Torts for Tots: Swear to Tell the Truth or Go to Your Room

Jan 1, 2011 6:10 AM CST

Amazon Patents Gift-Return Process

For those who find certain gifts frightful rather than delightful, relief may be on the way for a future holiday season. Amazon has quietly patented a process for returning unwanted gifts from your nearest and dearest, reports the Washington Post. Depending on the rules the recipient sets, gifts could be…

Dec 28, 2010 4:05 PM CST

Lawsuits Say Unique Apple iPhone and iPad IDs Let Advertisers Profile & Track Users Via Apps

Updated: By giving each iPhone and iPad a so-called Unique Device Identifier or UDID, Apple Inc. has made it possible for advertisers secretly to track which applications individuals download and how frequently they use them, in violation of federal and state computer, consumer and privacy law, two federal lawsuits contend.…

Dec 28, 2010 11:16 AM CST

Forget Marble Floors: Flat Fees Fill Ex-BigLaw Partner’s Client List at New IP Shop

A former partner of Drinker Biddle & Reath credits a flat-fee billing structure for her new intellectual property boutique’s rapid acquisition of clients and a solid book of business. Many of those she now represents followed Kathryn Doyle, who formerly headed Drinker Biddle’s life sciences practice, to her new shop,…

Dec 18, 2010 12:20 AM CST

Copyright King’s Business Model at Risk: Judge Requires Separate Filing Fees in 1,000s of P2P Claims

In less than three months, attorney Kenneth Ford has pursued some 22,000 copyright claims alleging peer-to-peer file-sharing violations, backing his Adult Copyright Company’s offer of “hardcore protection for hardcore content.” But a federal judge in West Virginia has put a spoke in the copyright king’s wheels by requiring Ford to…

Dec 17, 2010 6:45 PM CST

5-Partner IP Team Latest to Depart Nixon Peabody; Firm Announced Leadership Shift Earlier This Week

News of another partner defection in the New York offices of Nixon Peabody follows an announcement earlier this week that the leadership of the firm is shifting to a Boston-based partner. A five-partner team of four intellectual property lawyers and a litigator will be departing from the firm’s Rochester office…

Dec 15, 2010 9:17 PM CST

George Clinton Sues Black Eyed Peas, Says ‘Shut Up’ on Sampling

Funk recording artist George Clinton is emboldened by recent court victories, including a 2009 federal appeals court decision (PDF) acknowledging his original ownership of the phrase “bow wow wow, yippie yo, yippie yay.” Now he’s becoming “more aggressive on the copyright front,” Reuters reports, with a lawsuit against the Black…

Dec 14, 2010 4:48 PM CST

Supreme Court Split Leaves Intact Ruling Against Costco in Copyright Dispute

The U.S. Supreme Court has split 4-4 in a copyright battle between Costco Wholesale Corp. and Swiss watchmaker Omega, leaving intact a federal appeals court ruling in favor of Omega. The vote is the first 4-4 split in 20 cases heard by the court without the participation of Justice Elena…

Dec 13, 2010 3:36 PM CST

Captain Awesome Wins Name Change, Right to Sign with 2 Arrows and Smiley Face

An Oregon man has legally changed his name to Captain Awesome, after winning approval from a Lane County Circuit Court judge. Plus, he can now legally sign his name with two arrows and a smiley face, reports the Eugene Register-Guard. There’s no word on what the producers of the NBC…

Dec 6, 2010 10:02 PM CST

Suit Accuses L.L. Bean Supplier of Christmas Tree Infringement

A hot-selling tabletop Christmas tree for sale by L.L. Bean is at the center of a legal dispute between two competitors. According to a lawsuit, the tree by Whitney Originals Inc. infringes the patented design of a tree made by Worcester Wreath, which had been L.L. Bean’s supplier before last…

Dec 1, 2010 12:29 PM CST

Niche Trademark Practice Taps Solo’s Entrepreneurial Genes

Dec 1, 2010 6:45 AM CST

ABA Task Force Uses Software to Find Common IP Security Provisions

Dec 1, 2010 6:40 AM CST

Class Action Accuses Anti-Piracy Law Firm of ‘Settlement Fraud and Extortion’

A defendant accused of illegal downloading along with more than 4,500 other defendants claims in a class action lawsuit that the law firm pursing the cases is guilty of “settlement fraud and extortion.” The suit targets the U.S. Copyright Group, the entity formed by the law firm Dunlap, Grubb &…

Nov 30, 2010 3:02 PM CST

Dueling Sanctions Requests Filed Over Self-Help Docs for Illegal Downloaders

A lawyer who is selling a package of self-help documents for accused illegal downloaders is fighting a sanctions request by the law firm that has sued thousands of the defendants. Lawyer Graham Syfert tells TorrentFreak that the Virginia-based law firm Dunlap, Grubb, & Weaver is seeking $5,000 in sanctions against…

Nov 29, 2010 6:00 PM CST

Alito Dissents from Cert Denial in Music Downloading Case Against Texas Teen

Justice Samuel A. Alito Jr. disagrees with the Supreme Court’s refusal to hear a dispute involving a 16-year old Texas youth accused of illegally downloading music from the Internet. The teenager, Whitney Harper of San Antonio, claimed she was an “innocent infringer” who wasn’t aware the songs had been protected…

Nov 29, 2010 5:04 PM CST