Adding to the ever-growing list of Intellectual Property disputes, a recent judgement by a California federal judge has imposed a penalty of $2.2 million on a Chinese company engaged in the trade of shopping carts via Amazon and Walmart. The company stands not only accused but also found guilty of patent violation, and the severity…
An Australian company was recently awarded nearly $8.5 million by a Colorado federal judge for a startup’s ‘flagrant’ theft of intellectual property. The conflict arose over the ownership of a patented air conditioning technology. Not only did the startup continue to market the product as its own throughout the litigation, but it also attempted to…
Another legal action surfaces from the realm of social media, this time involving renowned supermodel Bella Hadid. It’s a territory that is increasingly fraught with copyright disputes, the latest of which accuses Hadid of infringing upon a company’s copyright with an image of herself posted on Instagram. The suit against Hadid is not an isolated…
Lordstown Motors, the bankrupt electric automaker, revealed to a Delaware judge that it had received expressions of interest from 13 potential bidders as part of its Chapter 11 sale process. Despite a forthcoming trial over trade secret claims, which has undoubtedly caused estrangement amongst some potential suitors, the judge approved the majority of Lordstown’s proposed…
With the rise of the legal cannabis industry, businesses seeking to out-perform their competition are investing time and money into perfecting their grow processes or creating unique cannabis extracts. These competitive advantages are investments that businesses need to protect. At the heart of this protection lie the trade secrets that give these companies an edge…
In a bid to offer essential clarification and guidance, representatives from the Copyright Office revealed insights during a June 2023 webinar regarding the registration process for works that include material generated through artificial intelligence (AI). These clarifications arrive following the office’s initial guidance shared in March 2023 concerning “Works Containing Material Generated by Artificial Intelligence”….
Borden Ladner Gervais (BLG) has recently appointed former in-house counsel at an insurance company, Rick Da Costa, as the head of its national corporate and regulatory insurance and reinsurance team. Da Costa, who joins from the law firm Cassels Brock & Blackwell, brings to the team his rich in-house experience from his time as VP…
In a recent development, the US Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit addressed contributory trademark infringement for the first time, determining that specific knowledge is needed for liability to be assumed. The case in question is Y.Y.G.M. SA, DBA Brandy Melville v. Redbubble, Inc., Case Nos. 21-56150; -56236 (9th Cir. July 24, 2023), presided…
Pima Community College District has instigated legal action for copyright infringement and breach of employment contract against a former instructor. The ex-teacher continued to release online unauthorized recordings of students, including minors, participating in class activities, even after refusing to erase them. The details of the complaint, which originated on Law.com Radar, were outlined on…
When it comes to establishing commercial presence in the market, businesses are typically diligent with safeguarding their corporate identity and branding. However, it seems that equal attention might not often extend to the protection of their product designs and packaging. According to an article by Vondran Legal on JD Supra, businesses might frequently overlook the…
The Federal Circuit recently overturned a Patent Trial and Appeal Board (“Board”) decision, which had declared certain claims of Sanofi-Aventis’ ‘614 patent as evidently unpatentable. This significant move indicates the ongoing dynamism and challenges surrounding legal decision-making in the world of intellectual property. [Read more here.] The patent under examination was owned by Sanofi-Aventis Deutschlan…
Legal professionals worldwide must keep an attentive eye on the ongoing saga of 96-year-old Federal Circuit Judge, Pauline Newman. Currently subjected to a competency investigation, Judge Newman made headlines once again as she openly criticized the current patent eligibility law as “unnecessary and confusing” while raising questions about its divergence from its “historical purpose”. In…
In a noteworthy development from the world of law, Osler, a leading Canadian law firm, has appointed a new co-chair from its Toronto Mergers and Acquisitions (M&A) division. Notably, alongside this significant change, the firm has also welcomed new partners into its Intellectual Property (IP) and real estate divisions, showing a clear commitment to expansion…
In a recent presentation at Daybreak Labs, Kilpatrick Townsend’s Yifan Mao, MSc, and Joseph Snyder, Ph.D., JD, discussed the importance of a cost-effective patent strategy for startups. These discussions delve into intellectual property protection for startups and also broach the subject of patents and trade secrets. The presentation touched on the high-level overview of patent…
In a decision bound to affect a significant number of global enterprises and law firms working with cryptocurrencies, The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) has clarified that stakers should include the value of any rewards earned from staking in their gross income. This ruling was released in Revenue Ruling 2023-14 on July 31, 2023. Specifically, it…
As Artificial Intelligence (AI) continues to transform the landscape of businesses worldwide, it has become a fundamental component of many recent commercial transactions, including industry acquisitions, business assets or licenses. This trend is set to extend even further as the interest in AI technology intensifies. For organisations integrating AI into their available services, there are…
In recent legal developments, DarkOwl, a Denver-based dark web data service, and cybersecurity company has triumphed in a trademark dispute. The case against ArkOwl, a similarly named competitor, came to a conclusion when a federal magistrate judge in Colorado ruled that DarkOwl had not violated any of ArkOwl’s trademarks. Furthermore, the court validated DarkOwl’s own…