Intellectual Property Law

Judge Overturns Rule Changes to Streamline the Patent Process

A federal judge in Virginia has ruled the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office doesn’t have the authority to make rule changes designed to streamline the patent process. Patent applicants had been “apoplectic” over the PTO proposal, which was designed to make the patent process more efficient by encouraging patent applicants…

Apr 2, 2008 2:26 PM CDT

Free Legal Advice Offered for Accused Music Pirates

Students in San Francisco’s Bay Area have an ally if the Recording Industry Association of America comes knocking and accuses them of pirating music. The college students can turn to the University of San Francisco’s legal clinic—part of the Internet and Intellectual Property Justice Project—that aims to match tech-savvy law…

Apr 1, 2008 9:04 PM CDT

Gangster Museum Reopens After Dillinger Nephew Settles Suit

American gangster history enthusiasts will get a chance to explore the life and times of the notorious John Dillinger. The Dillinger Museum reopened Friday in Hammond, Ind., after a long-fought court battle between local tourism officials and Dillinger’s great-nephew Jeffery Scalf, the Post-Tribune reports. Scalf, who owns Dillinger LLC, which…

Mar 31, 2008 8:36 PM CDT

Pfizer Global Patent Director Arrested on Child Pornography Charges

The global patent director of Pfizer Inc., Alan Hesketh, has been arrested and charged with child pornography, the Associated Press reports. Hesketh is a British citizen who is a permanent U.S. resident working in Pfizer’s legal division in Connecticut. He is on a leave of absence, a Pzifer spokeswoman says.…

Mar 28, 2008 3:41 PM CDT

Hanify Boutique Raids Bingham, Sets Up New D.C. IP Office

A Boston commercial litigation boutique has scored a double coup by stealing five intellectual property lawyers from Bingham McCutchen. First, the five will create a new Washington, D.C., office for Hanify & King. But, perhaps even more important, they will add considerably more depth to the firm’s intellectual property practice,…

Mar 27, 2008 8:10 PM CDT

T-shirt Maker Wins Wal-Mart Legal Battle

A federal judge has sided with a T-shirt maker in a trademark battle with Wal-Mart. U.S. District Judge Timothy C. Batten Sr. has ruled that T-shirts and other paraphernalia with anti-Wal-Mart slogans are protected as parodies, according to the Fulton County Daily Report. Charles Smith’s T-shirts carried slogans such as…

Mar 26, 2008 3:38 PM CDT

Idol Production Company Tells ‘Worst’ Site to Cease and Desist

A website that encourages viewers to vote for the worst contestant on American Idol has agreed to remove the Idol logo after receiving three cease-and-desist letters from the show’s production company. A lawyer for the site, Vote for the Worst, says most of the content is protected under fair-use laws,…

Mar 17, 2008 3:00 PM CDT

Polo Ralph Lauren Loses Logo Appeal

Polo Ralph Lauren has lost a federal appeal that sought to keep the United States Polo Association from using logos on apparel that featured two polo players on horseback. The New York City-based 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals last week affirmed a jury finding that three out of four…

Mar 10, 2008 5:23 PM CDT

Qualcomm Lawyers Get Sanctions Lifted, Privilege Pierced in Discovery Fiasco

A federal judge is allowing six Qualcomm lawyers sanctioned for discovery violations in patent litigation to testify about privileged client communications. U.S. District Judge Rudi Brewster of San Diego lifted the sanctions yesterday and returned the case to the federal magistrate who imposed them, the Recorder reports. Brewster said the…

Mar 7, 2008 12:12 PM CST

Discovery Debacle: How Not to Duplicate Qualcomm’s E-Mail Issues

After some $10 million in court-ordered penalties, attorney sanctions and a switch of both in-house and outside counsel, it is clear that Qualcomm Inc. didn’t handle its discovery obligations in a patent dispute with Broadcom Corp. in an optimal manner. But despite these severe sanctions over 46,000 e-mails that Qualcomm…

Mar 6, 2008 1:32 AM CST

Frigid Fracas

Low-Temp Locales Lay Claim to Worst Winter Weather, Slug It Out in Court Over Teeth-Chattering Title

Mar 1, 2008 8:05 AM CST

Judge Refuses Default Judgment in File-Sharing Suit, Cites Lack of Evidence

Legal observers say a judge’s refusal to grant a default judgment in a suit alleging illegal file-sharing is a setback for the music industry. U.S. District Judge Janet Bond Arterton of Connecticut said in Feb. 13 ruling that a copyright infringement lawsuit filed by several recording companies appeared to lack…

Feb 27, 2008 7:43 PM CST

Lerach’s Gone, But Business Is Booming at Coughlin Stoia

Coughlin Stoia Geller Rudman & Robbins is flourishing despite the loss of founder William Lerach, who was sentenced to two years in prison for a scheme to pay kickbacks to lead plaintiffs while at his former firm. Coughlin Stoia is filing more cases on average than in the months before…

Feb 26, 2008 1:50 PM CST

Troll Tracker Outs Himself, $15K Reward Remains Unclaimed

The anonymous author of the Patent Troll Tracker blog has revealed that he is Richard Frenkel, an intellectual property lawyer who is a director in Cisco Systems’ IP group. Frenkel said he decided to out himself after he received an e-mail threat from someone who threatened to go public with…

Feb 26, 2008 12:23 PM CST

M&M Lawsuit Just One Part of Naked Cowboy’s Financial Plan

The singing Naked Cowboy has ambitions beyond winning his trademark lawsuit against the Mars candy company over a billboard featuring an M&M dressed in the same attire—or lack of it—that he sports. The cowboy, Robert Burck, is seeking $6 million, but he already makes a pretty good living, the Washington…

Feb 21, 2008 6:59 PM CST