Intellectual Property Law

Cards’ La Russa Announces Twitter Settlement, Site Denies It on Blog

St. Louis Cardinals manager Tony La Russa announced Friday that Twitter agreed to pay his legal fees and make a donation to his animal rescue foundation to settle his suit against the social networking site. The Associated Press Wall Street Journal Law Blog reported the settlement. La Russa filed the…

Jun 8, 2009 5:18 PM CDT

Tony La Russa Sues Twitter over Imposter’s Page

St. Louis Cardinals manager Tony La Russa has sued Twitter claiming that the microblogging site refused to take down an imposter’s page that contained “derogatory and demeaning” remarks. The suit alleges trademark infringement, cybersquatting and misappropriation of likeness and name, reports the St. Louis Post-Dispatch’s Bird Land blog. Two Wall…

Jun 5, 2009 11:49 AM CDT

Late-Filed Standing Challenge Wins in Case Citing Embarrassing GC’s Tape

A stolen trade secrets case that relies partly on a general counsel’s mistaken voice mail message has been tossed after a late-hour dismissal motion argued a lack of standing. Santa Clara, Calif., Superior Court Judge Thomas Edwards ruled yesterday that Jasmine Networks Inc. can’t sue Marvell Semiconductor Inc. for alleged…

Jun 4, 2009 1:34 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

In Battle of the Ducks, Company Claims Rights to Quacking Noise

It’s not exactly a dog-eat-dog battle. On one side is Bay Quackers. On the other is Ride the Ducks. Both companies operate amphibious vehicles, known as ducks, in the city and bay of San Francisco. And both use kazoo-like quackers to get the attention of potential customers and passers-by. Last…

Jun 3, 2009 6:42 PM CDT

Morgan & Finnegan Saga Supports Theory of Endangered IP Boutiques

The conventional wisdom is that intellectual property boutiques are an endangered species, likely to fail as partners are lured to higher-paying large law firms where they can grow their practices. The demise of Morgan & Finnegan, which dissolved in February and filed for bankruptcy a month later, supports the naysayers’…

Jun 3, 2009 2:15 PM CDT

J.D. Salinger Sues Over Sequel, ‘a Rip-off, Pure and Simple’

Holden Caufield says in the teenage classic The Catcher in the Rye that he would love to call his favorite authors for a chat—people like Isak Dinesen or maybe Ring Lardner. The reclusive author of the novel, J.D. Salinger, doesn’t share those good feelings for the writer of a book…

Jun 2, 2009 6:40 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

Social Studies

In February, social networking behemoth Facebook announced changes to its terms of service. The highly publicized dustup that followed was much like most others: one part misinterpretation, one part overreaction and one part grain of truth.

Jun 2, 2009 3:50 AM 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 Appoints Lawsuit Guardian Due to Client’s ‘Irrational Hostility’ to Lawyer

A federal district judge in Washington, D.C., has appointed a guardian to oversee a plaintiff’s interests in a more than decade-old copyright case, due to what he has described as her “paranoid outbursts” and “irrational hostility” to her own lawyer. Attorney Nathan Lewin’s request for a guardian ad litem was…

May 29, 2009 11:54 PM CDT

PI Attorneys Sue Google Over ‘Adwords’ Sale of Law Firm Name to Competitor

Two Connecticut personal injury lawyers are suing Google, contending that the Internet search engine improperly sold advertising rights concerning their law firm name to a competitor. When Internet users type Stratton Faxon into the Google search engine, say plaintiffs Michael Stratton and Joel Faxon in the New Haven Superior Court…

May 27, 2009 10:01 PM CDT

IP Attorney Produces Geeky Rap Album

When intellectual property attorney Anthony McNamer made his break from BigLaw, he didn’t simply hang out his own shingle. In addition to forming McNamer and Company, the Portland, Ore., practitioner also produced a rap album that offers a humorous take on the genre’s traditional tough-guy image, reports Above the Law.…

May 27, 2009 8:03 PM CDT

Inmate Sues Over Alleged Guiness Book Plan to Name Him Most Litigious

Jonathan Lee Riches admittedly has participated in a lot of litigation. But the federal prison inmate says the Guiness Book of World Records has it wrong concerning some of the information that the renowned world-record compiler allegedly plans to print about his filing of some 4,000 lawsuits worldwide. So Riches,…

May 27, 2009 7:01 PM CDT

‘Fendi Crush’ was Highlight of Sotomayor’s IP Practice

Practicing intellectual property law at Pavia & Harcourt in the 1980s and 1990s offered U.S. Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor an early opportunity to demonstrate her legal eagle potential. Representing the manufacturer of luxury Fendi handbags, the firm successfully litigated against manufacturers and sellers of counterfeit items for this major…

May 26, 2009 11:13 PM CDT