After years of steady growth, the litigation finance industry, which pools money to fund lawsuits in exchange for a piece of any resulting awards, is experiencing a slowdown. Key indicators show that it is becoming increasingly difficult to raise capital for litigation finance. According to data provided by Westfleet Advisors, investors made $2.7 billion in…
The Western District of Texas continues to be a popular destination for patent disputes, despite two different attempts to discourage judge shopping. The district unveiled a randomization policy in 2022 to counteract the surge of cases flooding its Waco Division. Amidst predictions that filings would notably decrease, the Western District maintained its status as a…
The complexities and seemingly minor minutiae of patent laws prove vital in a recent decision by the Federal Circuit involving medical device giant, Meril. Meril, a company based in India, had been pursuing FDA approval for their Myval-branded transcatheter heart valves, a product already approved in India and the EU. In the pursuit of this…
On Monday, the Third Circuit denied a motion to reconsider its prior ruling in the case of AbbVie – a high-profile pharmaceutical company. The previous ruling had determined that AbbVie was unable to provide sufficient evidence demonstrating that the lower court had contradicted existing precedent, or made substantial errors when it ordered the drugmaker to…
In an ongoing patent dispute, Pacific Biosciences of California Inc. has been denied its motion to dismiss a DNA sequencing patent lawsuit. The move was blocked by the same federal judge who had previously blocked a majority of the tech company’s law department from participating in the case. This decision escalates the already heightened tension…
In this week’s edition of Law360 Legal Lions, Weil Gotshal & Manges LLP has taken the lead after a significant ruling by a Second Circuit panel. The panel dismissed what it identified as a lower court’s “new standard” pertaining to so-called patent monopolies. Law360, known for its extensive coverage on key legal issues, recent trends,…
Dykema, a leading law firm in the U.S., announced on Friday the induction of Bradley W. Micsky into its intellectual property (IP) practice group based out of the Minneapolis office. The announcement signifies the firm’s ongoing strategy to strengthen its technical expertise in assisting clients with intellectual property matters. Micsky, known for his broad experience…
This week’s How Appealing roundup, a well-respected resource for the latest in appellate litigation, is filled with engaging legal stories and discussions. To begin, a recent post by Dennis Crouch on “Patently-O” discusses a case involving Apple. Termed as “Judge Dodging: Apple loses Mandamus Transfer Action This Time“, it investigates complex issues of jurisdictional shift….
In the whirlwind that is the American legal landscape, some notable developments have come to the forefront, each worthy of further exploration for today’s dedicated legal professionals. On a lighter topic, schadenfreude seems to be complimenting the March Madness season as speculation surrounding which of former President Donald Trump’s properties he’d most hate to lose…
In a recent development, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) is broadening its acceptance criteria for e-signatures on patent documents. Starting from Friday, USPTO will accept e-signatures from third-party electronic signature platforms, including DocuSign and Acrobat Sign. This move signifies the USPTO’s attempt to modernize and streamline its authentication process, fostering a more efficient…
Legal professionals need to be alerted to the most recent moves made within patent litigation, specifically regarding the aspects of transparency. The catalyst for this notification is the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) seeking to join a particular East Texas lawsuit, currently embroiled over cable-internet technology. This action is part of the organization’s ongoing endeavor to…
Frost Brown Todd, a prominent U.S. law firm, has strengthened its intellectual property (IP) practice with the addition of partners Anne Wang and Lauren Schneider to their Los Angeles office. According to Bloomberg Law, the firm announced this development on Wednesday. Wang brings to the table her proficiency in trademark matters, patent prosecutions, infringement actions,…
In Brussels, renowned law firm Crowell & Moring welcomes Edward Taelman to its intellectual property practice group as a new partner. According to an announcement by the firm on Tuesday, Taelman is expected to bolster the firm’s prowess in the area of intellectual property (IP) litigation. Taelman, a specialist in the field, handles a vast…
ByteDance Ltd., the parent company behind the popular social media application TikTok, has amassed a large intellectual property portfolio that could complicate any enforced divestiture of the platform, legal experts have emphasized. The potential implications of this IP portfolio have surfaced amid discussions on a forced TikTok sale. It was suggested that these IP rights…
The US Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) has introduced a new policy on intellectual property law; the recent guidance allows patents for AI-generated inventions to be filed by humans. As long as the human contribution was significant and the invention is fully appreciated and recognised, a patent can be filed. However, this policy still leaves…
Ten supporters of exiled Chinese billionaire Guo Wengui have been ordered to pay approximately $327,000 in attorneys’ fees, following the rejection of claims that they launched against reputable legal firm, Paul Hastings LLP. These claims suggested that the firm was operating as an unofficial foreign representative of the Chinese government on US soil. The individuals…
The third annual world-class Litigation Finance Conference (LITFINCON) held in Houston offered valuable insights into the industry’s prospects and challenges in the previous year and outlined a future guided by measured optimism. For legal professionals in this dynamic field, it’s notable that intellectual property plays a critical role in the growth of litigation funding in…
In a year marked by various adjustments in the legal industry, the notable standout is Perkins Coie, a top 50 Biglaw firm. Despite undergoing significant changes, particularly in associate deferrals, the firm enjoyed record revenues in 2023, marking an unexpected achievement in a challenging period. (Above the Law) Decisions made in 2023, such as expense…
This week’s roundup takes us through some of the most notable events in the appellate world, courtesy of Howard Bashman’s How Appealing blog – the first blog on the web dedicated to appellate litigation. One of the week’s main highlights includes a revelation regarding the potential confirmation of President Biden’s Muslim judicial nominee, as reported…
Last month, the European Parliament gave its approval in principal to a new proposed regulation concerning standard essential patents (SEPs). These patents, vital components of standardized technologies such as 5G and Wi-Fi, could experience a makeover in terms of their licensing under this new proposal approved by the European Parliament and further explained by LexisNexis….
In a peculiar turn of events, the lawsuit led by Dominion Voting Systems against numerous individuals, including former Overstock.com CEO Patrick Byrne, Sidney Powell, Rudy Giuliani, and Mike Lindell, continues to encounter unanticipated surprises. These individuals made defamatory claims against Dominion following the 2020 elections. On March 12, an email was sent to Judge Carl…
On March 14, 2024, Goodwin announced the addition of Lori Gordon as a partner in their Intellectual Property Litigation Practice. Based in Washington, D.C., Gordon brings a wealth of expertise to the firm’s existing team, particularly in inter partes matters. These often involve contested case proceedings before the Patent Trial and Appeal Board, suggesting a…
Renowned intellectual property lawyers, Henry B. Ward III and Samantha “Sam” Skains-Menchaca, have recently joined the ranks of Bradley’s partner team in its intellectual property practice group, Turing their sights to the firm’s Charlotte, N.C. outpost, as declared in an announcement made by the firm last Thursday. Both attorneys bring a wealth of experience with…
The Judicial Conference recently made a significant move by ordering districts to randomly assign judges to cases seeking national injunctions, an act that has drawn severe criticism from notable right-wing judges. This decision came as a solution to the problem of cynical actors exploiting opportunistic forums to challenge the operation of the entire federal government….
The federal judiciary’s latest policy, designed to tackle the issue of “judge shopping,” has raised eyebrow as it seems to sidestep the types of cases that initially provoked Chief Justice John Roberts to address this problem. As detailed by legal correspondents Michael Shapiro and Lauren Castle, the Judicial Conference announced the policy on March 12,…