Intellectual Property Law

Adidas Award of $305M in Trademark Infringement Case May Be Record

A Portland, Ore., jury has awarded Adidas AG nearly $305 million for violation of its trademark for three-stripe shoes. Lawyers at Kilpatrick Stockton who represented Adidas said the judgment against Payless ShoeSource Inc. may be the largest trademark victory in U.S. history, the American Lawyer reports. The verdict included $137…

May 7, 2008 4:14 PM CDT

Magazine Compiles Top 50 List of Young IP Lawyers

A list of the top 50 intellectual property lawyers under the age of 45 includes big-firm partners, boutique litigators and in-house lawyers. IP Law & Business (reg. req.) has compiled the list, starting with Oliver Ashe, who was a sixth-year associate when started his own firm, to William Zimmerman, who…

May 6, 2008 12:12 PM CDT

Law Prof Finds Flaw That Could Invalidate Thousands of Patent Decisions

Law professor John Duffy of George Washington University figured he was missing something when he discovered a flaw in the appointment process for judges who decide patent disputes. The Constitution’s appointments clause requires “inferior officers” of government to be appointed only by the president, the courts or “heads of departments”…

May 6, 2008 11:22 AM CDT

Searching Questions

Internet keyword ads are a billion-dollar business, and many may be illegal

May 1, 2008 1:01 PM CDT

Allegations That Rambus Shredded Documents Are Moot, Court Says

Memory chip technology developer Rambus protected itself from a judge’s stinging opinion when it offered to pay opponent Samsung’s legal fees after allegations Rambus shredded documents in advance of patent litigation. U.S. District Judge Robert Payne of Virginia had criticized the company two years ago for its actions, but yesterday…

Apr 30, 2008 4:14 PM CDT

3 Thelen Practice Leaders Join Proskauer

Heads of three practice groups at Thelen Reid Brown Raysman & Steiner are moving to Proskauer Rose, along with two associates. The three, who will be partners in their new 750-lawyer firm’s technology practice group in New York, are: Jeffrey Neuburger, who chaired Thelen’s technology, media and communications department; Robert…

Apr 25, 2008 6:34 PM CDT

Imagine: Yoko Ono in 2 Lawsuits Over John Lennon Rights

In two separate lawsuits, the widow of John Lennon is seeking to protect her late husband’s memory from commercial exploitation. Yoko Ono reportedly wants to force the removal of an excerpt from Lennon’s song “Imagine” from a documentary about Darwinian evolution and regain possession of a 1970 home video that…

Apr 24, 2008 11:19 PM CDT

Paralegal Says Victoria’s Secret Stole ‘Very Sexy’ Bra Design

A paralegal in New York says Victoria Secret infringed on her 2004 patented bra design when the company created its “Very Sexy” convertible model. Katerina Plew, 38, says she spent about $12,000 to patent her design and develop a prototype, but began contacting companies seeking a manufacturing partner when she…

Apr 22, 2008 3:43 PM CDT

Shocked Judge Says A&O Overbilled; Firm Spent $10.4M for 5-Day Trial

Updated: A shocked judge on the United Kingdom’s High Court has criticized one of the country’s most prominent law firms for spending way too much time representing Research In Motion UK in an infringement case concerning BlackBerry patents. Justice Christopher Floyd pointed out that Allen & Overy racked up nearly…

Apr 18, 2008 4:51 PM CDT

Law Firm Strikes Out as Yankees ‘Sponsor’

An athletic shoe company, a tire manufacturer, and even China’s largest dairy are sponsors of the New York Yankees. But a law firm? That’s what nine-attorney Manhattan personal injury firm Belluck & Fox was claiming earlier this week on the website HomeRunLegal.com. The site featured a photo of Yankee Stadium,…

Apr 16, 2008 11:47 AM CDT

J.K. Rowling: Harry Potter is My World, Not Fan’s

Does an encyclopedia of Harry Potter lore take too much and do too little, simply rearranging the furniture of J.K. Rowling’s famous seven-book series of children’s novels? Or is the Harry Potter Lexicon composed by a fan of the books protected by the fair use doctrine? That is the question…

Apr 14, 2008 8:50 PM CDT

Facebook Close to Resolving Origin Claims?

An uncomfortable challenge to the popular college student-networking site Facebook may be near settlement. Three former Harvard students sued Facebook claiming that the idea for the social networking site was theirs, the New York Times reports. Brothers Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss went to Harvard with Mark Zuckerberg, the founder of…

Apr 8, 2008 3:21 PM CDT

Online Music Store Agrees Not to Sell Early Beatles Tape Pending Decision

An online music store has agreed to an injunction barring it from selling an early recording of a Beatles performance featuring then-new drummer Ringo Starr pending resolution of a lawsuit filed by Apple Corps Ltd., the Beatles record label. Michael Joblove, the lawyer for online music company Fuego Entertainment Inc.,…

Apr 7, 2008 7:22 PM CDT

Einstein’s Notes Sued for Publishing Prof’s Practice Questions, Lecture Notes

A lawsuit filed in a Florida federal court contends Einstein’s Notes committed copyright violations by publishing lecture notes and practice questions from a University of Florida professor. The suit (PDF) contends professor Michael Moulton took notes during his own lectures on wildlife issues in the new millennium, obtained a copyright…

Apr 7, 2008 1:04 PM CDT

The Lanier Law Firm, Known for PI Work, Opens IP Office

Plaintiffs lawyers, sensing opportunity for profit, are branching out into intellectual property litigation. The latest entrant in the field is the Texas-based Lanier Law Firm, known for its asbestos and Vioxx work, the Recorder reports. The firm has announced associate Christopher Banys is leaving Howrey to open a new IP…

Apr 2, 2008 3:45 PM CDT