Amidst a profound constitutional crisis in Pakistan, two esteemed members of the Supreme Court have taken an unprecedented step by resigning in protest. Justices Syed Mansoor Ali Shah and Athar Minallah announced their resignations following the passage of the contentious 27th Constitutional Amendment. This move has drawn significant attention, as these judges have been widely…
In a significant move underlining his approach to intellectual property management, U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) Director John Squires has instituted four inter partes reviews and two post-grant reviews, marking the first procedural interventions under his leadership of the Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB) since assuming responsibility for these decisions. These actions reflect…
In a recent address, Manhattan U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton emphasized the Southern District of New York’s commitment to offering “real benefits” to corporations that promptly cooperate with criminal investigations and take steps to compensate victims. Clayton highlighted the importance of swift cooperation, suggesting that such actions could lead to comprehensive, government-wide resolutions. This approach aligns…
A significant development in intellectual property law has emerged as fourteen former Congressional members, including a key sponsor of the America Invents Act (AIA), Patrick Leahy, strongly criticized new proposals from the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). These proposals, which aim to restrict certain patent challenges, have been denounced as contraventions of both the…
The task of interpreting law often comes with challenges that extend beyond the courtroom, a reality well-known to U.S. District Judge James Robart. Nearly nine years have passed since Judge Robart became nationally recognized after he halted President Donald Trump’s 2017 executive order, which aimed to ban travel from several Muslim-majority countries. Despite a distinguished…
The California Supreme Court recently dismissed a case involving a former Dentons partner who was embroiled in a financial dispute over a $34 million contingency fee owed by a Chinese client. This development follows the court’s earlier directions for the parties to prepare for oral arguments. The situation originated when the lawyer was discharged over…
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has expressed support for a Texas-led initiative seeking to diminish the American Bar Association’s (ABA) influence over law school accreditation standards. This strategic move by Texas challenges the historically predominant role the ABA has played in setting educational criteria for law schools. The FTC’s endorsement is detailed in an article…
The legal community is mourning the loss of a prominent appellate attorney from King & Spalding LLP, who tragically lost his life in a mountain climbing accident in New Zealand. The incident occurred while the attorney was on an expedition with a local mountain guide, both of whom fell to their deaths while attempting to…
Cher, the iconic singer and actress, has emerged victorious in a legal dispute over royalties with the estate of her late ex-husband, Sonny Bono. A federal judge in California has ordered the estate to remit approximately $187,000 in royalties to Cher, finding that the funds had been wrongly withheld. This ruling underscores ongoing complexities in…
A recent move by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) to impose new limitations on patent challenges has come under scrutiny from 14 former U.S. legislators, including Patrick Leahy, one of the sponsors of the America Invents Act (AIA). The group contends that these proposed rules are not only a deviation from the fundamental…
In a significant legal development for the tech industry, a federal judge in Texas has ruled that three patents held by Quartz Auto Technologies, which Lyft Inc. was accused of infringing upon, are not eligible for patent protection. The ruling by U.S. District Judge Alan Albright aligns with Lyft’s argument based on the U.S. Supreme…
Recent shifts in the legal teams of major biopharmaceutical companies highlight an evolving landscape in the intersection of law and the healthcare sector. Incyte Corporation, a leading biopharmaceutical company based in Wilmington, Delaware, has welcomed a new addition to its legal team. Benjamin H. Barsky, formerly a partner at Goodwin Procter LLP, has joined Incyte…
In 2025, significant changes to the procedures governing post-grant proceedings have emerged as a focal point for stakeholders in the intellectual property landscape. This year’s updates by the Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB) have reshaped the structure of inter partes reviews (IPR), altering the institution procedure, impacting institution rates, and redefining the grounds for…
As the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) intensifies its scrutiny of mergers and acquisitions, its latest efforts have focused on thwarting a transaction involving a novel heart valve treatment. This legal maneuver in a D.C. court signals a pivotal moment following recent setbacks, such as unsuccessful attempts to block Meta’s earlier acquisitions. The FTC’s challenges reflect…
In a recent legal development, an Illinois federal judge has denied Citadel Securities’ motion to dismiss patent infringement claims brought by a software company. The claims center around patented technology related to computer microchips, with Citadel arguing that the patents should be deemed too abstract to be considered valid. However, the judge was not persuaded…
The legal landscape surrounding Monsanto’s Roundup weed killer has taken a significant turn as U.S. Solicitor General D. John Sauer recently aligned with the corporation. On Monday, Sauer filed a brief supporting Monsanto’s petition to the U.S. Supreme Court, which centers on a pivotal legal question: whether federal law preempts claims about the company’s alleged…
Investors have filed a lawsuit against DeFi Technologies, alleging that the company’s disclosures led to a sudden and substantial plunge in its stock value. The lawsuit highlights increasing scrutiny on market structure risks within decentralized finance, a sector that has seen both rapid growth and regulatory challenges. The stock dropped sharply following the company’s recent…
Tesla has recently filed a petition with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, challenging the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office’s (USPTO) recent modifications to the institution process at the Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB). The company contends that these changes introduce “arbitrary roadblocks” that hinder the fair evaluation of patent validity….
The recent deliberations of the Justices in the case involving a pregnancy center’s claim related to subpoenas have caught the attention of legal professionals and advocacy groups alike. As the U.S. Supreme Court examines the arguments, many observers are keenly focused on the implications for privacy protections and the reach of government oversight concerning sensitive…
The legal battle between ROSS Intelligence and Thomson Reuters over the use of Westlaw’s headnotes to train an AI system has triggered a wave of interest and concern within the legal community. At the center of this dispute is the question of how copyright law applies to the use of legal databases in the development…
During a recent address at the New York City Bar Association’s annual International White Collar Symposium, former U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton emphasized the importance of timely cooperation in corporate resolutions. He highlighted the benefits of swiftly addressing corporate misconduct, underscoring the importance of quickly identifying and turning over wrongdoers within organizations. Clayton assured legal professionals…
BMO Bank’s attempt to recover $3.1 million from the estate of disgraced financier Tom Petters has been quashed by a U.S. federal appeals court, highlighting ongoing complexities in long-running fraud cases. On October 2, 2023, the Eighth Circuit rejected BMO Bank’s request to file a late claim, underscoring the importance of timeliness in such high-profile…
India’s recent directive for smartphone manufacturers to pre-install a government-operated security application on all devices has sparked significant debate within the tech industry and among privacy advocates. The app, Sanchar Saathi, is touted by the government as a consumer protection measure designed to help users block lost or stolen phones and report fraudulent communications. However,…
The Federal Circuit recently overturned a significant $41.8 million verdict favoring Seagen Inc. in its patent infringement case against Daiichi Sankyo Co. concerning a breast cancer treatment. The panel’s decision emphasized that the lower court should have determined the patent in question lacked sufficient disclosure to allow a skilled person in the field to utilize…
A recent ruling by a California federal judge has allowed a lawsuit concerning trade secrets infringement to proceed, focusing on allegations that a tech company misappropriated proprietary accent translation technology developed by a startup. The tech company sought dismissal by arguing that the startup had not sufficiently guarded its confidential information. However, the judge found…