Attorney Marla Brown recently emerged victorious against disciplinary charges brought forth by the California State Bar. These charges were in response to tweets Brown had made in May 2020, in which she suggested that Black Lives Matter (BLM) protesters should be shot. While the presiding judge in the case did not act in defense of…
Q3 of 2023 mirrored the pace of law firm mergers set in the preceding quarter, with 11 completed mergers recorded by Fairfax Associates. The report indicates that these mergers often served as strategies for firm combinations to expand into new geographical markets. Remarkably, 2023 has so far seen more completed mergers compared to both 2021…
Delaware’s leading federal judge has declined a request to halt a per-diem fine of $200 charged against a Texas paralegal recently made a widow. The paralegal had objected to flying to Wilmington in a bid to avoid further questioning in ongoing patent infringement litigation. The judge asserted that it was improbable that the Federal Circuit…
Hunton Andrews Kurth LLP, a prestigious law firm, has taken steps to strengthen their environmental practice through the addition of a new partner, previously a high-ranking environmental attorney with significant experience in the public and private sectors. The partner added to their legal team has had a formidable career of over a decade, with a…
In what appears to be a significant development in Tesla’s ongoing energy storage technology patent dispute with Unicorn Energy AG, a California federal judge has decided to deny the latter’s request to depose Elon Musk. The court’s decision on Tuesday is underpinned by the reasoning that any move to question Musk about a supposed conversation…
In a recent development, a California judge has permanently dismissed the negligence claim brought forward by the Girardi Keese bankruptcy trustee in a lawsuit accusing Western Alliance Bank of assisting with the law firm’s fraud. The trustee’s lawsuit outlined federal regulations and obligations imposed on banks but failed to provide any presiding authority that permits…
In a recent development, an attorney from the California State Bar has brought forward queries surrounding the scope of analysis reports with regard to the election results from 2020 and 2016. This line of questioning occurred during the disbarment trial of John Eastman, a well-known lawyer with significant influence. The two defense witnesses, affiliated with…
In a recent development, a prominent buyer of music songwriting rights has expressed confidence that his company will achieve a favorable ruling from a New York federal appeals court in the ongoing case about the similarity between an Ed Sheeran song and a Marvin Gaye hit from the 70s. This is part of an ongoing…
In the heart of the complex landscape of pharmaceutical patents, pharmaceutical giant Novo Nordisk has recently managed to avoid review from the Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB) over the potential invalidation of two pivotal patents. These patents directly protect the global company’s widely-utilized diabetes and weight-loss treatment, Ozempic. This determination by the PTAB establishes…
In a closely watched patent case worth $900 million, Intel — an industry giant — recently communicated to a California federal judge its claim of holding a license to chip patents owned by VLSI, a licensing company. Should Intel’s claim prove true, it couldn’t infringe on those patents. On the flip side, VLSI has argued…
The head of the Computer & Communications Industry Association recently voiced concerns to the U.S. Senate’s Intellectual Property Subcommittee about a bill targeted at tackling the issue of counterfeit goods on e-commerce platforms. The proposed legislation, while structured to protect consumers from nefarious counterfeit products, may inadvertently have a detrimental impact on small businesses. Particular…
A contentious debate has arisen in the U.S. Supreme Court surrounding the constitutionality of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s (CFPB) funding mechanism. This debate, unfolding during recent oral arguments, featured justices Samuel Alito and Ketanji Brown Jackson locking horns over the burden of proof and its assignment. According to details in the legal press, Justice…
In a recent legal development, a California federal judge rejected semiconductor company Impinj’s request for a permanent injunction against NXP. This decision follows a jury verdict in July in which NXP was found to have infringed on two of Impinj’s patents related to radio frequency identification tracking technology.Find additional information at Law360.
It appears that, each day, the reputation of cryptocurrency manages to reach a new low. This is exemplified by the current situation faced by Sam Bankman-Fried, founder of the once second largest exchange, FTX. The long-anticipated trial of Bankman-Fried begins today, coinciding with the release of Michael Lewis’ book, “Going Infinite“. Undoubtedly, this trial will…
Disney’s public relations team has been faced with a significant challenge following a lawsuit filed by a woman who claims a waterslide at the company’s resort resulted in her sustaining permanent bodily injury. The choice of words in the case narrative is critical given the seriousness of the injury allegations. More about this can be…
In a recent move by Amsterdam-based food company Corbion NV, a lawsuit has been filed against WTI Inc., a competitor from Georgia. The lawsuit, lodged in a Georgia federal court, seeks a declaration from the court to confirm that its dry vinegar products do not infringe upon a WTI patent. Both Corbion NV and WTI…
In a significant personnel move, Latham & Watkins LLP has brought on board an attorney from Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP, who specializes in advising clients on intellectual property and technology matters in intricate transactions. This development stands as a testament to Latham & Watkins’ ongoing commitment to bolster its capacity in these crucial practice…
A dispute is heating up in the food sector as a distributor finds itself caught up in a controversy over alleged trade secrets theft. The distributor, specializing in food products, has countered claims made by a brioche supplier alleging it stole trade secrets. Taking the matter to a Michigan federal court, the distributor argued that…
In this third edition of our Horizon Scan, we’ll be taking a comprehensive look at some crucial recent and anticipated developments that we believe will captivate the attention of professionals in the private funds and investment management sectors. Welcome to the third edition of our Horizon Scan, where the spotlight is on noteworthy developments in…
In a recent development, a former Major League Baseball (MLB) player’s attempt to overturn professional baseball’s supplement ban policy has been denied hearing by the U.S. Supreme Court. The ex-player, who was previously labelled as a “vexatious” litigant, sells the banned supplement through his company. However, the court has decided not to entertain his challenge…
In recent legal events, a conflict between toy-maker MGA Entertainment Inc. and BMG Rights Management has reached resolution. MGA had been facing a grievance from BMG, accusing the entertainment company of copyright infringement over the use of a sound-alike vocalist in their promotional song “My Poops”, drawn from their Poopsie Slim surprise toy line. BMG…
The Federal Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) has proposed a new rule that will temporarily extend the deadline for new companies to comply with the Corporate Transparency Act (CTA). This proposal came to light on September 28, 2023, in response to the challenges faced by these companies regarding CTA compliance. Alongside this proposed rule, FinCEN had,…
In our continuing discussion on recent bribery cases involving major corporations, part two of our series focuses on the Albemarle Corporation and its apparent reliance on third-party actors to execute bribery schemes. Albemarle, a leading American chemicals corporation, has found itself in a complex predicament. The case appears to present what can be easily described…
The Business Restructuring Review for September-October 2023, volume 22 number 5, provides insightful commentary on the controversial Section 546(e) of the Bankruptcy Code. This “safe harbor” clause seeks to prevent avoidance in bankruptcy of certain securities, commodity, or forward-contract payments. It has been a major point of contention in legal and corporate circles for a…
The rapid advancements in artificial intelligence (AI) have led to the development of generative AI systems that can produce original works, prompting questions regarding the intellectual property rights of such output. Notable examples include ChatGPT, which generates text, Stable Diffusion, adept at creating images, and Video Diffusion, focused on video outputs. Generative AI is a…