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Federal Circuit Holds That Claim Language Can Limit the Scope of a Design Patent

By Eric Caligiuri on Posted in IP, Patent Law

In Curver Luxembourg SARL v. Home Expressions Inc., case number 18-2214, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit recently held that the claim language of a design patent can limit its scope where the claim language supplies the only instance of an article of manufacture that appears nowhere in the figures. Plaintiff Curver… Continue Reading

LinkedIn Profiles and the Applicability of the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act

By James Kachmar on Posted in Cyberspace Law, IP, Privacy, Web/Tech

LinkedIn is a popular professional networking website with more than half a billion members. Many of its users, in an effort to enhance their networking capabilities, make their profile public and available to anyone to review their personal details such as their employment, education, skill sets and other personal information. Although LinkedIn disclaims any ownership… Continue Reading

Federal Circuit Holds IPR Proceedings on Pre-AIA Patents is Not an Unconstitutional Taking Under the Fifth Amendment

By Eric Caligiuri on Posted in IP, Patent Law

In CELGENE CORPORATION v. PETER, the Federal Circuit recently affirmed the PTAB’s decisions finding appealed claims obvious. However, more importantly, the Federal Circuit also held that the retroactive application of IPR proceedings to pre-AIA patents is not an unconstitutional taking under the Fifth Amendment. Regarding the constitutional issue of whether the retroactive application of IPRs… Continue Reading

Ninth Circuit Inquiry on Non-Competes Could Have Huge Implications

By James Kachmar on Posted in IP

The Ninth Circuit recently asked the California Supreme Court to provide it with guidance concerning certain types of non-compete provisions that could have huge ramifications for California’s business environment.  In essence, the Ninth Circuit asked the California Supreme Court whether section 16600 of the California Business and Professions Code bars agreements between businesses that place… Continue Reading

Rule Change Requires U.S. Counsel for Foreign-Domiciled Trademark Applicants

By Jo Dale Carothers on Posted in IP, Trademark Law

The United States Patent and Trademark Office (the “USPTO”) explains that “A trademark is a brand name. A trademark or service mark includes any word, name, symbol, device, or any combination, used or intended to be used to identify and distinguish the goods/services of one seller or provider from those of others, and to indicate… Continue Reading

Goodbye Majestic Yosemite Hotel, Welcome Back Ahwahnee Hotel

By Josh H. Escovedo on Posted in Intellectual Property Litigation, IP

A few years ago, when the concessionaire for Yosemite National Park (the “Park”), Delaware North, was informed that the Park planned to consider other concessionaires, such as Aramark, Delaware North responded in shocking fashion. Delaware North responded that if it was going to be replaced as the concessionaire, it intended to take the Park’s intellectual… Continue Reading

Supreme Court Decision Will Have Huge Economic Impact on Trademark Infringement Damages

By Scott Hervey on Posted in Intellectual Property Litigation, IP, Trademark Law

The Supreme Court has agreed to resolve a circuit split over when a court can order the payment of an infringer’s profits to a successful plaintiff as a measure of damages.  The matter comes to the Supreme Court as an appeal from the Second Circuit decision in Romag Fasteners Inc. v. Fossil Inc. et al. … Continue Reading

Federal Circuit Sets Higher Standard for Early Alice Motions

By Eric Caligiuri on Posted in Intellectual Property Litigation, IP, Web/Tech

In Cellspin Soft, Inc. v. Fitbit, Inc. et. al., the Federal Circuit recently held that a lower court wrongly invalidated four patents under Alice because they contain an inventive concept.  The four patents at issue share the same specification and generally relate to connecting a data capture device, e.g., a digital camera, to a mobile… Continue Reading

Web Domains and The Forgotten Tort of Trespass to Chattels

By James Kachmar on Posted in Intellectual Property Litigation, IP, Web/Tech

California case law over the last few years is replete with instances where a new and/or small business has one of their employees take responsibility for various IT activities such as setting up the company website and/or email domains.  Disputes arise when that employee leaves for other employment and refuses to give the former employer… Continue Reading

When is an Invention Obvious?

By Audrey A Millemann on Posted in IP, Patent Law

To be patentable, an invention must satisfy two key requirements, as determined by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (PTO).  First, the invention must be novel.  This means that the same invention cannot have been disclosed in a single prior art reference.  The prior art is all of the publicly available information that existed before… Continue Reading

Supreme Court: Federal Government Cannot Challenge Patents in PTAB

By Audrey A Millemann on Posted in Intellectual Property Litigation, IP, Patent Law

The validity of a patent can be challenged in four different types of proceedings: ex parte reexamination, inter partes review, post grant review, and covered business method review. An ex parte reexamination is initiated by any person or by the PTO’s director to request that the PTO internally reexamine the claims of the patent based… Continue Reading

Potential Copyright Owners Beware: Make Sure Your Copyright Registrations Are Accurate!

By James Kachmar on Posted in Copyright Law, IP

Normally, a copyright registration certificate constitutes “prima facie evidence of the validity of a copyright and of the facts stated in the certificate.”  17 U.S.C. §410(c).  But what happens if that certificate contains knowingly inaccurate information? The purported copyright owner could face not only invalidation of the copyright, but the inability to pursue copyright infringement… Continue Reading

Although the Battle of King’s Landing is Over and the Game of Thrones has Ended, the War to Protect HBO’s Intellectual Property Rages on

By Josh H. Escovedo on Posted in IP, Trademark Law

If your heart is beating and your lungs are taking in oxygen, you know that Game of Thrones recently reached its epic conclusion. It’s sad, but true. After eight glorious seasons, the most watched television series in history has ended. Even as I put the words to paper, or rather, this Word document, it doesn’t… Continue Reading

If You Can’t Describe It, You Can’t Patent It!

By Audrey A Millemann on Posted in IP, Patent Law

One of the requirements for obtaining a patent is the written description requirement – the specification must include a written description of the invention. 35 U.S.C §112(a).  This requirement means that the specification must fully disclose what the invention is.  The purpose of the written description requirement is to demonstrate to persons skilled in the… Continue Reading

U.S. Supreme Court Allows App Store Anti-Trust Class Action to Proceed Against Apple

By Eric Caligiuri on Posted in IP, Web/Tech

In APPLE INC. v. PEPPER ET AL., case number 17-204, the United States Supreme Court considered a case alleging Apple has monopolized the retail market for the sale of apps and has unlawfully used its monopolistic power to charge consumers higher-than competitive prices. As an early defense in the case, Apple asserted that the consumer… Continue Reading

Hidden Trademark Landmines in Comparative and Compatibility Advertisements

By Scott Hervey on Posted in Intellectual Property Litigation, IP

Nespresso has filed a lawsuit against Jones Brothers Coffee Distribution Company alleging trademark and trade dress infringement. In support of its trademark infringement claim, Nespresso alleges that Jones Brothers’ use of the words “Nespresso Compatible” in connection with its coffee capsules will cause consumers to believe that the Jones Brothers product is endorsed and/or sponsored… Continue Reading

Some at the PTAB Think Textbooks Are Not Printed Publications

By Jo Dale Carothers on Posted in Intellectual Property Litigation, IP

Shockingly, some at the Patent Trial and Appeal Board (“PTAB”) think textbook publishers who include dated copyright notices don’t actually publish the textbooks that year!  Further, would you have imagined an argument that textbooks aren’t printed publications?  Given the amount we paid for textbooks in college and the number stored in my garage that seems… Continue Reading