US Supreme Court could limit software patents
Is it too easy for high-tech companies to patent inventions that are not really new, but simply take an old idea and blend it with computer wizardry?
Court to jump into patent discussion
The Supreme Court decided Friday to hear an appeal of a lower court decision that a federal judge called the "death" of software patents.
Supreme Court says human genes cannot be patented
The Supreme Court ruled June 13 that companies cannot patent parts of naturally occurring human genes, a decision with the potential to profoundly affect the emerging and lucrative medical and biotechnology industries.
High court rules for Monsanto in patent case
The Supreme Court said May 13 that an Indiana farmer violated Monsanto Co.'s patents on soybean seeds that are resistant to its weed-killer by growing additional crops without buying new beans.
Attorneys – Tort/Negligence – Legal Malpractice Claim – Civil Practice – Federal Jurisdiction – Patent Law – Expert Affidavit
Weil v. Killough The plaintiff-client alleges that the defendant-attorney, who also served as the client’s attorney-in-fact, failed to inform the client when the Patent and Trademark Office sent the attorney notice that a 7.5-year maintenance fee was due on the client’s patent.
Innovate, but don’t be late
If changes are made to a longtime piece of American law, a race to the patent office could be on, and South Carolina attorneys may be swept up in the pursuit. For several years, attempts at national patent reform have failed, but this year, it appears the votes in Congress are sufficient to significantly change the way Americans secure patents. Under the current "first to invent" patent law,[...]
Federal Circuit strikes method used for determining patent-case damages
By DAVID E. FRANK, Dolan Media Newswires [email protected] A rule that lawyers and judges nationwide have been using to determine damages in patent infringement cases has been abolished by the Federal Circuit Court. In Uniloc USA, Inc. v. Microsoft Corp., the court struck down the so-called “25 percent rule of thumb,” a method commonly […]
Companies increasingly targeted in lucrative suits over expired patents
Are your numbers up to date? That's the question patent lawyers are asking corporate clients as plaintiffs nationwide continue to file dozens of lawsuits over mismarked patent numbers. The cases began piling up in 2009 after a lawsuit brought under a 1952 federal patent act tested a previously untried provision that bans companies from marking products with erroneous or expired patent numbers. The[...]
Protected pleadings: Attorneys could copyright their documents, but should they?
Of course lawyers don't need anyone's blessing to copyright their own work. The question is, when they do, are their claimed rights enforceable? The short answer is yes, maybe. Intellectual property attorney John C. Nipp of Charlotte, N.C.-based Summa, Additon & Ashe told Lawyers Weekly that the requirements for obtaining a copyright are not strict. "It has to be a literary work in a tangible [...]
Business Law
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- Contract – Government Contract – Qui Tam – False Claims Act
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- Consumer Protection – FCRA – Auto Loan – Bank Accounting Errors
- Licenses & Permits – Beer & Wine Permit – Restrictive Covenant – Suitable Location
- Licenses & Permits – Veterinarian – Vaccine Maintenance
- State regulators look at car dealer accused of lying to customers
- Textile firm, railroad settle Graniteville train wreck lawsuit
- Subprime mortgage meltdown hits securities law
Commentary
- High court justices cross the line of propriety
- High court’s term was rough on big business
- The flip side of generative AI in law and how to address it
- The fight for equal educational opportunity continues
- Letter From The Editor – Working from Home
- NLRB joins FTC in taking aim at non-competes
- Supreme Court leaves key internet protection untouched
- US Supreme Court bites back at parody’s use of the First Amendment
- My goal: Provide the information that you need now
- Case study: North Carolina courts provide guidance on scope, limitations of attorney-client privilege
- A Different Ode to Pro Bono Work
- N.C. Bar Association embraces homophobia