Intellectual Property › Business Torts

Vermont Approves Legislation Prohibiting Bad Faith Patent Infringement Claims

The Vermont House and Senate have approved a first-in-the-nation bill that provides a legal tool for Vermont companies who face extortionate claims of patent infringement from “patent trolls.” ...more

Patent Watch: Forrester Envtl. Servs., Inc. v. Wheelabrator Techs., Inc.

[P]ermitting state courts to adjudicate disparagement cases (involving alleged false statements about U.S. patent rights) could result in inconsistent judgments between state and federal courts [but] this possibility of...more

TM Owners Beware: Potential IP Scammers Are In Our Midst

There are few things more annoying than the feeling that you have been duped into paying for something that you neither need nor want. IP owners, and particularly trademark owners, are common targets for scammers seeking to...more

Who Owns the Rights to “To Kill a Mockingbird”?

Harper Lee only wrote one book in her life, but what a book. Her classic novel “To Kill a Mockingbird,” published in 1960, spins the tale of a small town attorney who tries to stand up against the forces of racial injustice....more

California To Draw The Lines In Disparagement Liability

The California Supreme Court has granted review of the Court of Appeal’s decision in Hartford Casualty Insurance Company v. Swift Distribution, Inc., 210 Cal. App. 4th 915 (2d Dist. Ct. App. Oct. 29, 2012), review granted 152...more

What’s Really in your Beer Name: Trademark Protection for Craft Brewing Companies and Their Beers

Besides the unique taste of your beer, what more than anything else helps your consumers remember the source of that fantastic beer? Obviously, your company name and probably also the name of your beer. With hundreds of...more

MBHB Snippets: Review of Developments in Intellectual Property Law - Spring 2013 - Volume 11, Issue 2

In This Issue: Comments on New AIA Rules; Implementing the New Micro Entity Status at the U.S. Patent Office; Obama Administration Focuses on Chinese Trade Secret Misappropriation; and Tiffany & Co. v. Costco Wholesale...more

Mother’s Day Post: Mother And Son Accused Of Trade Secret Theft

In honor of Mother’s Day, we note a case in which mother and son were both accused of misappropriating trade secrets....more

Enforcing Contractual Indemnity Litigation Against Chinese Companies

Lawsuits brought in the U.S. that result in judgments against Chinese companies often have problems with enforceability, unless the Chinese company has assets in the US or assets in another country that enforces US judgments....more

Supreme Court of Georgia Rejects Independent Claim for "Inevitable Disclosure"

The "inevitable disclosure" doctrine is one of the most discussed, controversial topics in unfair competition law. The commentary among academics and bloggers reminds me of the ongoing debate over the proper scope of the...more

In re Wayport, Inc. Litig., Consol. C.A. No. 4167-VCL (Del. Ch. May 1, 2013) (Laster, V.C.)

In this opinion, the Court of Chancery, applying the “special facts doctrine,” rejected the plaintiffs’ claims for breach of the fiduciary duty of loyalty against the defendants arising out of sales of the plaintiffs’ stock...more

IP/Entertainment Law Weekly Case Update for Motion Picture Studios and Television Networks - May 3, 2013

- Cariou v. Prince, USCA Second Circuit, April 25, 2013 - Second Circuit reverses summary judgment in favor of photographer on his infringement claims against well-known appropriation artist Richard Prince, holding...more

Arbitrator’s Creative IP Remedy Upheld Because It Furthered “General Aims Of Agreement”

In a dispute over whether an arbitrator has authority to grant a video game developer and publisher a perpetual license in the intellectual property as a remedy for the developer’s fraud and breaches of contract, the Fifth...more

Decisions Highlight Split In Application Of Computer Fraud And Abuse Act

Trade secret claims have historically derived from state common law causes of action and, subsequently, most states’ adoption of the Uniform Trade Secrets Act, which codifies that common law and generally proscribes the...more

Therasense Revisited: In re Rosuvastatin Calcium Patent Litigation

In the United States, patent applicants and their counsel owe a duty of candor and good faith to the Patent Office. This duty is breached when the applicant or its counsel knowingly fails to disclose material prior art...more

New Laws Increase Criminal Liability For Disclosure Of Trade Secrets: Are You Protected?

Two new criminal laws underscore the value of trade secrets as a critical asset to a corporation. These new laws, the Trade Secrets Clarification Act (TSCA) and the Foreign and Economic Espionage Penalty Enhancement Act...more

Recent Federal Court Rulings Reaffirm Broad Supersession of Common Law Claims under California's Uniform Trade Secrets Act

Last month, two federal district courts reaffirmed that litigants may not plead around California's Uniform Trade Secrets Act (UTSA) by alleging common law tort claims said to protect business information that does not...more

Liability Insurance Coverage For False Advertising Claims

Claims for false advertising under state and federal law may be covered under the advertising injury portion of a Commercial General Liability insurance policy. This article explores recent developments in this area....more

New gTLD Trademark Clearinghouse Launches in Anticipation of New Era of Top-Level Web Domains

ICANN, the International Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers, has taken another step in expanding the number of sanctioned top-level web domains (TLD). Domain extensions such as .nike, .canon and .bank may now join the...more

IP Update, Vol. 16, No. 3, March 2013

In This Issue: Supreme Court - Supreme Court Finds That “First Sale” Doctrine Applies to Works Patents - Joint Actors as It Relates to Method Claim Infringement; Federal Circuit Ruling Clears Way...more

Boarding School Review, LLC v. Delta Career Education Corp.

Order GRANTING Plaintiff's Motion to Dismiss Pursuant to FRCP 12(b)(6)

Plaintiff operates a website called Community College Review. It received multiple cease and desist letters, which escalated in the severity of their threats, from counsel for certain institutions about which routine,...more

IP/Entertainment Law Weekly Case Update for Motion Picture Studios and Television Networks -- March 28, 2013

In This Issue: - Kirtsaeng v. John Wiley & Sons, Inc., U.S. Supreme Court, March 19, 2013: In a 6-to-3 decision with far-reaching implications, U.S. Supreme Court holds that copyright “first sale” doctrine...more

Obama Administration Solicits Public Help in Preventing Foreign Trade Secret Theft

On Tuesday, the U.S. Intellectual Property Enforcement Coordinator, Victoria Espinel, published a notice in the Federal Register "requesting any recommendations for legislative changes that would enhance enforcement against,...more

Safeguards against Data Security Breaches (Part One) [Video]

With data security breaches dominating the headlines and a rising number of employees taking advantage of BYOD, or bring your own device to work policies, businesses have found themselves vulnerable to targets by hackers,...more

How Much "Competition", If Any, Is Required to Establish Standing in Lanham Act False Advertising Cases—the Supreme Court May Be...

Lanham Act false advertising law is largely consistent among the various federal circuit courts. However, one area of Lanham Act jurisprudence where the federal appellate courts do not see eye-to-eye concerns who has standing...more