Government paralegals making up to $80K had little work to do, report says

Dozens of paralegals hired in 2009 to combat a growing backlog of patent appeals were often idle because a hiring freeze halted hiring of judges to hear the cases, according to a new report. The work-at-home paralegals filled their time surfing the Internet, doing household tasks, watching TV and exercising,…

Aug 1, 2014 12:53 PM CDT

Growing Texas-based IP ‘super-boutique’ plants flag in Philly, plans more East Coast expansion

A growing Texas-based intellectual property “super-boutique” has planted its flag in Philadelphia, opening a new office there with former Blank Rome partner Alfred Zaher and another lawyer who had formerly worked at Blank Rome. Novak Druce Connolly Bove + Quigg also plans further expansion on the East Coast, following a…

Jul 31, 2014 7:40 PM CDT

Wearing a ‘smartwatch’ to court | Trademarking a hog call | Better Call Saul—and here’s the number

“I’ve wanted a Dick Tracy watch since I was 8 years old,” lawyer-blogger Rick Georges told MyCase’s Nicole Black in her “Today’s Tech” column at Above the Law. Now, Georges owns a Samsung Gear 2 smartwatch and wears it to court. In court, “everyone has their smartphone in their hand,…

Jul 25, 2014 1:31 PM CDT

Northwestern sues ex-employee, says author took book she was paid to write on infamous murder case

A former part-time employee and published author has been sued by Northwestern University for copyright infringement. Northwestern contends in a federal lawsuit filed Tuesday that Nina Barrett was paid, while working on a library fellowship, to write about a notorious 1924 murder by University of Chicago students Nathan Leopold and…

Jul 24, 2014 8:25 PM CDT

YouTube restores video of protest at eviction lawyer’s seminar

A California lawyer known for his work for landlords seeking to cash in on San Francisco’s hot real estate market was interrupted by protesters at a 2014 seminar on eviction law. After a two-minute video of the incident was posted on YouTube, Daniel Bornstein made a takedown demand under the…

Jul 22, 2014 9:50 PM CDT

Imprisoned ex-dictator Manuel Noriega sues over use of his persona in ‘Call of Duty: Black Ops II’

Activision Blizzard Inc. may have thought imprisoned former Panamanian dictator Manuel Noriega was libel-proof. But that doesn’t mean the California-based company gets to profit from using his persona as “a kidnapper, murderer and enemy of the state” in its popular “Call of Duty: Black Ops II” video game without his…

Jul 16, 2014 5:05 PM CDT

Brewery sues DUI law firm, says look-alike ‘Sessions Law’ mark confuses ‘Session Lager’ customers

An Oregon craft brewery has sued a Georgia law firm for trademark infringement, contending that a look-alike “Sessions Law” mark is confusing to those familiar with its own “Session Lager.” Filed last week in federal court in Portland, the suit (PDF) by Full Sail Brewing Company says the Atlanta-based Sessions…

Jul 14, 2014 9:55 PM CDT

Lawyer sued by Judge Judy over TV ads says stations urged him to participate

Sued by Judge Judy over alleged unauthorized use of the famed TV-show jurist’s likeness in a video clip, a Connecticut lawyer says he simply participated in an advertising program when asked to do so by local stations. John Haymond says he is a fan of Judy Scheindlin’s show and was…

Jul 14, 2014 5:55 PM CDT

Exec cites free speech in spat over parking-spot-sale app, but seems to comply with takedown demand

One day before a Friday deadline set by the San Francisco city attorney, it appears that the operator of what he says is an illegal iPhone app concerning public parking has taken it down. MonkeyParking, which makes it easy for individuals to sell a vacated public parking spot to another…

Jul 11, 2014 11:15 AM CDT

John Wayne’s heirs sue Duke University

John Wayne’s descendants are taking Duke University to court over the trademark rights to the word “Duke.” John Wayne Enterprises (a company run by Wayne’s heirs) has filed suit in federal district court in Santa Ana, California, requesting a declaratory judgment that they can use the word “Duke” without infringing…

Jul 10, 2014 6:34 PM CDT

Solo claims two law firms stole his website content, harming his Google search-result position

A solo practitioner from New Jersey claims in a lawsuit that content from his website ended up on the websites of two other law firms, harming his position in Google search results. The suit by lawyer Thomas Blauvelt says the purloined website information included computer code and Blauvelt’s own name,…

Jul 2, 2014 10:44 AM CDT

Federal Circuit gets reined in over patent fees in infringement suits

Jul 1, 2014 8:50 AM CDT

Jones Day and digital rights group face off in war of words over Detroit bankruptcy parody site

When Jones Day learned a parody site was mocking a former law firm bankruptcy attorney’s work as the city of Detroit’s emergency manager, counsel for the 2,500-attorney law firm apparently was not amused. In a June 10 cease-and-desist letter (PDF), the firm warned the owner of the kevynorr.com site via…

Jun 27, 2014 2:52 PM CDT

Taking on SCOTUS’ own ‘buffer zone’ | Ability as a witness can outweigh top expert credentials

The U.S. Supreme Court ruled Thursday that a Massachusetts law providing for a 35-foot buffer zone for protesters around abortion clinics violated the First Amendment. But the court has its own buffer zone, and it’s getting attention in light of the ruling, the Wall Street Journal Law Blog reports. Protests…

Jun 27, 2014 1:30 PM CDT

Aereo loses copyright challenge; its Internet TV service violates copyright law, SCOTUS says

The U.S. Supreme Court has ruled against Aereo in a copyright challenge to its Internet TV service. At issue was whether Aereo violates broadcast copyrights when it uses miniature antennas to transmit TV programs over the Internet to its subscribers at about the same time the shows are broadcast. In…

Jun 25, 2014 2:18 PM CDT