8 Ways To Avoid Inter Partes Review Estoppel -
Inter partes review has become an enormously popular method of challenging patents. One important downside of filing for IPR, however, is that, if the petitioner loses, it...more
Applicants and registrants of trademarks are inundated with offers to perform potentially unnecessary services. These solicitations often come in the form of invoices, with prominent and false “due dates.” Other times, they...more
Supreme Court Hits Reset on Patent Venue Law in TC Heartland -
In the recent TC Heartland LLC v. Kraft Foods Group Brands LLC decision, the Supreme Court reversed nearly thirty years of patent venue law and held that a...more
7/20/2017
/ Disparagement ,
First Amendment ,
Forum Shopping ,
Free Speech ,
Patent Exhaustion ,
Patent Infringement ,
Patent Litigation ,
Patents ,
Personal Jurisdiction ,
Principal Place of Business ,
Right of Publicity ,
SCOTUS ,
State of Incorporation ,
TC Heartland LLC v Kraft Foods ,
The Slants ,
Trademarks ,
Unified Patent Court ,
Venue
The Supreme Court today brought closure to Simon Tam’s seven-year legal journey seeking to obtain a federal trademark registration for his band name, THE SLANTS. The Court held in Matal v. Tam that the Lanham Act’s ban on...more
6/20/2017
/ Disparagement ,
First Amendment ,
Free Speech ,
Lanham Act ,
Matal v Tam ,
Music Industry ,
SCOTUS ,
The Slants ,
Trademark Registration ,
Trademarks ,
USPTO
On February 12, 2016, the Ninth Circuit affirmed the district court’s decision barring the California Attorney General’s efforts to enforce nonfunctional slack fill provisions against Del Real LLC, a producer of Mexican...more
The Survey Says: Tiffany Is Not Generic for A Ring Setting -
Last month, the Southern District of New York granted summary judgment to Tiffany & Co. on its trademark infringement claim against Costco Wholesale...more
10/8/2015
/ Abuse of Dominance ,
Abuse of Process ,
America Invents Act ,
Apple v Samsung ,
China ,
Costco ,
Covered Business Method Patents ,
Covered Business Method Proceedings ,
European Court of Justice (ECJ) ,
Fair Use ,
FRAND ,
Germany ,
Hedge Funds ,
Injunctive Relief ,
Inter Partes Review (IPR) Proceeding ,
IP License ,
Judicial Review ,
Microsoft ,
Monopolization ,
Motion for Sanctions ,
Motorola ,
Patent Infringement ,
Patent Litigation ,
Patent Trial and Appeal Board ,
Patents ,
Penalties ,
SAIC ,
Standard Essential Patents ,
Summary Judgment ,
Tiffany and Company ,
USPTO ,
Versata
Last week, the Southern District of New York granted summary judgment to Tiffany & Co. on its trademark infringement claim against Costco Wholesale Corporation for selling rings advertised under the TIFFANY mark. Tiffany &...more
9/15/2015
/ Bad Faith ,
Costco ,
Fair Use ,
Generic ,
Likelihood of Confusion ,
Summary Judgment ,
Surveys ,
Tiffany and Company ,
Trademark Infringement ,
Trademark Litigation ,
Trademarks ,
Young Lawyers
In This Issue:
- En Banc Federal Circuit Abandons “Strong” Presumption That a Limitation Is Not Subject to 35 U.S.C. § 112, Paragraph 6
- Supreme Court Rejects Belief of Invalidity Defense for Inducement in...more
7/8/2015
/ Cisco v CommilUSA ,
EU ,
European Patent Convention ,
European Patent Office ,
First Amendment ,
Free Speech ,
Induced Infringement ,
Inter Partes Review (IPR) Proceeding ,
Japan ,
Japan Patent Office ,
Lanham Act ,
Means-Plus-Function ,
Motion to Amend ,
Patent Infringement ,
Patent Invalidity ,
Patent Litigation ,
Patent Oppositions ,
Patent Trial and Appeal Board ,
Patents ,
Redskins ,
SCOTUS ,
Unified Patent Court ,
Unitary Patent
On Monday, the Federal Circuit issued its decision in Couture v. Playdom, clarifying that use in commerce for a service mark requires that the services be rendered before a registration can be granted. To obtain a federal...more
3/5/2015
Yesterday, the Supreme Court issued its opinion in Hana Financial, Inc. v. Hana Bank, No. 13-1211. The issue presented was whether the judge or the jury should determine whether two trademarks may be “tacked” for purposes of...more
Fraudulent solicitations and invoices for trademark services are on the rise, inundating trademark applicants and registrants with offers to perform potentially unnecessary services. These solicitations often come in the form...more