The Bottom Line The Northern District of Illinois' practical approach to analyzing whether lack of consent gives rise to actionable harm under the TCPA, and whether this issue can truly be determined on a class-wide basis, may represent a significant victory for businesses that rely heavily on Continue Reading
Employee Relations Law Journal | Supreme Court Decision Upholds ERISA ‘Church Plan’ Exemption for Church-Affiliated Organizations
Westlaw | State Interpretations of Copyright’s ‘Bundle of (Drum) Sticks’: The Dilemma of Pre-1972 Sound Recordings
Intellectual Property Magazine | Trouble in Patent Troll Paradise?
Possibility Defeats Practicality: Federal Court of Appeals Limits Class Action Defense Regarding Infeasibility of Ascertaining Class Members
The Bottom Line Given the split among several courts of appeal, Petrobras will not be the last word on ascertainability in class action suits. Indeed, this fall, the U.S. Supreme Court will consider a petition for certiorari regarding the certification of a plaintiff class allegedly lacking Continue Reading
The Days of Patent Plaintiff Forum Shopping May be Over
The Bottom Line The Supreme Court’s decision in TC Heartland establishes that just having sold goods in the judicial district is now insufficient on its own to establish jurisdiction. Patent holders bringing suit must do so in either the judicial district where the defendant resides, or Continue Reading
“Nominative Fair Use” Defense May Enable Use of Another’s Trademark
4th Edition: Trends in Marketing Communications Law Certain third-party trademark uses can be deemed a "nominative fair use" that does not infringe another's trademark rights even in the absence of permission to use the other's mark. For example, "Our show will feature the GRAMMY AWARD® winning Continue Reading
Patent Troll Cases Unlikely To Drop Significantly
4th Edition: Trends in Marketing Communications Law The statistics are striking. "Patent trolls" (companies that do not create products or services based on their patents, but instead use patents to extort license fees) are continuing to file large numbers of patent infringement lawsuits, now Continue Reading
Courts, Not Congress, Are Resolving Copyright Issues
4th Edition: Trends in Marketing Communications Law The most significant developments in U.S. copyright law will be coming from the courts and not elected officials this year, continuing a trend from 2016. Congress is not expected to expand copyright protection for clothing, combat offshore Continue Reading