Lawsuit Says Twitter Infringed Lawyer’s Patent for ‘Virtual Community of Famous People’

A company formed by an intellectual property lawyer claims in a lawsuit that Twitter is infringing a patent he obtained in 2002 for “an interactive virtual community of famous people.” Lawyer Dinesh Agarwal’s original patent describes a “method and system” to create such virtual celebrity communities, according to PaidContent.org. He…

Jan 21, 2011 12:51 PM CST

Artist Claims Bookends Violate His Rights to Balloon Dogs

A lawyer from the Jones Day law firm has dispatched a letter that claims bookends made by a Toronto company too closely resemble a balloon dog sculpture made by artist Jeff Koons. Koons’ balloon dog has been made in two versions; one is 10 feet tall and the other is…

Jan 20, 2011 6:55 PM CST

Rainmaker Bunsow’s Exit From Howrey Shifts $20M Book of Business to Dewey, Says BLT

News that intellectual property rainmaker Henry Bunsow is leaving Howrey for Dewey & LeBoeuf could prove to be a significant crack in Howrey’s foundation, reports the Blog of Legal Times. Although there has been a growing spate of partner defections, Bunsow, who served as Howrey’s vice chairman, was one of…

Jan 20, 2011 12:02 AM CST

New Dewey San Francisco Office is 2nd Announced in 1 Day to Be Headed by Howrey IP Defector

Two years after closing the San Francisco office of Dewey & LeBoeuf, the law firm is reopening it in order to provide a home for three intellectual property lawyers defecting from Howrey. They are Henry Bunsow, who will co-chair the entire firm’s IP litigation practice, Denise De Mory and Brian…

Jan 19, 2011 11:41 PM CST

Patent Law Issue Puts $33M Law Firm Malpractice Case Squarely Into Federal Court

Vacating a dismissal by a U.S. District Court, an appellate panel has ruled that a patent law issue in a $33 million malpractice claim against a Detroit-based law firm puts the case squarely into federal jurisdiction. Because at least one of the plaintiff’s claims in Warrior Sports Inc. v. Dickinson…

Jan 13, 2011 9:16 PM CST

Copyright Dispute over AP Photo in Obama Poster Is Resolved with Deal to Collaborate

The artist who used an Associated Press photo of Barack Obama to create the hot-selling “Hope” poster will share rights to the image with the wire service. Artist Shepard Fairey and AP announced today an agreement in principle to settle their litigation. The deal provides that Fairey and AP will…

Jan 12, 2011 5:02 PM CST

Lawyers for Boy Scouts, Corporations & Media Argue About Whether ‘Perversion Files’ are Public

Lawyers for interested parties ranging from abuse survivors and multinational corporations to the Boy Scouts of America and media entities are battling about whether so-called “perversion files” can be opened up and, if so, to what extent. Kept by the Boy Scouts for decades to try to track and prevent…

Jan 12, 2011 12:16 AM CST

In ‘Social Network’ Sequel, Appellate Panel Grills Lawyer for Twins Seeking More Facebook Millions

A federal appeals court panel in San Francisco today grilled both sides in a battle between Facebook co-founder Mark Zuckerberg and upscale identical twins who claim he stole the idea for the now-renowned social networking site from them. The dispute was settled in 2008 for $65 million, as noted in…

Jan 11, 2011 11:11 PM CST

CAIR’s Suit Accuses Lawyer of Infringement and Vow to ‘Drive the Muslims Crazy’

A Michigan lawyer who sought to incorporate “CAIR Michigan Inc.” is facing a trademark infringement lawsuit that claims she is “stoking Islamophobia” on her website. The suit by the Council on American-Islamic Relations alleges that the articles of incorporation filed by Southland lawyer Debbie Schlussel also registered 17 assumed names,…

Jan 7, 2011 1:31 PM CST

GC’s Inactive Status Doesn’t Nix Attorney-Client Privilege, Judge Says

Gucci America may assert attorney-client privilege for communications with a top in-house lawyer who had taken inactive status, a federal judge had ruled. U.S. District Judge Shira Scheindlin of Manhattan said Gucci was entitled to assert the privilege based on its reasonable belief that Jonathan Moss was in fact a…

Jan 6, 2011 5:22 PM CST

Finicky Felines Prefer Super Scoop Kitty Litter, Not Fresh Step, Federal Lawsuit Contends

Citing a competing—and, it says, superior—study of feline toileting preferences, one leading manufacturer of kitty litter has made a federal case out of another’s advertising claim that finicky cats prefer the Fresh Step brand manufactured by Clorox Co. In fact, contends Church & Dwight Co. in a lawsuit filed today…

Jan 6, 2011 1:00 AM CST

Appeals Court Reinstates Uniloc Win in Microsoft Case, But Calls for New Trial re $390M Jury Award

A federal appeals court has reinstated a jury verdict against Microsoft Corp. in favor of anti-piracy software maker Uniloc USA Inc. However, a $388 million jury award to Uniloc in the patent case was “fundamentally tainted,” requiring a new trial on damages, said the U.S. Court of Appeals for the…

Jan 4, 2011 7:00 PM CST

LeClairRyan Raids Nixon Peabody for At Least 15 Lawyers, Mostly in Rochester, NY, Office

What was initially billed as a five-partner intellectual property team exiting the historic Rochester, N.Y., headquarters of Nixon Peabody to start a new office of LeClairRyan has now grown considerably. A total of 12 lawyers have departed Nixon Peabody in Rochester for the new LeClairRyan office there, which opened Dec.…

Jan 3, 2011 10:29 PM CST

Apple App Aims to Squash Sexting

Jan 1, 2011 9:20 AM CST

Virtual Worlds, Real Battles: Trademark Holders Take on Use in Games

Jan 1, 2011 7:20 AM CST