Federal judge bashes Kramer Levin lawyers, even as he denies sanctions for their conduct

Three lawyers with Kramer Levin Naftalis & Frankel were spared sanctions but got no vindication in a federal judge’s critical decision earlier this week.

Jul 29, 2021 11:27 AM CDT

Afternoon Briefs: Supreme Court limits patent board’s power; gun-pointing lawyer explains plea

SCOTUS limits power of Patent Trial and Appeal Board The U.S. Supreme Court ruled Monday that administrative judges on the Patent Trial and Appeal Board act as “principal officers” who must be appointed by the president and confirmed by the Senate under the appointments clause. The court said the system…

Jun 21, 2021 4:01 PM CDT

Second half of SCOTUS term may bring the temperature down compared to its feverish first

The U.S. Supreme Court justices may soon be able to settle in for some relative peace and quiet in the second half of their term. Decisions in several high-profile merits cases are being drafted and circulated.

Dec 28, 2020 9:57 AM CST

Jan. 13, 1914: Wright brothers awarded patent on flying machine

Dec 1, 2020 12:05 AM CST

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