Last week, the Federal Circuit vacated both the infringement and damages judgments against Apple in a patent case that involves standard-essential patents (SEPs) related to Long-Term Evolution (LTE) technology brought in the Eastern District of Texas by Optis Cellular Technology, LLC. In Optis Cellular Technology, LLC v. Apple Inc. (22-1925), a panel for the
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DC Circuit Affirms Decision That Copyright Statute Requires Some Amount of Human Authorship, Leaves More Difficult Questions for Another Day
By Jake Neu
Does copyright law require that a human create a work? Yesterday the D.C. Circuit in Thaler v. Perlmutter held that it does and that a machine (such as a computer operating a generative AI program) cannot be designated as the author of the work. However, the D.C. Circuit refrained from saying more for now, leaving…
Fair Use Falls Short: Judge Bibas Rejects AI Training Data Defense in Thomson Reuters v. ROSS
By Danner Kline
Cannabis & Trademarks: Protecting Your Stash
Trademark law protects businesses’ brand identities and helps prevent consumer confusion. The U.S. trademark system operates at both federal and state levels. Federal registration through the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) gives nationwide protection and the right to use the coveted ® symbol, along with crucial benefits such as constructive notice of ownership throughout…
Preliminary Injunction Halts Sales of Tumor-Informed Cancer Screening Test
Late last week in Natera, Inc. v. NeoGenomics Laboratories, Inc. (24-1324), the Federal Circuit affirmed a preliminary injunction ruling from the lower court that mostly prohibits NeoGenomics from selling its oncology test marketed as RaDaR®. In doing so, the appellate panel confirms that the district court need not conduct claim construction at the…
Trademarking History: Justices Uphold Names Clause, Clash Over Reasoning
By Danner Kline
On June 13, 2024, the Supreme Court handed down its decision in Vidal v. Elster, a case that pitted trademark law against the First Amendment’s free speech protections. While the Court unanimously upheld the Patent and Trademark Office’s (PTO) refusal to register a contentious mark, the justices’ concurring opinions reveal sharp divisions over the…
The Generative AI Copyright Disclosure Act of 2024: Balancing Innovation and IP Rights
By Danner Kline
As generative AI systems become increasingly sophisticated and widespread, concerns around the use of copyrighted works in their training data continue to intensify. The proposed Generative AI Copyright Disclosure Act of 2024 attempts to address this unease by introducing new transparency requirements for AI developers.
The Bill’s Purpose and Requirements
The primary goal of the…
Copyright Plaintiffs Prevail: Supreme Court Upholds Broad Damages Under Discovery Rule in Warner Chappell Music v. Nealy
By Danner Kline
On May 9, 2024, the Supreme Court released its decision in Warner Chappell Music v. Nealy, a case with significant implications for damages available to plaintiffs in copyright infringement claims. The Court assumed, without deciding, that the discovery rule applies to copyright infringement claims. Operating under this assumption, the Court held that a copyright…
Spring Has Sprung Obviousness Trends from the Federal Circuit
There have been only a few precedential decisions from the Federal Circuit related to obviousness since spring sprung. While these decisions have produced mixed results for the lower courts, clinical study protocols have held up to appellate scrutiny both in the context of motivation to combine and reasonable expectation of success.
Reversed and Remanded to…
Unearthing the Truth: How Ambiguity Excavated a Win in False Advertising Claim
By Danner Kline
In a case that pitted two sellers of construction equipment against each other — I Dig Texas, LLC v. Creager — the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit was tasked with excavating the truth behind claims of false advertising and copyright infringement. The court had to dig deep to determine whether there was…