Jury Foreman in $1B Apple-Samsung Case Owns Patent for Smartphone-Related Apparatus

A video interview by Bloomberg of the foreman of a federal jury in California that awarded over $1 billion to Apple Inc. in a patent dispute case last week is likely to be watched with considerable interest by legal counsel for the losing party, Samsung Electronics Co. Among other potential…

Aug 28, 2012 11:01 PM CDT

Jury Foreman in $1B Apple Case Said Jurors’ Legal and Engineering Experience Speeded Deliberations

Updated: The foreman of the jury that awarded Apple $1.05 billion on Friday is a retired engineer who has patented his own inventions. Foreman Velvin Hogan, 67, told Reuters that jurors were able to reach a quick verdict—they did so on the third day of deliberations—because some had legal and…

Aug 27, 2012 12:07 PM CDT

U of Alabama Apologizes to Baker re Cease-and-Desist Letter; Law School Can Still Get ‘A’ Cookies

The owner of a small bakery near the University of Alabama was elated Thursday evening about an outpouring of support she received following news that she had received a cease-and-desist letter over her use on products of certain images and colors that might arguably be considered part of the Crimson…

Aug 24, 2012 2:02 PM CDT

Putting ‘A’ on Law School Cookies Poses Problem for Alabama Bakery, Cease-and-Desist Letter Says

It isn’t clear that Mary Cesar did anything wrong by filling an order from the University of Alabama School of Law for 10 dozen cookies decorated with the letter A, for consumption at a reception for recent graduates. But after receiving a cease-and-desist letter from an Atlanta, Ga., company that…

Aug 23, 2012 6:36 PM CDT

Inventor Sues Ketchup Maker Over Two-Way Condiment Package

A Chicago inventor is suing ketchup-maker H.J. Heinz Co., saying the company stole his design for a flexible condiment package that it’s claiming as its own. Scott White says he came up with the idea for a condiment container with a removable cover four years before Heinz came out with…

Aug 20, 2012 10:05 PM CDT

Pro Se Songwriting Plaintiff Missed Hearings, Irritated Judges and Won Her Case

Despite irritating some judges, New York songwriter Peggy Harley has won her pro se lawsuit claiming that she was the author of a Grammy-nominated song recorded by singer Ann Nesby. Harley’s 13-page complaint contained misspellings and grammatical errors, the New York Times reports. She missed court hearings or showed up…

Aug 20, 2012 4:47 PM CDT

Hustler Loses Appeal Over Publication of News Anchor’s Wet T-shirt Photo

The 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals has ruled that pornography publisher Hustler Inc didn’t have the right to publish a wet T-shirt contest photo featuring an Ohio TV news anchor. In Thursday’s decision (PDF), the Cincinnati-based court rejected Hustler’s contention that its use of the image was protected by…

Aug 17, 2012 2:02 PM CDT

Irritated Judge Chides Apple Lawyer for Witness List, Makes ‘Smoking Crack’ Comment

Ongoing tensions in a case between Apple and Samsung boiled over again Thursday in San Jose, Calif., when U.S. District Judge Lucy Koh chided a lawyer for Apple for trying to book too many witnesses. CNET reported on the exchange: U.S. District Judge Lucy Koh told Apple’s lawyer Bill Lee:…

Aug 17, 2012 10:15 AM CDT

Pop Star Noelia’s Secret Wedding Photos Were Private, Federal Appeals Court Rules

In a case that the court said “reads like a telenovela, a Spanish soap opera,” a divided 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals has ruled that a Spanish-language celebrity gossip magazine violated the rights of a well-known couple when it published private wedding photographs apparently stolen by the couple’s driver.…

Aug 15, 2012 11:13 AM CDT

Sparks Continue to Fly at Apple vs. Samsung Patent Infringement Trial

A hard-fought megabucks patent infringement battle between Apple Inc. and Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. continues to strike sparks at trial in federal court in San Jose, Calif. Lawyers for both sides regularly snipe at each other outside the courtroom, and an exasperated U.S. District Judge Lucy Koh has taken on…

Aug 10, 2012 9:03 PM CDT

Why One Law Grad Got Hired at Covington in Almost ‘Negative Time’

The job market is tough for most law graduates, but that wasn’t the case for Alice Ahn, who got hired at Covington & Burling before graduation from law school at the University of California at Berkeley. According to American Public Media’s Marketplace Tech, Ahn “was hired in no time, actually…

Aug 8, 2012 2:25 PM CDT

Judge Orders Litigants Google and Oracle to Disclose Paid Bloggers

Updated and corrected: A federal judge in San Francisco has ordered two tech companies that battled over Android smart phones to disclose payments made to bloggers, authors, commentators and journalists. U.S. District Judge William Alsup required Google and Oracle to disclose the payments to individuals who commented or reported on…

Aug 8, 2012 11:56 AM CDT

Samsung Calls Apple Bid for Judgment Sanction ‘Frivolous,’ Federal Judge Lets Trial Roll On

Fireworks earlier this week about whether Samsung Electronics Co. had done an end run around a federal judge by providing to the media evidence excluded from a patent trial with Apple Inc. over design of the two companies’ smartphones apparently have fizzled. After a Thursday response by Samsung that described…

Aug 3, 2012 5:12 PM CDT

John Quinn Faces Off with Federal Judge in Apple v. Samsung iPhone Case; Apple Seeks Severe Sanction

Updated: A name partner of litigation powerhouse Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan has gotten crosswise with the federal judge hearing the the hard-fought patent case beween Apple Inc. and Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd., and counsel for his opponent is now trying to knock John Quinn out of the trial arena.…

Aug 2, 2012 5:37 PM CDT

Wanna Buy Some Boots? Online Counterfeiters Get the Message—Don’t Mess with These Brands

Aug 1, 2012 8:50 AM CDT