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Featured
The Biggest Copyright Rulings Of 2025: A Midyear Report
Two California judges were the first to deliver crucial rulings about what constitutes fair use in training generative artificial intelligence models — a question expected to test the boundaries of the copyright doctrine amid the emergence of the groundbreaking technology. Here is Law360's list of the biggest copyright decisions so far this year.
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July 10, 2025
Nutter Atty Promoted To Firm's GC Role
Nutter McClennen & Fish LLP has picked its assistant firm counsel, who previously worked at Ropes & Gray LLP, as its new general counsel, the firm announced Tuesday.
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July 09, 2025
Alaska Airlines Seeks Delta Discovery For TM Feud In UK
Alaska Airlines asked a Georgia federal judge to allow it to take discovery from Delta Airlines on Wednesday for use in a U.K. court case against Virgin Group, which Alaska said is trying to charge it millions of dollars so that Alaska's rivals can use the Virgin brand.
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July 09, 2025
J&J Unit Owes $76.6M For Ending AI Tissue Imaging Deal
A New York federal judge held Tuesday that Johnson & Johnson's Ethicon unit owes ChemImage Corp. $76.6 million after unilaterally ending their deal to develop in-surgery artificial intelligence imaging techniques, adopting a 17% discount rate on intellectual property impairment damages proposed by ChemImage as opposed to Ethicon's proposed 40% rate.
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July 09, 2025
USPTO Defends Termination Of Art Project Patent App
The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office on Wednesday defended its decision to sanction an art kit company that hired a patent services business that used a licensed practitioner's signature in a patent application without permission, saying it had the authority to terminate the application.
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July 09, 2025
Law Firm Sues Over 'Spartan Law' Trademark Dispute
A Georgia law firm has filed suit against a California attorney who purports to own the trademark for "Spartan Law" in association with legal services, alleging that he threatened to sue the firm for trademark infringement despite it not being liable for any.
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July 09, 2025
T.I.'s Big Punitive Damages Win Cut To $1, Teeing Up 4th Trial
A California federal judge has reduced a jury's $53.6 million punitive damages award for rapper T.I. and his wife, singer Tameka "Tiny" Harris, to a $1 remitter, setting up a fourth trial in the trademark infringement case if the Harrises don't accept the remitter, which they have already said they will decline.
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July 09, 2025
8th Circ. Finds 'Chicken Coop' Trade Secrets Fight Can't Fly
The Eighth Circuit will not reinstate an Iowa restaurant operator's lawsuit seeking a declaration that it did not misappropriate the trade secrets of another restaurant of the same name in Nebraska, saying there is no federal question that federal courts can answer.
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July 09, 2025
Microsoft IT Supplier's Suit May Be Doomed, 9th Circ. Hints
A Ninth Circuit panel picked apart a cybersecurity firm's appeal Wednesday in a case accusing Microsoft of misusing a proprietary database of login credentials recovered on the dark web, with one judge remarking that the conduct in question was "expressly permitted" by the parties' agreement.
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July 09, 2025
Ticketing Service Drops Patent Suits Against Cowboys, Chiefs
A ticketing service on Tuesday voluntarily dropped its patent suits against the Dallas Cowboys and the Kansas City Chiefs after a Texas federal judge dismissed without prejudice a similar suit targeting the Houston Texans.
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July 09, 2025
Fed. Circ. Cements Arthrex PTAB Wins Over Medical Device IP
The Federal Circuit on Wednesday affirmed without explanation decisions from the Patent Trial and Appeal Board invalidating claims in a group of medical device patents challenged by Arthrex Inc.
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July 09, 2025
4th Circ. Rejects Machinery Co.'s 3rd Try At Trade Secrets Suit
The Fourth Circuit on Wednesday shot down a Taiwanese manufacturer's third attempt to pursue claims of trade secrets theft against its North Carolina distributor, rebuffing the idea that a manufacturer can hold distributors liable for misappropriation if they sell a rival's product.
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July 09, 2025
Calif. Atty Drops Out Of Class Action Against Avvo Inc.
One of two attorneys leveling a class action against online legal service provider Avvo Inc. over allegations it misappropriated the identities of more than 1 million attorneys to promote its legal marketing tools and referral services has moved to drop her claims.
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July 09, 2025
10th Circ. Won't Rule On Immunity In Dental Dispute
The Tenth Circuit has declined to grant a dental products company immunity from a rival's defamation claims, saying it can't yet rule on the issue since the district court's denial of immunity did not turn on a legal question.
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July 09, 2025
Fed. Circ. Snubs Samsung's Bid To Ship Texas Patent Case
The Federal Circuit on Wednesday shot down Samsung's attempt to send to California a lawsuit claiming its products such as smartphones and tablets infringe a variety of Mullen Industries LLC patents, leaving in place Eastern District of Texas Judge Rodney Gilstrap's denial of the transfer bid.
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July 08, 2025
IRhythm Argues Patent Owner's Inaction Shouldn't Doom IPRs
A heart monitoring company told the acting U.S. Patent and Trademark Office director that it shouldn't be barred from challenging a patent just because the company had known about it for 12 years, especially when the owner didn't assert it during that time.
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July 08, 2025
Breaking Down Stewart's Nonstop Discretionary Denial Orders
Acting U.S. Patent and Trademark Office Director Coke Morgan Stewart inundated the patent community in May and June with dozens of rulings altering the landscape of discretionary denials at the Patent Trial and Appeal Board. Here, Law360 goes through what you should know.
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July 08, 2025
Medtronic's Blood Pressure IP Claims Against Recor Get Axed
A California federal judge on Monday agreed to toss, for now, Medtronic Ireland's counterclaims alleging that Recor's surgical treatment for high blood pressure infringes a pair of patents, finding that Medtronic Ireland doesn't have the standing to sue because it licensed its patents to another company.
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July 08, 2025
Broadcom Wants Netflix's 'Retaliatory' Cloud Patent Suit Axed
Broadcom and cloud services provider VMware on Monday urged a California federal court to throw out Netflix's "meritless, retaliatory" patent infringement suit against them, arguing that Netflix is the one infringing Broadcom's patents and the latest suit is intended to give Netflix leverage in the ongoing dispute.
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July 08, 2025
Del. Judge Cuts Co-Plaintiff From $57M Refined Coal IP Suit
A co-plaintiff alongside Midwest Energy Emissions Corp. cannot share in a $57 million award from a jury that found patents on technology for refining coal to reduce mercury emissions from power plants were infringed, with a Delaware federal judge ruling on Tuesday the other company lacks standing.
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July 08, 2025
Teva Challenge To J&J Antipsychotic Patent Fails At Fed. Circ.
The Federal Circuit on Tuesday rejected Teva Pharmaceuticals USA Inc.'s challenge to the validity of claims in a Johnson & Johnson unit's patent covering a lucrative schizophrenia drug, disagreeing with the generic-drug maker that one of the patent's claims should be presumed obvious.
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July 08, 2025
Aviation Co. Asks Justices To Clarify TM Jury Trial Rights
A personal airplane manufacturer involved in a trademark dispute with a luxury charter-plane company has asked the U.S. Supreme Court to determine whether parties in infringement cases forfeit their right to a jury trial when seeking an accounting of profits as the monetary remedy instead of damages.
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July 08, 2025
Biosimilars Industry Group Backs Interchangeability Bill
The current law on how biosimilars are deemed interchangeable or not with their name-brand biologic equivalents has led to public confusion over how safe biosimilars are, a coalition of healthcare industry groups told lawmakers in a letter Monday.
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July 08, 2025
Anoxia Says Alembic's Blood Clot Catheter Infringes Patents
Anoxia Medical Inc. commenced a patent infringement suit in California federal court Monday against its competitor Alembic LLC, accusing Alembic of ripping off Anoxia's novel technology for its endovascular "Slinky®" catheter invention that efficiently removes blood clots from the human body.
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July 08, 2025
4th Circ. Revives Medical Device Co.'s Claim In Contract Suit
The Fourth Circuit on Tuesday revived a medical device maker's breach of contract claim alleging a company it hired to manage its patents globally overcharged for services, sending the case back to a Virginia federal court.
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July 08, 2025
Judge Doubts OpenAI Rival Used Similar TM Commercially
A California federal judge appeared skeptical Tuesday that Open Artificial Intelligence Inc. began using its name commercially earlier than ChatGPT developer OpenAI Inc., pushing the lesser-known company for evidence and expressing impatience over what she viewed as a lack of any substantive backing.
Editor's Picks
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2024 Patent Litigation: A Year In Review
The Eastern District of Texas held onto its newly regained title as the busiest patent venue in the U.S., with nearly three times as many cases in 2024 as the once-dominant Western District of Texas. In addition, Patent Trial and Appeal Board filings bounced back after falling to a record low in 2023.
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My So-Called Retirement: Some IP Lawyers Just Can't Quit
When patent partner Terry Rea set out to retire, the onetime acting director of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office had her eyes on the independence that retirement promises — flexible hours, fewer deadlines and less stress over having lots of people counting on you.
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Trade Secrets Emerge As Path For Cos. To Protect AI Works
Classifying creations of artificial intelligence tools as trade secrets has become a viable alternative to copyrights and patents — a shift that is presenting businesses using AI with a range of strategies and risks they must consider to protect their innovations.
Expert Analysis
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Series
Playing The Violin Makes Me A Better Lawyer
Playing violin in a string quartet reminds me that flexibility, ambition, strong listening skills, thoughtful leadership and intentional collaboration are all keys to a successful legal practice, says Julie Park at MoFo.
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DOJ Enforcement Trends To Watch In 2nd Half Of 2025
Recent investigations, settlements and a declination to prosecute suggest that controlling the flow of goods into and out of the country, and redressing what the administration sees as reverse discrimination, are likely to be at the forefront of the U.S. Department of Justice's enforcement agenda the rest of this year, say attorneys at Baker Botts.
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The State Of AI Adoption In The Patent Field
The use of generative artificial intelligence in patent-related practices has lagged behind early predictions, which may be explained by a number of core concerns that organizations must address before seriously considering adoption, say attorney Michael Drapkin and leadership coach Michael Colacchio.
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Purdue Case Could Transform Patent Obviousness Analyses
If accepted for review by the U.S. Supreme Court, Purdue Pharma v. Accord Healthcare — concerning whether Purdue's abuse-deterrent opioid formulation patents were invalid as obvious — could significantly shift how courts weigh secondary considerations in patent obviousness analyses, say attorneys at Lathrop.
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'Top Gun' And 'Together' IP Suits Spotlight Similarity Issues
The outcome of recent lawsuits revolving around the films "Top Gun: Maverick" and "Together" may set meaningful precedents for how courts analyze substantial similarity in creative works, say attorneys at Greenspoon Marder.
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Series
Law School's Missed Lessons: Practicing Self-Care
Law schools don’t teach the mental, physical and emotional health maintenance tools necessary to deal with the profession's many demands, but practicing self-care is an important key to success that can help to improve focus, manage stress and reduce burnout, says Rachel Leonard​​​​​​​ at MG+M.
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ABA Opinion Makes It A Bit Easier To Drop A 'Hot Potato'
The American Bar Association's recent ethics opinion clarifies when attorneys may terminate clients without good cause, though courts may still disqualify a lawyer who drops a client like a hot potato, so sending a closeout letter is always a best practice, say attorneys at Thompson Hine.
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IRhythm IPR Denial Raises Key PTAB Discretion Questions
By giving the passage of time a dispositive role in denying institution of five inter partes review petitions filed by iRhythm Technologies, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office has upended the strategic considerations for filing and defending against IPRs, disclosing prior art during prosecution, and engaging in licensing negotiations, say attorneys at Dentons.
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Dupes Boom Spurs IP Risks, Opportunities For Investors
The rising popularity of dupe products has created a dynamic marketplace where both dupes-based businesses and established branded companies can thrive, but investors must consider a host of legal implications, especially when the dupes straddle a fine line between imitation and intellectual property infringement, say attorneys at Ropes & Gray.
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Opinion
IPR Denial In IRhythm Should Not Set A Blanket Rule
Though the Patent Trial and Appeal Board's discretionary denial in iRhythm v. Welch Allyn last month raised concerns that mere knowledge of a patent could bar inter partes review institution, a closer look at the facts and reasoning reveals why this case's holdings should not be reflexively applied to all petitioners, says David McCombs at Haynes Boone.
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Series
My Opera And Baseball Careers Make Me A Better Lawyer
Though participating in opera and the world of professional baseball often pulls me away from the office, my avocations improve my legal career by helping me perform under scrutiny, prioritize team success, and maintain joy and perspective at work, says Adam Unger at Herrick Feinstein.
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Opinion
Subject Matter Eligibility Test Should Return To Preemption
Subject matter eligibility has posed challenges for patentees due to courts' arbitrary and confusing reasoning, but adopting a two-part preemption test could align the applicant, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office and the courts, says Manav Das at McDonnell Boehnen.
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8 Ways Lawyers Can Protect The Rule Of Law In Their Work
Whether they are concerned with judicial independence, regulatory predictability or client confidence, lawyers can take specific meaningful actions on their own when traditional structures are too slow or too compromised to respond, says Angeli Patel at the Berkeley Center of Law and Business.
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Google Damages Ruling Offers Lessons For Testifying Experts
The Federal Circuit's recent decision in EcoFactor v. Google represents a shift in how courts evaluate expert testimony in patent cases, offering a practical guide for how litigators and testifying experts can refine their work, says Adam Rhoten at Secretariat.
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Series
Law School's Missed Lessons: Communicating With Clients
Law school curricula often overlook client communication procedures, and those who actively teach this crucial facet of the practice can create exceptional client satisfaction and success, says Patrick Hanson at Wiggam Law.