On Halloween, the United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit delivered its opinion in Arthrex, Inc., v. Smith & Nephew, Inc. that the appointment of the Patent Trial and Appeal Board’s Administrative Patent Judges (“APJs”) violates the Appointments Clause of the U.S. Constitution. The background of this case involved Arthrex receiving a final […]
Several months back in an article discussing Brand Extendibility, I touched on a humorous exchange between In-N-Out Burger and a microbrewery regarding some obvious trademark infringement. In that case, the burger chain’s attorneys decided to approach the situation in a light hearted manner, issuing a pun-filled cease and desist notice. Earlier this month, however, the […]
On March 4, 2019 the Supreme Court of the United Stated issued its decision in the Fourth Estate v. Wall-Street.com copyright infringement case. The issue before the Court related to the interpretation of title 17 U.S.C. section 411(a) which states that “no civil action for infringement of the copyright in any United States work shall […]
The Office of the U.S. Intellectual Property Enforcement Coordinator (IPEC) issued its Annual Intellectual Property Report to Congress this month (“Annual IP Report”). The Annual IP Report details the coordinated efforts of the White House, the Departments of Commerce, Justice, Homeland Security, State, Treasury, Health and Human Services, and Agriculture, the Office of the U.S. […]