Intellectual Property Law

Lawyer Who Pokes Fun at Obvious NYT Stories on Twitter Is Forced to Abandon Distinctive ‘T’

A lawyer who pokes fun at the New York Times on Twitter for covering the obvious has been forced to abandon his avatar incorporating the distinctive “T” of the newspaper’s masthead. Twitter temporarily suspended the Twitter account of Benjamin Kabak last week after the Times complained that the avatar violated…

Nov 26, 2012 12:00 PM CST

Antitrust Enforcers to Consider Whether Patent Trolls Disrupt Competition

Antitrust regulators have scheduled informal hearings next month to consider whether patent trolls are disrupting competition and stifling innovation. The Justice Department and the Federal Trade Commission have invited technology companies and at least one patent holding company to participate, the Wall Street Journal reports. The holding companies, known as…

Nov 20, 2012 11:30 AM CST

Telecommuters Kept Patent Office at 70% Productivity During Hurricane Sandy

Thanks to a liberal telecommuting policy, the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office remained productive during a two-day government shutdown for Hurricane Sandy. Patent office director David Kappos says patent and trademark teams averaged productivity of more than 70 percent during the storm, the Washington Post reports. The employees “showed an…

Nov 9, 2012 4:13 PM CST

2 IP Leaders Leap to Cooley from Chadbourne & Parke

Cooley announced Monday that two leading partners of Chadbourne & Parke, including the chair of the New York law firm’s intellectual property department, have joined its office in the Big Apple. Walter Hanchuk, who served as Chadbourne’s IP chief, will now head the IP department in Cooley’s New York office.…

Nov 5, 2012 7:33 PM CST

Apple Reportedly Loses Trademark Appeal in Mexico over iFone Name

Apple has reportedly lost a trademark appeal in Mexico after contesting a telecom’s right to use the name iFone. The appeals court found iFone is the only company that can use the “iPhone” and “iFone” brands in Mexico, the Register reports, relying on a report by Spanish language newspaper El…

Nov 5, 2012 4:21 PM CST

Told Apple Needs 14 Days to Change ‘Untrue’ Samsung Correction Notice, UK Judge Expresses Disbelief

Ordered by the United Kingdom’s High Court of Justice last month to put a post on its website explaining that a competitor didn’t copy its iPad design, Apple Inc. tried to comply but published a notice that was “untrue” and “incorrect,” according to British judges. Then, when Apple was ordered…

Nov 1, 2012 9:53 PM CDT

5th Circuit Revives Lawyer’s Suit Against Texas re Demand to Remove ‘Workers’ Comp’ from Domain Name

A federal appeals court has revived a Texas attorney’s suit against the state, over an agency’s demand that he stop using the words “Texas” and “Workers’ Comp” in the domain name of his law blog. However, the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals also partially affirmed a lower court’s dismissal…

Oct 31, 2012 4:24 PM CDT

BigLaw Clamors for Lawyers with Tech Transactions Expertise

Recruiters are seeing increased demand for technology transactions lawyers who have expertise in M&A and the ability to value patent assets. Many national law firms that once shunned tech transaction work as too routine and too conflict-ridden are now clamoring for tech transaction partners, the Recorder reports. Among the firms…

Oct 30, 2012 10:30 AM CDT

Faulkner Estate Sues Sony Over Quote From ‘Midnight in Paris’

The estate of William Faulkner sued Sony Pictures Classics Thursday, alleging that the studio used the author’s work without permission in the 2011 Woody Allen film Midnight in Paris. The work in question is from Faulkner’s Requiem for a Nun, according to Variety. Midnight in Paris is about a writer,…

Oct 26, 2012 7:57 PM CDT

Around the Blawgosphere: ‘Financial Literacy’ at NYU Law; A 10th Law School in Illinois?

Redefining the Basics Last week, New York University Law School announced plans to remake its curriculum. This week at the New York Times’ Dealbook blog, University of Colorado Law School professor Victor Fleischer and Brian Leiter’s Law School Reports took note of NYU’s new mandatory financial literacy course for first-years.…

Oct 26, 2012 1:30 PM CDT

Supreme Court Is Hearing a Greater Percentage of IP Cases as Its Docket Shrinks

As of Monday, the U.S. Supreme Court had agreed to hear only 48 cases this term, part of a shrinking-docket trend. The smaller docket is likely well known among Supreme Court watchers. “What might not be quite so obvious,” SCOTUSblog says, “is the relative rise of intellectual property cases on…

Oct 16, 2012 3:41 PM CDT

As 6 Connolly Bove Partners Exit for BigLaw Firms, IP ‘Super-Boutique’ Merger with Novak on Track

Although Connolly Bove Lodge & Hutz has lost at least six partners to major general practice law firms since announcing an expected merger with Novak Druce + Quigg a month ago, that has not affected the two law firms’ plan to merge into an intellectual property “super-boutique” that would be…

Oct 15, 2012 4:00 PM CDT

Fed. Circuit Says Trial Judge Abused Discretion in Smartphone Sales Ban, Aligns with Posner View

In a Thursday ruling in one of several recent patent cases related to smartphone technology, a federal appeals court said a U.S. District Court judge in California abused her discretion by granting a pretrial injunction sought by Apple Inc. that banned sales of the Galaxy Nexus marketed by Samsung Electronics…

Oct 12, 2012 9:38 PM CDT

ABA Amicus Brief Sides with Textbook Publisher in Infringement Suit over eBay Resales

The American Bar Association is siding with a textbook publisher that sued for infringement when a California grad student purchased its books cheaply overseas and then resold them on eBay for a profit. In an amicus brief (PDF), the ABA urges the U.S. Supreme Court to affirm a decision for…

Oct 12, 2012 4:31 PM CDT

Supreme Court’s Recent Cert Grants Include Rare Privileges and Immunities Case

The U.S. Supreme Court agreed to hear seven new cases last Friday, including an appeal claiming a state is discriminating against out-of-state residents. SCOTUSblog says the case involves the “rarely interpreted privileges and immunities clause.” At issue is whether the state of Virginia violated the Constitution when it allowed its…

Oct 11, 2012 11:00 AM CDT