Atlanta lawyer sues after his patent is featured in ‘stupid patent of the month’ blog post

An Atlanta lawyer and inventor has filed a defamation suit against the Electronic Frontier Foundation for featuring his patent as “stupid patent of the month.” The May 26 suit (PDF) by lawyer Scott Horstemeyer claims the post defamed him partly because of its assertion that he has “shown advanced skill…

Jun 4, 2015 9:02 AM CDT

New Innovation Act, aimed at ‘patent trolls,’ would require more details in infringement complaints

Jun 1, 2015 3:40 AM CDT

Alleged patent quotas spur whistleblower suit by fired L’Oreal in-house lawyer

A former in-house lawyer claims in a whistleblower lawsuit that L’Oreal USA forced him to choose between satisfying quotas for patent applications and ethics rules. The lawyer, Steven Trzaska, says he was fired from his position overseeing patents and business development for L’Oreal in December 2014, the New Jersey Law…

Apr 21, 2015 8:47 AM CDT

Hedge fund manager aims to profit by contesting patents and shorting stock in targeted company

A process created in 2011 to help companies fight patent trolls is being used by a hedge fund manager who contests patents and bets against the targeted company’s stock through short sales. The hedge fund manager is Kyle Bass, head of Hayman Capital Management, who made money through short sales…

Apr 9, 2015 5:45 AM CDT

Patent team exits Womble Carlyle to open new Silicon Valley office for Downey Brand

A five-lawyer patent team headed by Michael Ferrazano has exited Womble Carlyle Sandridge & Rice to open a new Silicon Valley office for Sacramento-based Downey Brand. The group also includes five patent agents, a paralegal and 11 staff members, and is expected to bring a substantial book of business to…

Mar 31, 2015 11:30 AM CDT

Oops! Mislabeled docket notices don’t excuse blown deadline in $40M appeal, appeals court says

AT&T’s $40 million appeal of a patent judgment is doomed because its lawyers relied on mislabeled docket notices and missed a deadline, according to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit. The appeals court said lawyers for AT&T should have checked the online docket rather than relying on…

Mar 23, 2015 5:45 AM CDT

Law school clinics join to help battle patent trolls

Mar 1, 2015 2:50 AM CST

Business-method and software patents may go through the looking glass after Alice decision

Feb 1, 2015 2:40 AM CST

‘Clear error’ standard of review in factual disputes applies in patent claims, SCOTUS says

The U.S. Supreme Court has ruled for a drug company fighting generic competitors in a decision on the proper standard of review in patent infringement cases involving factual issues. In a 7-2 decision (PDF), the Supreme Court held that factual conclusions by trial judges in claim construction cases should be…

Jan 20, 2015 10:45 AM CST

SCOTUS accepts Spider-Man patent royalty case; petitioners want court to overrule 1964 precedent

The U.S. Supreme Court on Friday agreed to decide whether to overturn precedent that bars the inventor of a Spider-Man toy from collecting contracted royalties after his patent expired. A cert petition (PDF) filed on behalf of inventor Stephen Kimble argues that the 1964 Supreme Court case, Brulotte v. Thys…

Dec 15, 2014 6:15 AM CST

Lawyer’s tech tools track litigation, predict chances of success before patent board

A patent lawyer frustrated with the ability to track cases related to the suit against his client turned to his previous experience as a software engineer for an answer. Lawyer Michael Sander built an automated alert tool to notify lawyers about case developments and created a legal technology firm, Docket…

Dec 12, 2014 9:55 AM CST

BigLaw patent lawyer faces possible sanction over petition filed with US Supreme Court

A Washington, D.C., lawyer is facing an unusual U.S. Supreme Court attorney discipline case over a petition he filed with the court in a patent case. In a brief Monday order (PDF, scroll down), the court gives Foley & Lardner partner Howard Shipley 40 days to show cause why he…

Dec 9, 2014 5:05 PM CST

Former in-house patent lawyer admits $5M billing scheme, will reimburse Hunter Douglas

Sued in federal court in Denver, a former lead in-house patent lawyer for Hunter Douglas Inc. has admitted a billing scheme that diverted more than $5 million of company funds to a patent-search firm he secretly controlled and promised to repay the money. Jason Throne, 53, said in court papers…

Dec 8, 2014 5:05 PM CST

Threatened patent suits amounted to deceptive tactics, FTC alleges; law firm and client settle

The Federal Trade Commission has settled a complaint against a Texas law firm and its client that alleged their threatened patent suits amounted to false or misleading statements. Law firm Farney Daniels and its client MPHJ Technology Investments agreed in a consent order (PDF) to stop making misrepresentations in letters…

Nov 10, 2014 6:15 AM CST

Federal appeals court blasts attorney for forwarding chief judge’s congratulatory email

After receiving a congratulatory email earlier this year from the sitting chief judge of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, a prominent patent lawyer did what the email expressly suggested and forwarded the praise to others. Edward Reines sent the email to more than 70 current or…

Nov 5, 2014 4:18 PM CST