Reliving the Golden Oldies: Rockers Reclaim Tunes After Revised Copyright Laws

May 1, 2012 8:20 AM CDT

Stringing Them Along? Case Details Hint at Rancorous Rationale Behind Tricky Tactics

May 1, 2012 5:30 AM CDT

Who Owns Copyright to Falling Bear Photo? Probably the Enterprising Student Who Took It, Lawyer Says

A photo of a tranquilized bear falling loose-limbed out of a tree at the University of Colorado-Boulder went viral after it was distributed via the Associated Press. But it now appears that the CU Independent, a student publication that provided the photos to the AP, may not have owned the…

Apr 30, 2012 10:11 PM CDT

Singer Files Counterclaim Against ‘Storage Wars’ Star in Battle over ‘Yuuup!’

R&B singer Trey Songz is battling Storage Wars personality Dave Hester in a lawsuit over rights to profit from the word “Yuuup!” Songz filed a counterclaim earlier this month in Hester’s trademark suit against the singer and songwriter, report the New York Daily News and TMZ. Hester, who shouts “Yuuup!”…

Apr 18, 2012 12:01 PM CDT

Federal Judge in Oracle-Google Fight Displays Irritation for Coughing and Clacking

The San Francisco federal judge overseeing Oracle’s infringement claim against Google likes a quiet courtroom. Coughing lawyers and typing reporters beware. U.S. District Judge William Alsup interrupted voir dire on Monday when someone at Google’s counsel table started coughing, the Recorder blog Legal Pad reports. “Who is hacking and coughing?”…

Apr 18, 2012 11:38 AM CDT

Kagan Considers Meaning of ‘Not An’ in Ruling for Generic Drugmaker

A generic drug company that claims a brand-name competitor submitted an overbroad description of its patent to the Food and Drug Administration will get a chance to challenge the description in ongoing patent litigation. In a unanimous opinion, the U.S. Supreme Court said generic companies may bring a counterclaim in…

Apr 17, 2012 5:13 PM CDT

If Lawyers Sell Legal Expertise to Clients, Who Owns the Resulting Product?

I’m still mulling over the implications of an article by Mark Hamblett in the New York Law Journal about some lawyers who have filed suit against Lexis-Nexis and West Publishing for what these lawyers say is the “unabashed wholesale copying of thousands of copyright-protected works created by, and owned by,…

Apr 17, 2012 1:30 PM CDT

Supreme Court Grants Cert in Copyright Case Involving EBay Sales of Texts Bought Overseas

After splitting 4-4 in a case involving discounted Omega watches, the U.S. Supreme Court is revisiting copyright protections for gray market goods in a case accepted today. This time the case involves discounted textbooks purchased cheaply overseas then resold in the United States, SCOTUSblog reports. The case will be heard…

Apr 16, 2012 3:29 PM CDT

4-Lawyer IP Team Leaps from SNR Denton to Dallas Office of Patton Boggs

A four-lawyer team headed by partners Robert Hilton and Robert “Bob” H. Johnston III is making the move from SNR Denton to the Dallas office of Patton Boggs. The addition of the two partners and two associates will significantly enhance the firm’s intellectual property capabilities, the Dallas Business Journal reports.…

Apr 9, 2012 8:39 PM CDT

Not Rocket Science: NYC Atty’s Business Method Patent Lowers Satellite Investment Risk

Apr 1, 2012 9:40 AM CDT

Supreme Court Orders Federal Circuit to Reconsider Ruling Allowing Gene Patents

The U.S. Supreme Court has ordered reconsideration of an appellate decision allowing patents on isolated human genes. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit was told to reconsider based on Mayo Collaborative Services v. Prometheus Laboratories Inc., a Supreme Court decision last week that struck down a lab’s…

Mar 27, 2012 12:44 PM CDT

Microsoft Lawyer Devises Trademark Strategy to Fight Botnets, Joins US Marshals in Raid

A former prosecutor who works in the digital crimes unit for Microsoft was among the corporate employees who joined with U.S. marshals on Friday in raids targeting botnets. The lawyer, Richard Boscovich, devised a legal strategy that argues the people behind botnets, so-called “zombie armies” of computers, are violating Microsoft…

Mar 26, 2012 2:21 PM CDT

Fake Law Firm Seeks Cash from Those Who May Have Violated Copyright Law by Using Megaupload

After a raid by the feds that shut down Megaupload, enterprising criminals are reportedly trying to make a profit from those who may have used the file-sharing site to obtain copyrighted material without permission. A nonexistent German law firm, Dr. Kroner & Kollegan, has been contacting former users to offer…

Mar 21, 2012 10:38 PM CDT

Citing a Need to Encourage Scientific Discovery, Supreme Court Strikes Down Lab’s Patents

The U.S. Supreme Court has ruled for Mayo Clinic in its challenge to a competitor’s patents on blood test methods to determine correct drug dosages. In a unanimous opinion (PDF), the court said the patents held by Prometheus Laboratories Inc. are invalid because they are based on laws of nature.…

Mar 20, 2012 3:21 PM CDT

Around the Blawgosphere: Favorite Android Apps for Lawyers; How One Law Blogger Remembered Pi Digits

Android’s Turn Attorney at Work’s Joan Feldman knows that despite all the hoopla surrounding the launch of the latest Apple, some lawyers prefer Android-powered devices. She asked some notable android users—including tech bloggers—about their favorite go-to apps. Nerino Petro, who blogs at Compujurist, cites the Flex T9 Text Input app.”It…

Mar 16, 2012 4:33 PM CDT