First Republic Executives Fail in Attempt to Recover Nonqualified Deferred Compensation Plan Assets
The parent of an infant sued Kim Eichle for Eichle’s alleged negligence in serving alcohol to her houseguest, Jacob Russo, who allegedly assaulted the infant, and for negligence in failing to keep the sidewalk at her...more
On June 1, 2023, the new European Unified Patent Court (UPC) opened its doors, and enforcement of European patents in (currently) 17 contract member states is now possible with one action. This series of articles – directed...more
In a May 31, 2023, precedential decision, the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit confirmed that under well-settled Pennsylvania law, claims of poor workmanship do not involve an “occurrence” required to...more
Yuga Labs Inc. (Yuga) – the creator and marketer of the well-known "Bored Ape Yacht Club" collection of nonfungible tokens (NFTs), referred to as Yuga Bored Ape images – filed a complaint in July 2022 against conceptual...more
In SSMiller IP LLC v. Sugar Beets LLC, 2-22-cv-02576 (CDCA Oct. 21, 2022) District Judge George H. Wu of the Central District of California found the parties did not sufficiently meet and confer as required by the Local Rules...more
It is well-established that a counterclaim for invalidity in a district court litigation does not trigger the 35 U.S.C. § 315(a) bar. See 35 U.S.C. § 315(a)(3). See also our previous posts discussing strategies for...more
Turo is an Airbnb service for cars. Technically, it is a peer-to-peer car rental marketplace. It does not control the terms of the car rental. But it does bring owners and renters together....more
Declaratory judgment (“DJ”) actions have fallen out of favor in patent cases in recent years. In 2011, DJ complaints made up approximately 11 percent of all patent cases filed that year. Last year, they made up less than 5...more
When bringing a lawsuit for a declaratory judgment of non-infringement of a patent, careful pleading may allow plaintiffs to avoid the restrictions against later seeking inter partes review (IPR) of that patent, while also...more
Although it is generally accepted that tattoos are copyrightable, one of the only definitive judicial statements on the issue came by way of a preliminary injunction hearing in 2011 involving Mike Tyson’s famous tribal face...more
On November 6, 2019, I discussed a licensing dispute regarding Ms. Pac-Man between Bandai Namco and AtGames Holdings. At that time, Bandai Namco sought a preliminary injunction against AtGames based on AtGames’ alleged...more
Earlier this month, the Federal Circuit ruled on an interesting case that discussed (1) when a case or controversy exists as to unasserted patent claims, and (2) the extent expert declarations affect a patent eligibility...more
Last year, this blog discussed various strategic considerations for litigants seeking declarations of invalidity in district court actions to avoid being precluded from also seeking inter partes or other post-grant review...more
In a precedential decision, the Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB) dismissed a petition for inter partes review (IPR), finding that the one-year time limit for filing an IPR petition under 35 USC § 315(b) is triggered even...more
The Patent Trial and Appeal Board (the “Board”) vacated its institution decision and terminated an inter partes review (IPR) filed by Mylan Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (“Mylan”) based on Mylan’s prior counterclaim seeking a...more
In Ruiz Food Products, Inc. v. MacroPoint LLC, the Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB) considered whether the time-bar provision of 35 U.S.C. § 315(a)(1) was triggered when a real party-in-interest had previously filed an...more
No. Micro Processing Technology, Inc. sent a letter to Plasma-Therm alleging that Plasma-Therm was infringing MPT’s patent. Plasma-Therm filed a declaratory judgment action seeking a declaration that it did not infringe....more
Domain Associates LLC v. Shah, C.A. No. 12921-VCL (Del. Ch. Aug. 13, 2018) - An LLC agreement may provide what payout a departing member receives for his or her interest. It also may provide that a member may be forced to...more
On August 1, 2016, Canfield Scientific, Inc. filed a civil action in the District of New Jersey against Melanoscan, LLC, seeking a declaratory judgment of non-infringement of U.S. Patent No. 7,359,748 (“the ’748 Patent”). In...more
The AIA prohibits institution of a post-grant proceeding when the petitioner previously “filed a civil action challenging the validity of a claim of the patent.” 35 U.S.C. § 315(a)(1). PGR petitions (including CBM petitions)...more
As the sun set on 2016, the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals in Sunearth, Inc. v. Sun Earth Solar Power, Co. embraced a new standard for awarding attorneys’ fees in Lanham Act cases. Adopting the U.S. Supreme Court’s rationale...more
In reviewing the scope of an arbitration agreement that was part of a supply agreement, the US Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit affirmed the district court’s decision, determining that the defendant’s breach of...more
A recent Virginia court decision questions the reasonable value of health care services and creates a challenge to debt collection efforts by hospitals. In March, the Circuit Court for Henry County, Patrick County, and the...more
Flipping the switch on the last remaining claims in the case, a Massachusetts Court recently dismissed as moot two defendants’ counterclaims for declaratory judgment of invalidity and unenforceability following a PTAB...more
Addressing jurisdictional issues, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit relied on post-AIA 35 U.S.C. § 1295(a)(1) to exercise, for the first time, jurisdiction over an appeal in which only a counterclaim arose...more