Myriad: How Did Public Policy Weigh In?
April 29, 2010
In Association for Molecular Pathology v. USPTO, the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York invalidated patents related to isolated BRCA1 and BRCA2 breast and ovarian cancer susceptibility genes. The surprising aspect of the decision was the reason for invalidity ' the district court held that the isolated genes did not constitute patentable subject matter under 35 U.S.C. ' 101.
Stayin' Alive: An Overview of Copyright Termination
April 29, 2010
The year 2013 will mark the first year that authors can take advantage of the Copyright Act's ' 203 termination provision, likely setting off a flood of termination notices by artists seeking to regain rights previously granted to record labels, book publishers, advertising agencies, and other content owners. This newly effective right, particularly when combined with the increasing number of works subject to termination under the Act, will soon bring to the legal forefront the complex and until now largely ignored termination provisions of the Copyright Act.
IP News
March 29, 2010
Highlights of the latest intellectual property news from around the country.
i4i L.P. v. Microsoft Corp.
March 29, 2010
The Federal Circuit's recent decision in <i>i4i L.P. v. Microsoft Corp.</i>, on appeal from the Eastern District of Texas, contains valuable lessons on a number of procedural issues, particularly on the importance of timely motions during trial in order to preserve matters for appeal.
JA Apparel v. Abboud
March 29, 2010
Cases involving family name disputes have historically presented challenges for courts, as they frequently require balancing competing interests of businesses and individuals. A particularly interesting permutation of such disputes involves well-known individuals who convey certain rights in their family name in a particular field to a third party and then later seek to re-enter the same field. A trio of recent decisions on this subject features the famous clothing designer, Joseph Abboud.
IP News
February 24, 2010
Highlights of the latest intellectual property news from around the country.
The Uncertainty of Patent Pleadings After Iqbal
February 24, 2010
The Supreme Court's recent Twombly and Iqbal decisions have placed in question the validity of Form 18 by reinterpreting the mandated minimal pleading standards required by Fed. R. Civ. P. 8. An additional question has arisen as to whether the protection afforded by Form 18 is equally applicable to claims of indirect infringement or infringement under the doctrine of equivalents.
Trademark Dilution: When 'Minimally Similar' May Be Similar Enough
February 24, 2010
In <i>Starbucks Corp. v. Wolfe's Borough Coffee, Inc.</i>, the Second Circuit rejected the district court's determination — based on pre-TDRA case law — that trademark owners must show "substantial similarity" between the trademarks at issue in order to prevail on a dilution by blurring claim under the TDRA. Citing the language of the TDRA, the appellate court found that the new statute required only "similarity," and that even "minimal similarity" could, in the proper case, suffice to support a claim.