Insights
Johnny Cash Estate Sues Coca-Cola over Soundalike Ad
May 13th, 2026
Billboard reports that the estate of Johnny Cash has sued Coca-Cola for using a soundalike singer in an ad that plays between college football games as part of its “Fan Work Is Thirsty Work” campaign. The singer in the ad is Shawn Barker, a profe…
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Federal Circuit Denies Petition Challenging Patent Office Director Decisions
May 7th, 2026
The Federal Circuit has denied Motorola’s petition for mandamus relief challenging decisions by the former US Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) director. The case is In Re Motorola Solutions, Inc. As the court summarized, At the request of Mo…
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Categories: Patents
Federal Circuit Affirms Attorney’s Fees Award for “Weak” Litigation Position
May 7th, 2026
The Federal Circuit has affirmed a federal district court’s award of attorneys’ fees to a defendant in a patent infringement case because of the “substantive weakness” of the patent owner’s litigation position. Hawk Technology Systems,…
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Categories: Patents
Patent Office Broadens Eligibility for AI Inventions
May 5th, 2026
Recent actions by the US Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) and remarks by USPTO Director John Squires suggest that the USPTO will be welcoming toward inventions involving artificial intelligence (AI). The USPTO Appeals Review Panel (ARP) decision i…
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Patent Office Restores Real Party Identification Requirement
May 4th, 2026
John Squires, the director of the US Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), has sent a memo to all administrative patent judges (APJs) at the Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB or Board) informing them that the USPTO was restoring the practice of requ…
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Categories: Patents
Circuit Court Vacates $1.5 Million Award in Fake Law Firm Trademark Case
April 29th, 2026
The Fifth Circuit has vacated a $1.5 million damages award in a case involving a fake law firm trademark. The case is Lewis Brisbois Bisgaard & Smith LLP v. Bitgood. Lewis Brisbois Bisgaard & Smith, LLP (LBBS) is a Texas law firm. LBBS sued M…
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Categories: Trademarks
Patent Law Developments: The Big Shifts You Need to Know
April 27th, 2026
Here’s a summary of some of the top patent law developments in the last year. Artificial Intelligence and Patents In November, as Reuters reported, the US Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) issued new guidelines on when inventions created with the…
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Categories: Patents
Unified Patent Court Issues Injunction; Directors Not Liable for Infringement
January 26th, 2026
Europe’s Unified Patent Court (UPC) has issued its first injunction in a case involving Standards Essential Patents (SEPs). The case is Philips v. Belkin (German original). (An English machine translation of the decision can be read here.) The UPC…
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Categories: Patents
Ninth Circuit Rules in Trader Joe’s Trademark Dispute with Union
January 21st, 2026
The Ninth Circuit has reserved the Central District of California’s dismissal of trademark infringement claims brought by grocery store chain Trader Joe’s against a labor union representing some of its employees. The case is in Trader Joe’s Co.…
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Categories: Trademarks
$166 Million Verdict Vacated: The Perils of Confused Expert Testimony
January 20th, 2026
The Federal Circuit has issued a decision reversing a district court’s denial of judgment as a matter of law regarding noninfringement of a radio-related patent. The court also vacated a significant damage award in favor of Finesse Wireless LLC. As…
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Categories: Patents
