Castle Defense
February 28, 2015
The battle over expert testimony on patent damages harkens back to the middle ages when would-be attackers developed new strategies for laying siege to a castle, defensive counter-measures were developed to thwart those siege tactics. As plaintiffs have introduced expert testimony based on novel patent damages theories, defendants have asked courts to fulfill their gatekeeping role by preventing certain types of expert testimony from reaching the jury.
With Highly Anticipated Copyright Decision, The AutoHop Litigation Is Coming to a Close
February 28, 2015
In 2012, DISH Network announced two novel product offerings that would result in considerable backlash from the four major broadcast television networks and set in motion a three-year, wide-ranging, multi-front battle with the networks. As the dust now begins to settle, the copyright litigation has resulted in important precedents that will help define the boundaries under the Copyright Act for the multi-channel programming distribution industry.
IP News
February 28, 2015
Federal Circuit: Application by PTAB of Broadest Reasonable Interpretation Standard in Claim Construction Upheld Under the AIA
The New Hybrid Standard for Appellate Review in Claim Construction
February 28, 2015
The Federal Circuit has long maintained that it is entitled to review a claim construction decision <i>de novo</i>, without deference to the district court. Over the years, this approach has led to a notably high reversal rate of district court claim construction decisions. This "two bites at the apple" approach remained controversial, and on Jan. 20, 2015, the Supreme Court rejected this blanket policy of <i>de novo</i> review in favor of a hybrid approach.
Trademark Licensees May Be Able to Have Their (Cup)Cake and Eat It, Too
January 31, 2015
Following a recent line of high-profile and notable decisions that have sought to protect the rights of trademark licensees in a trademark licensor's bankruptcy, the United States Bankruptcy Court for the District of New Jersey has issued a significant decision that, for the first time, extends the protections of Section 365(n) of the Bankruptcy Code, 11 U.S.C. ' 365(n), to trademark licensees on equitable grounds.
IP Licenses In Bankruptcy
January 31, 2015
When a licensor hits the skids, a licensee's two primary concerns should include: 1) whether the protections afforded by Bankruptcy Code section 365(n) are available if the debtor-licensor rejects the license; and 2) protecting its rights if the debtor-licensor seeks to sell the intellectual property. .
Will the Supreme Court Remove <i>Brulotte</i>'s Shadow Over Patent Licensing?
January 31, 2015
Part One, last month, set the stage for a possible overruling by the U.S. Supreme Court of its 1964 ruling in <i>Brulotte v. Thys Co.</i> that the collection of royalties after a patent's expiration constitutes per se patent misuse by looking at the case's critics and its impact on licensing over the last 50 years. In Part Two, the authors continue that discussion and look at the arguments made to the Supreme Court for and against overruling the case.
Supreme Court Rules Trademark Tacking Is a Question of Fact
January 31, 2015
Priority of use is a hallmark of trademark law. Over the years, lower courts have recognized a doctrine called "tacking," under which a trademark owner may "clothe a new mark with the priority position of an older mark." The key to the tacking doctrine is that the new trademark must "create the same, continuing commercial impression" as the old mark. In <i>Hana Financial</i>, the U.S. Supreme Court considered the question and settled the circuit split, holding that tacking is a question for the jury.
