Patent Law

Lawyer Could Face Jail for Voir Dire Question

A federal magistrate has found patent lawyer John van Loben Sels in contempt of court and threatened him with a 48-hour jail sentence for a question he asked during voir dire. Van Loben Sels asked potential jurors in a patent infringement suit whether they had “a problem with a company…

Jul 14, 2009 2:54 PM CDT

Law Trails Behind as Disputes Over Genetic Patents Intensify

After being diagnosed with an aggressive type of breast cancer, Lisbeth Ceriani had a double mastectomy last year followed by chemotherapy that caused her hair to fall out in clumps. Just when she thought the worst was over, she learned that some of the genes in her body that led…

Jul 3, 2009 2:00 PM CDT

Wrangling Genes

As the law changes and new medical frontiers open, the dispute over genetic patents intensifies

Jul 2, 2009 4:10 AM CDT

Lawyers Remember Michael Jackson for ‘Smooth’ Shoe Patent

As many remember Michael Jackson for his Thriller work or read his will in the Smoking Gun today, some lawyers recall him for an innovative dance shoe patent. The design, which was patented in 1993 by the pop singer and two partners, contains a special heel slot. Retractable pegs in…

Jul 1, 2009 11:27 PM CDT

Jury Awards $1.67B to Drugmaker in Record-Breaking Patent Verdict

Siding with the world’s biggest health care company, a federal jury in Texas awarded a record-breaking $1.67 billion today to a Johnson & Johnson unit after five hours of deliberation. In its verdict against Abbott Laboratories, the jury found that the Illinois-based drugmaker willfully violated an exclusive patent licensing agreement…

Jun 29, 2009 11:08 PM CDT

Lawyer Who Spotted Expired Patent on Solo Cup Wins Qui Tam Ruling

Washington, D.C., patent lawyer Matthew Pequignot did some investigating after spotting patent markings on the lid to his daily cup of coffee and discovered that the patent had actually expired some 20 years before. Now the lawyer is seeking millions of dollars in damages in a qui tam suit against…

Jun 9, 2009 2:02 PM CDT

Dickinson Wright Sued for $33M in Alleged Patent Error for Lacrosse Stick

A $33 million suit filed against Dickinson Wright claims two of its lawyers let a patent lapse for a lacrosse stick by failing to pay an administrative fee. The suit by Warrior Sports Inc. claims the mistake forced the company into an unfavorable settlement in its infringement suit against a…

Jun 4, 2009 12:34 PM CDT

Foley & Lardner Reaches Tentative Deal to Settle Patent Malpractice Suit

Foley & Lardner has reached a tentative agreement to settle a malpractice suit that contends the law firm missed a deadline for an international patent application. The terms of the deal are confidential, the National Law Journal reports. The suit filed by biotech company Vaxiion Therapeutics Inc. had claimed Foley…

Jun 2, 2009 4:19 PM CDT

High Court to Hear Bilski Case Restricting Business Method Patents

The U.S. Supreme Court has agreed to review a decision that restricts patents on business methods by requiring that they be tied to a machine or involve a physical transformation. The outcome will likely affect software, biotechnology and financial services industries, Bloomberg reports. “This case raises the most fundamental question…

Jun 1, 2009 4:43 PM CDT

Judge Says HP Lawyers Didn’t Go Beyond ‘Bounds of Civility’

A federal judge has refused to order lawyers for Hewlett-Packard Co. to pay about $12 million in attorney fees in a hard-fought patent infringement case. Judge Randall Rader wrote that some HP lawyers “did employ some marginally vexatious litigation tactics,” but the conduct did not warrant the fee sanction, the…

May 22, 2009 2:31 PM CDT

ACLU Suit Challenges Patents on Genes as First Amendment Violation

A suit filed by in New York federal court challenges patents granted to a company for two genes that can be tested to determine a person’s increased risk of breast and ovarian cancers. The suit argues such patents impede the free flow of information and violate the First Amendment, according…

May 13, 2009 7:01 PM CDT

Akin Gump Hit with $72.6M Malpractice Verdict

Updated: Jurors in a San Antonio federal trial have awarded plaintiffs $72.6 million in a malpractice case against Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld. The firm plans to appeal. And in a statement released to the ABA Journal late this evening, Akin Gump says, it “is disappointed with the verdict,…

May 8, 2009 5:59 PM CDT

Lawyers Say Embarrassing Voice Mail of Marvell GC May Have Been Edited

A voice mail message by lawyers on a speakerphone that didn’t get disconnected before some embarrassing discussions took place is being challenged by a company that wants to keep the recording out of an upcoming trade secrets trial. Lawyers for Marvell Semiconductor say the tape should be tossed because it…

May 7, 2009 12:05 PM CDT

Wham-Owed

If you think that all kids want these days is a Wii, a Nintendo DS or the latest PlayStation, then a series of recent lawsuits may make you think twice.

May 2, 2009 3:30 AM CDT

Intellectual Property Boutique Is Hot for New Recruits

The last time patent litigator Bert Ehrlich experienced a downturn in the economy, his law firm missed the boat. Not this time. Ehrlich, a partner at the intellectual property boutique Ladas & Parry, sees his firm as a beacon of hope to disgruntled BigLaw partners and associates. Business at Ladas…

Apr 28, 2009 5:31 PM CDT