There are many requirements for obtaining a patent.  One of those is the written description requirement.  Pursuant to 35 U.S.C. §112(a), the patent must describe the invention in writing.  If the written description requirement is not met, the patent won’t be granted.  If the patent has already been issued, it can be invalidated for failure to satisfy the written description requirement.  Recently, in Juno Therapeutics, Inc. v. Kite Pharma, Inc., 2021 U.S. App. LexIs 25706 (Fed. Cir. 2021), a damage award of $1.2 billion for patent infringement was reversed for just this reason.
Continue Reading Written Description Remains Critical to Patents

Last month the District Court for the Central District of California granted the defendant’s motion for summary judgment in the case San Diego Gulls Hockey Club, LLC v ECHL, Inc.. The league’s win resolves the league’s potential indemnity obligation to the hockey team, the Gulls.  This case presents a cautionary story for transactional attorneys.
Continue Reading Gulls Hockey Team Gets Wings Clipped In IP Dispute With Hockey League

In this week’s episode of The Briefing by the IP Law BlogScott Hervey and Josh Escovedo discuss a legal dispute between the Prince estate and an Ohio-based winery over the rights to the trademark “Purple Rain.”
Continue Reading The Briefing by the IP Law Blog: Prince Estate Wants Winery’s ‘Purple Rain’ Trademark Back in the Bottle