For our weekly SoCal IP Institute meeting on Monday, November 6, 2017, we will discuss the following cases: Savannah College of Art and Design, Inc. v. Sportswear, Inc. , (S.D. Ohio October 3, 2017) (available here). Defendant owned a website where it sold sports apparel affixed with the plaintiff’s trademark for “SCAD” and “SAVANNAH COLLEGE [...]
For our weekly SoCal IP Institute meeting on Monday, October 16, 2017, we will discuss the following cases: Aqua Products, Inc. v. Matal, (CAFC October 4, 2017) (available here). In a very fractured decision, the CAFC found 35 U.S.C § 316(e) requires the petitioner to prove all propositions of unpatentability, (including amended claims). Aqua sued [...]
For our weekly SoCal IP Institute meeting on Monday, September 11, 2017, we will discuss the following cases: Disney Enterprises, Inc. v. Vidangel, Inc., (9th Circuit, August 24, 2017) (available here). VidAngel ran a service that would stream television and movies but removed objectionable content first. To operate their service, VidAngel purchased physical disks of the content they [...]
For our weekly SoCal IP Institute meeting on Monday, August 21, 2017, we will discuss the following cases: Tiffany & Co. v. Costco Wholesale Corp., (Federal Circuit August 14, 2017) (available here). Costco sold non Tiffany rings next to signs that said “Tiffany.” Tiffany sued under the Lanham act for Costco’s profits as well as punitive damages. The [...]
For our weekly SoCal IP Institute meeting on Monday, July 31, 2017, we will discuss the following cases: In re Critelli, (TTAB. July 24, 2017) (available here). The USPTO refused to register the mark LAVA for outdoor survival clothing. LAVA ACCESSORIES had already been registered for "scarfs; travel clothing contained in a package comprising reversible jackets, pants, skirts, [...]
For our weekly SoCal IP Institute meeting on Monday, July 24, 2017, we will discuss the following cases: Merchant & Gould P.C. v. MG-IP Law, P.C. (TTAB decision April 19, 2017) (available here). An IP law firm filed for a trademark to the name MG-IP. Another IP law firm, Merchant and Gould, petitioned for cancellation of [...]
For our weekly SoCal IP Institute meeting on Monday, July 17, 2017, we will discuss the following cases: The Board of Trustees of The Leland Stanford Junior University v. The Chinese University of Hong Kong. (Fed. Cir. June 27, 2017) (available here). The PTAB found Stanford’s claims regarding testing methods for fetal aneuploidies (chromosomal disease) unpatentable for lack [...]
For our weekly SoCal IP Institute meeting on Monday, June 26, 2017, we will discuss the following cases: Matal v. Tam (Supreme Court, June 19, 2017) (available here). A rock group known as “The Slants” chose their band name in order to reclaim the term from its racist origins. The Trademark Office denied the band’s registration [...]
For our weekly SoCal IP Institute meeting on Monday, June 12, 2017, we will discuss the following cases: TC Heartland LLC v. Kraft Foods Group Brands LLC (Supreme Court, March 27, 2017) (available here). Kraft Foods sued TC Heartland for patent infringement in Delaware. The district court denied TC’s motion to dismiss or transfer venue. TC [...]
For our weekly SoCal IP Institute meeting on Monday, May 8, 2017, we will discuss the following cases: Williamson v. Citrix Online, LLC (Fed. Cir., June 16, 2015) (available here). In the original panel opinion for this case, the majority held that use of the word “module” does not invoke means-plus-function language in patent claims, such that the [...]