attorneys at MoloLamken Add Patent Appellate Win to String of Supreme Court Victories

Not quite two years after leaving BigLaw to form their own boutique, two former partners are celebrating a string of noteworthy victories. Helped by referrals from their former firms, as well as other major partnerships, Steven Molo and Jeffrey Lamken have a book of business that gives them at least…

May 31, 2011 9:43 PM CDT

Honeywell Pays BorgWarner $32.5M for Patent Case Involving Turbochargers

Honeywell International agreed to pay BorgWarner Inc. $32.5 million to settle a patent infringement lawsuit involving a titanium wheel used in engine turbochargers. The trial was scheduled to start today in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of North Carolina, according to Bloomberg News. The settlement was $100…

May 16, 2011 6:36 PM CDT