The 'On-Sale' Bar After Pfaff
September 29, 2009
<i>Pfaff v. Wells Elecs., Inc.</i> is widely recognized as a milestone in the annals of patent law for providing direction as to how courts are to analyze and apply the statutory "on-sale" bar to the granting of patents. This article explores how the Federal Circuit has applied <i>Pfaff</i> in more recent cases.
Federal Circuit Overturns Central Component of TTAB's Medinol Doctrine
September 29, 2009
In one of the most closely watched trademark-related appeals in recent memory, <i>In re Bose Corp.</i>, the Federal Circuit overturned the central holding of <i>Medinol Ltd v. NeuroVasx Inc.</i>. Specifically, the Federal Circuit disapproved of the Board's practice of finding fraud if a registrant or applicant "should have known" that a material representation to the PTO was false.
IP News
September 29, 2009
Highlights of the latest intellectual property news from around the country.
A Negative Light
September 29, 2009
The Florida Supreme Court recently ruled that false light invasion of privacy is not a valid cause of action in Florida, opting instead for a new claim titled "defamation by implication."
IP Litigation: What Is It Good For?
August 27, 2009
As obvious as this distaste for lawsuits may be to anyone who has ever been deposed, it nonetheless is often critical for businesses, and particularly technology firms, not only to be prepared to go (metaphorically) to war in the battlefield of the courtroom, but to actually take that step.
IP News
August 27, 2009
Highlights of the latest intellectual property news from around the country.
Evidence Needed to Prove Bona Fide Intent to Use
August 27, 2009
The TTAB has opined on the meaning of a bona fide intent to use a trademark in connection with a Section 1b intent to use trademark application. None of these opinions, however, has delineated a clear bright-line test defining bona fide intent to use. In April 2009, the TTAB, ruling in <i>Honda Motor Co., Ltd. v. Friedrich Winkelmann,</i> established the meaning in the context of a trademark application based on foreign registration rights under Section 44, rather than on use in interstate U.S. commerce.
Post-Trial Re-examination
August 27, 2009
To what extent does re-examination equip an infringer who loses in court with the additional opportunity, aside from an appeal, to escape liability?
Actionable Trademark Infringement
August 27, 2009
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit has held that the sale of products lacking a unique serial number applied by a brand owner for anticounterfeiting and quality control purposes constitutes trademark infringement under federal law. This is so even if the removal of the code does not cause physical damage to an otherwise genuine product and consumers are not aware that the code has been removed.