Litigation

The UK's Court of Appeal gave a very important judgment earlier this year in the so-called Vidal-Hall case concerning Google's Internet behavior tracking through a browser. The court found that: first, misuse of private information is now classified as a tort; and, second, financial compensation for distress caused by breaches of the Data Protection Act 1998 may now be claimed, despite there being no monetary loss.

Attorney Fees Award to Victor Willis in Song Termination-Rights Litigation
New York Federal Court Supports Descendibility of Lanham Act False Endorsement Claims

The long-awaited decision of the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) in Browning-Ferris Industries of California set forth new guidelines under which a company could be determined to be a joint employer so that it would be subject to collective bargaining.

A Bridgeport, CT, restaurant's use of a logo with the letters BBQ against a flame backdrop has an out-of-state restaurant chain fired up.

On June 12, 2015, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, in Ariosa Diagnostics, affirmed a grant of summary judgment of invalidity of another patent in the biotech space. The decision adds to a long and growing list of patents that have fallen in the wake of the Supreme Court's recent 35 U.S.C. '101 jurisprudence.

Summary Judgment for Domino's in Death of Franchisee's Employee: Will It Last?
Franchisor That Sleeps on Its Rights May Not Be Able to Enforce Them

Colleges can't be required to let star athletes cash in on their celebrity status, a Ninth Circuit panel ruled on Sept. 30, reversing part of a landmark antitrust decision that had called into question the NCAA's entire business model.

Federal Circuit: In An IPR Proceeding, The Burden Lies With The Petitioner To Show 'Substantial Evidence' That The Prior Art Patent Is Entitled To The Priority Date Of Its Provisional Application
Federal Circuit: Scope Of Reexamination Claims Is Reviewed De Novo