The Federal Circuit’s recent decision in Future Link Systems, LLC v. Realtek Semiconductor Corporation offers important guidance on what it means to be a “prevailing party” and the standards for awarding attorney fees, costs, and sanctions in patent litigation. This ruling, which vacated in part, affirmed in part, and remanded the district court’s decisions, is…

In today’s crowded tech marketplace, brand identity is one of a company’s most valuable assets.  A well-chosen trademark doesn’t just help consumers recognize your business – it also provides legal protection against copycats and builds long-term brand equity. When product lifecycles move quickly and competition is global, developing and protecting strong trademarks should be an…

The Federal Circuit’s recent precedential decision in In re Erik Brunetti has surely raised some eyebrows in the trademark community (and beyond), not just for its subject matter (the attempted registration of a certain provocative word, which we will refer to here as the “F-bomb” for sensitive eyes and ears, for various goods and services)…

The Federal Circuit recently issued a significant decision in the ongoing patent litigation between Laboratory Corporation of America Holdings (Labcorp) and Qiagen Sciences, LLC, reversing a Delaware district court’s judgment that had found Qiagen liable for infringement of Labcorp’s patents-at-issue. In doing so, it vacated the $4.7 million damages award against Qiagen and ordered the…

In a significant blow to Apple, the Federal Circuit recently vacated a summary judgment of noninfringement in the case of Taction Technology, Inc. v. Apple Inc. The dispute centers on Taction’s U.S. Patent Nos. 10,659,885 and 10,820,117, which Taction alleged that the Taptic Engine in Apple’s iPhone and Apple Watch products infringed the…

In a significant decision for patent law and the fitness equipment industry, a panel of the Federal Circuit reversed a partial dismissal of PowerBlock Holdings, Inc.’s patent infringement claims brought against iFit, Inc. in the U.S. District Court for the District of Utah. The infringement allegations against iFit were based on PowerBlock’s U.S. Patent No.

In Sunkist Growers, Inc. v. Interstate Distributors, Inc. (No. 24-1212), the Federal Circuit reversed the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board’s decision dismissing Sunkist’s opposition to Interstate Distributor’s (IDI) attempt to register the mark KIST in standard characters and in a stylized mark for soft drinks. The Federal Circuit disagreed with the board’s finding of no…