Patent Law

Afternoon Briefs: Property law scholar wins ‘genius grant;’ judge says inmates entitled to stimulus checks

Law prof who studied Black land ownership wins ‘genius grant’ Thomas Wilson Mitchell, a law professor at the Texas A&M University, is the only lawyer among 21 winners of the MacArthur Foundation fellowships, commonly known as “genius grants,” this year. Mitchell left a law firm job to study how property…

Oct 6, 2020 3:15 PM CDT

Drugmaker accuses plaintiffs law firm of running misleading ads about HIV medications

Drugmaker Gilead Sciences Inc. is asking a federal judge to admonish a plaintiffs law firm for allegedly running misleading advertisements about Gilead’s HIV medications.

Aug 26, 2020 1:54 PM CDT

Afternoon Briefs: FBI lawyer accused of changing email; trial during pandemic surprisingly normal

FBI lawyer accused of altering email in Russia probe An information filed Friday accuses FBI lawyer Kevin Clinesmith of changing an email used in 2017 to justify continued surveillance of Carter Page, a former adviser to President Donald Trump. Clinesmith changed an email to indicate that Page was not a…

Aug 14, 2020 5:01 PM CDT

Dentons says $32.3M malpractice verdict was ‘simply wrong,’ and it will appeal

Dentons says it will appeal a $32.3 million malpractice verdict based on its disqualification in a patent case because of work done by its Canadian branch.

Feb 26, 2020 10:39 AM CST

UpCounsel website for freelance lawyers shuts down after litigation opponent becomes ‘significant shareholder’

An online marketplace that links freelance lawyers with small businesses and other would-be clients has announced it is shutting down March 4. UpCounsel did not provide a reason for the decision in an announcement sent to users and posted on its website.

Feb 3, 2020 4:09 PM CST

Afternoon Briefs: Judge tosses suit against Mueller; PTAB appointment process struck down

Judge tosses suit against Mueller U.S. District Judge Ellen Huvelle of Washington, D.C., has tossed a lawsuit against former special counsel Robert Mueller by Jerome Corsi, a conservative author and conspiracy theorist. Corsi claimed Mueller tried to coerce him to testify falsely that he acted as a liaison between WikiLeaks…

Nov 1, 2019 4:35 PM CDT

‘Taco Tuesday’ too common for LeBron James to trademark, US patent office says

On Wednesday, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office denied Los Angeles Lakers basketball player LeBron James’ attempt to trademark the phrase “Taco Tuesday.”

Sep 13, 2019 10:11 AM CDT

After ‘aloha’ restaurant dispute, Hawaii pushes to protect cultural intellectual property

“Aloha” means hello and goodbye and signifies love, compassion and kindness. Since last year, the Hawaiian word also has been legally connected to poke, a bowl of diced raw fish. In 2018, a non-Hawaiian food chain that originated in Chicago, the Aloha Poke Co., trademarked “Aloha Poke” and sent cease-and-desist…

Apr 26, 2019 10:44 AM CDT

Justice Ginsburg appears ‘alert and engaged’ in arguments; is a different justice mulling retirement?

U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg asked the first question during oral arguments on Tuesday—her first time on the bench since she had surgery recently for lung cancer. Ginsburg, who turns 86 next month, “appeared fully alert and engaged” during the arguments, the National Law Journal reports. “And neither…

Feb 20, 2019 9:01 AM CST

Are software patents about to make a comeback? Revised guidance may do just that

Revised rules from the U.S. Patent and Trade Office could bolster software patents. Published in early January, the rules would affect subject matter eligibility for patents under 35 USC § 101, which determines whether a product or process is abstract and, thus, not patentable. The updates enumerate what is abstract,…

Jan 11, 2019 4:53 PM CST

Acting AG Whitaker backed patent marketing company even as he fielded angry complaints, papers show

Corrected: Acting Attorney General Matthew Whitaker had backed a patent marketing company as a paid advisory board member even as he fielded complaints from angry consumers who complained they had been scammed. Whitaker began hearing complaints months after joining the board of World Patent Marketing in October 2014, according to…

Nov 30, 2018 2:57 PM CST

Apple and Samsung settle patent litigation case—finally

After seven years of litigation over smartphone design and utility patents, Apple and Samsung settled their Northern District of California infringement lawsuit Wednesday, the Mercury News reports.

Jun 28, 2018 1:52 PM CDT

A year after Supreme Court’s TC Heartland ruling, patent cases are up in Delaware and LA

The U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas used to be famous as a preferred venue for plaintiffs in patent cases. But data indicates the U.S. Supreme Court put a stop to that in May of 2017 when it ruled in TC Heartland v. Kraft Food Brands Group that lawyers should use a narrow definition of “resides” when determining where venue is proper.

May 22, 2018 7:00 AM CDT

Federal judge requires Quinn Emanuel to prove claim about dropped witness

A federal judge in California told Quinn Emanuel lawyers on Thursday that she wanted proof of their claim about a dropped witness who had been scheduled to testify for Samsung in a patent infringement case. U.S. District Judge Lucy Koh of San Jose made her demand after Quinn Emanuel lawyer…

May 18, 2018 3:18 PM CDT

Fish & Richardson offers bonuses of up to $115K for Federal Circuit clerks

Former judicial clerks from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit will now receive up to $115,000 in bonuses at Fish & Richardson.

Apr 10, 2018 1:45 PM CDT