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Find our latest news and analysis here. From the daily Newsstand to the Quarterly Journal, we cover the full breadth of intellectual property law.

PTAB Designates Decision as Precedential
April 15, 2020

The Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB) on April 14, 2020, designated as precedential Lectrosonics, Inc. v. Zaxcom, Inc. Case IPR2018-01129, Paper 33 (PTAB Jan. 24, 2020) (precedential).
No Trademark for Conveyor Belt Fastener Design, 7th Cir. Says
April 14, 2020

The US Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit on April 7, 2020, held that part of a conveyor belt fastener with scalloped edges wasn’t entitled to trade dress protection because it was utilitarian.
BASF Polymer Manufacturing Patent May Be Valid
April 13, 2020

The US Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit on April 8, 2020, held that a patent covering a process for preparing polymers was wrongly found invalid based on another company’s earlier use of a similar process that may have been confidential.
Alleged Trade Show Infringement Rant Didn’t Warrant Speech Bar
April 10, 2020

The Federal Circuit held on April 3, 2020, that the maker of an eye disorder treatment device was improperly barred from publicly alleging that a competitor’s product infringes its patent.
Copyright Office Expands Electronic Submission Options
April 9, 2020

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the US Copyright Office is expanding its capabilities to receive electronic submissions for Office services.
Activision Beats Humvee Trademark Claims Over ‘Call of Duty’
April 8, 2020

The US District Court for the Southern District of New York held on April 1, 2020, that Activision Blizzard cannot be sued for trademark infringement for featuring Humvees in its “Call of Duty” video games, saying the game developer was shielded by the First Amendment.
Jack Daniel’s Trademark Win Over Dog Toy Denied by Ninth Circuit
April 7, 2020

The US Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit on March 31, 2020, held that VIP Products LLC’s dog toy that parodies a Jack Daniel’s whiskey bottle may be protected from the distillery’s trademark infringement claims by the First Amendment.
Former Student Inventor Can’t Cash In on Adviser’s Sale of Business
April 6, 2020

The US Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit on March 27, 2020, held that a former grad student at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign who helped discover a patented process that made his academic adviser $5 million wasn’t entitled to proceeds from the sale.
USPTO Waives Original Handwritten Signature Requirement Due to the COVID-19 Outbreak
April 3, 2020

The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) in a March 30, 2020, Federal Register notice, announced that it is waiving its original handwritten signature requirement.
Copyright Office Announces Temporary Changes to Certain Timing Provisions
April 2, 2020

The US Copyright Office on March 31, 2020, announced that it will adjust certain deadlines relating to copyright registration and notices of termination in specific cases for persons unable to comply due to the COVID-19 national emergency.