Mealey's Intellectual Property : Mealey's : Legal News & Analysis

Mealey's Intellectual Property

July 16, 2024
PTAB Panel Reverses Examiner’s Rejection Of Robot Gripping Method

WASHINGTON, D.C. — A patent examiner erred in rejecting patent claims for a method of optimizing an automated process used to allow robots to grip objects from a conveyor belt because the references cited by the examiner failed to identify two specific elements of the method, a Patent Trial and Appeal Board panel found in reversing the examiner’s findings on July 15.
July 16, 2024
Magistrate Suggests $14K To Photographer For Paper’s Infringement Of Epstein Photo

ORLANDO, Fla. — A federal magistrate judge in Florida recommended that a Spanish-language newspaper be ordered to pay $14,478 to a professional photographer for its use of a photo of billionaire financier and convicted felon Jeffrey Epstein after the newspaper failed to respond to the photographer’s claims in federal court.
July 16, 2024
Judge: Therabody’s Trademark Infringement Claims All Survive Dismissal Motion

NEWARK, N.J. — A federal judge in New Jersey denied a motion to dismiss filed by a store sued for alleged trademark infringement by the maker of percussive massage devices, finding that the manufacturer’s complaint adequately alleges that the store sold the devices without the manufacturer’s permission and without first entering into a reselling agreement.
July 15, 2024
Judge: Songwriter Makes Showing Of Worldwide Ownership; Copyright Claims Survive

BATON ROUGE, La. — A federal judge in Louisiana on July 12 denied a music publication company’s motion to dismiss a copyright dispute over a 1960s hit song, finding that the song’s writer made an adequate showing that foreign use of the song is barred by the songwriters’ renewal of copyright interests.
July 15, 2024
11th Circuit Affirms Judgment Against Bar Owner In Boxing Match Copyright Fight

ATLANTA — On its second consideration of an appeal in the case, an 11th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals panel affirmed an Alabama federal judge’s decision to deny a bar owner’s motion to vacate a judgment against him in a case brought by a sports streaming company that said he violated the company’s copyright by showing a boxing match at the bar without a license, holding that the bar owner waived his argument that he should have had a jury trial when he failed to make the argument in response to a magistrate judge’s report and recommendation.
July 15, 2024
Federal Circuit Affirms PTAB’s Obviousness Finding In Dispute Over Agricultural Patent

WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB) did not err in finding that a patent for counteracting certain biological processes in plants was obvious because it adequately showed that all aspects of the patent were disclosed in prior art, a Federal Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals panel found July 12 in affirming the PTAB’s final written decision.
July 15, 2024
In Stem Cell Patent Dispute, More Facts Needed About Medical-Practitioner Immunity

FORT WORTH, Texas — The operator of two medical clinics where adipose-deprived stem cell therapies are performed is not entitled to medical-practitioner immunity from patent infringement claims at this stage because multiple questions of facts and law must be determined before such a determination can be made, a Texas federal judge found in denying the operator’s motion to dismiss.
July 15, 2024
Magistrate Judge: Brewery’s Trademark Suit Definite Enough To Survive Motion

FORT PIERCE, Fla. — A distillery has more than enough information to formulate a response to a brewery’s claims that the distillery infringed on the brewery’s trademarks related to the 21st Amendment, a federal magistrate judge in Florida said, recommending that the distillery’s motion for a more definite statement be denied.
July 12, 2024
DMCA Claims In GitHub AI License Dispute Dismissed For 3rd, Final Time

OAKLAND, Calif. — John Doe defendants suing GitHub Inc. and others for a purported lack of attribution of their shared materials in artificial intelligence (AI) products saw their claims under the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) dismissed for a third time, this time with prejudice.
July 12, 2024
Developer Of Pokémon Go Gets Summary Judgment In Augmented-Reality Patent Case

SAN FRANCISCO — The developer of Pokémon Go and another augmented-reality (AR) video game is entitled to summary judgment on claims of patent infringement brought against it by the owner of an AR patent because the patent claims are not patent eligible, a California federal judge found in granting the developer’s motion for summary judgment.
July 12, 2024
Pesticide Manufacturer Fails To Get Restraining Order Or Injunction In Patent Case

PHILADELPHIA — A pesticide manufacturer is not entitled to a temporary restraining order or a preliminary injunction because it failed to show that it is likely to succeed on the patent infringement claims it brought against a competitor, a Pennsylvania federal judge found in denying the manufacturer’s request for injunctive relief.
July 11, 2024
3rd Circuit Reverses Attorney Fees Against Nike In ‘Cool Compression’ Mark Row

PHILADELPHIA — A panel of judges in the Third Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals on July 10 upheld findings that Nike Inc. willfully infringed upon a much smaller clothing brand’s “Cool Compression” trademark but held that a Pennsylvania federal judge assigned too much weight to the “David and Goliath” nature of the case when determining attorney fees.
July 11, 2024
Federal Judge: Publisher Fails To State Claim In Copyright Infringement Suit

FRESNO, Calif. — A California federal judge dismissed a copyright violation complaint brought by a publication company against an insurance company, finding that the publisher failed to establish whether the insurer had a license to the publisher’s workers’ compensation newsletter that would have allowed the insurer to distribute the newsletter to all employees of the insurer.
July 11, 2024
Patent Claims For Fibromyalgia Treatment Method Were Not Obvious, PTAB Panel Says

WASHINGTON, D.C. — A patent examiner erred in rejecting as obvious a patent application for a fibromyalgia treatment that uses an antihistamine because the examiner failed to show that the referenced prior arts taught that the disease is induced by histamine, a Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PATB) panel found in reversing the examiner’s rejection.
July 10, 2024
Maker Of Body-Contouring Devices Gets Default Judgment In Patent And Trademark Row

NEW YORK — The manufacturer of body-contouring machines is entitled to default judgment and damages on its claims of patent infringement, trademark infringement and unfair competition brought against a salon that advertises nearly identical machines because it properly alleged and substantiated its claims, a New York federal judge found in granting the manufacturer’s motion for default judgment.
July 10, 2024
Patent Examiner Failed To Show Prior Arts Taught Or Suggested Wind Energy System

WASHINGTON, D.C. — A patent examiner erred in rejected a patent application for a wind energy system that connects wind turbines to a cable network that transmits power generated by the wind turbines because the examiner failed to show how prior arts taught or suggested the specific system, a Patent Trial and Appeal Board panel found in reversing the examiner’s rejection.
July 09, 2024
In Financial Patent Dispute, N.J. Federal Judge Issues Claim Construction Order

TRENTON, N.J. — A New Jersey federal judge constructed the meaning of six patent terms in a dispute over whether a financial services company’s website infringed two patents that disclose a method for online currency transactions.
July 09, 2024
Appliance Store In Trademark Fight Says 5th Circuit Wrongly Reversed Fees

NEW ORLEANS — An appliance store that the Fifth Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals held had its trademark on “Appliance Liquidation Outlet” infringed filed a petition for panel rehearing on a narrow aspect of the Fifth Circuit’s opinion, arguing that the panel majority was incorrect to reverse the award of attorney fees in the store’s favor.
July 09, 2024
5th Circuit Orders New Trial In Trademark Dispute Over Guitar Shapes

NEW ORLEANS — A Fifth Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals panel on July 8 held that a Texas federal judge abused his discretion in a trademark infringement dispute between electric guitar manufacturers by excluding decades of evidence regarding third-party use of the trademarks, ordering a new trial in the case.
July 08, 2024
Electronic Document Signature Is Not A Patentable Idea, Federal Circuit Rules

WASHINGTON, D.C. — A federal trial court did not err in finding that a system and method for embedding a written signature into a secure electronic document is unpatentable because the idea is directed to an abstract idea and fails to contain and inventive concept, a Federal Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals panel found in affirming the trial court’s judgment.
July 08, 2024
OpenAI, New York Times Debate Discovery Of Reporters’ Notes In AI Copyright Suit

NEW YORK — In letter briefing, the New York Times Co. (NYT) and OpenAI battle over whether copyright claims linked to artificial intelligence ChatGPT’s alleged reproduction of news articles permit discovery into reporters’ notes and associated materials underlying the stories.
July 05, 2024
Microsoft, OpenAI Defend Need For Consolidation Of Media AI Suits

NEW YORK — Companies at the heart of suits over artificial intelligence urged a federal judge in New York in July 3 reply briefs to consolidate two cases brought by various newspapers and grant additional time for discovery required by the sprawling nature of the allegations.
July 05, 2024
5th Circuit: Lower Court Misapplied Summary Judgment Standard In Trademark Row

NEW ORLEANS — A federal judge in Texas inappropriately granted summary judgment to a defendant hotel and restaurant group in an infringement dispute over the use of the phrase “Summer House” in a trademark, a panel of judges in the Fifth Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals held, finding that the judge misapplied the summary judgment standard by failing to consider the evidence in the light most favorable to the plaintiff.
July 01, 2024
COMMENTARY: Non-Competes No More? What Businesses Should Do To Protect Trade Secrets And Confidential Information Now

By Geri Haight and Danielle Bereznay
July 03, 2024
7th Circuit: Lower Court Must Reconsider Copyright Damages In Trade Secrets Suit

CHICAGO — A panel of the Seventh Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals on July 2 held that an Illinois federal judge incorrectly calculated damages against a mobile communications company for using stolen copyrighted code from another mobile communications company, with the panel finding that without specific proof that the code was stolen from an Illinois server, copyright damages should be lowered.