Given the recent unanimous decision by a UK appellate court that Ericsson’s injunction efforts based on standard-essential patents (“SEPs”) were, essentially by their very nature, “hold-up” and “coercion” that violated...more
Recent case law confirms that trade secret owners should proactively investigate any suspicions of theft, and if they do not, they may be at greater risk of being barred under the statute of limitations than they may expect....more
For decades, the ITC’s jurisdictional requirement – known as the domestic industry requirement – effectively shut out innovators from availing themselves of the powerful remedies of the forum, in the form of an exclusion...more
3/7/2025
/ Administrative Law Judge (ALJ) ,
Appeals ,
Appellate Courts ,
Design Patent ,
En Banc Review ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Intellectual Property Litigation ,
International Trade Commission (ITC) ,
Patent Litigation ,
Patents ,
Section 337
The United States Copyright Office issued the second part of its Report on Copyright and Artificial Intelligence (Report), which focuses on the question of how AI affects copyrightability.
This segment of the Report...more
In our blog, Another Implementer Hold Out Door Closes: The Death of the Anti-Suit Injunction? earlier this year, we suggested that a popular implementer patent hold out tactic may be off the table based on an order issued by...more
In the wake of the Supreme Court’s elimination of “Chevron deference” in the Loper decision, many commentators have suggested that the ITC’s authority over unfair imports under Section 337 might be curtailed. See Loper Bright...more
It is no secret that the misappropriation of trade secrets frequently occurs outside the United States. In a global economy, where companies have locations and markets all around the world, it is not uncommon for trade...more
Late last month, the Supreme Court issued two opinions which seemingly shook up the field of administrative law. As explained in this article, however, while both decisions bear significantly on certain administrative...more
7/18/2024
/ Appeals ,
Cease and Desist Orders ,
Chevron Deference ,
En Banc Review ,
International Trade Commission (ITC) ,
Investment Advisers Act of 1940 ,
Jury Trial ,
Loper Bright Enterprises v Raimondo ,
SCOTUS ,
SEC v Jarkesy ,
Securities Act of 1933 ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Securities Exchange Act of 1934
Last week, Sun Patent Trust sued Xiaomi in France for infringement of patents claimed to be essential to the LTE-Advanced standard. In its suit, Sun Patent Trust asked French courts to set a global FRAND rate—something that...more
To date, the Unified Patent Court (UPC) has not held a trial involving standard-essential patents (SEPs). However, the new forum’s Mannheim Local Division has now authored its first SEP-specific order in a case between...more
On April 17, 2024, a second Texas jury assessed damages of $142 million against Samsung, more than doubling a previous jury award of $67.5 in a protracted standard essential patent (SEP) litigation brought by G+...more
Innovators have long insisted that licensing discussions over standard essential patents (SEP) are one sided: implementers often “hold out” in bad faith by delaying discussions for as long as possible. The theory driving this...more
A recent trade secret matter pending in federal court in California shows the pitfalls of a company’s failing to do trade secret asset management before filing a trade secret lawsuit, and also highlights some important...more
The UK has again demonstrated the ongoing trend against hold-out, approving an order forcing Apple to commit to take a license on FRAND terms, to be determined by the court, or face an injunction. This ruling is the latest in...more
While litigants may oft use Rule 11 prematurely or inappropriately, it does have its proper time and place when deployed as intended. In the patent context, examples include when claim elements are clearly missing in an...more
Avanci’s pool retains its 5th Circuit win, in a slightly different way, after an unusual turn of events where the panel rescinded its prior opinion and issued a new one. The new opinion affirms the district court’s ruling...more
On June 8, 2022, the DOJ, USPTO, and the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) (collectively, the Agencies) issued a new statement on FRAND licensing (2022 Statement) providing no set policy regarding...more
Successful ITC trade secret complainants follow these rules before filing the complaint in Section 337 investigations:
Identify and prepare “packages” for each of the trade secrets you plan to assert before you file the...more
To be a successful trade secret litigant at the ITC, it is critical to be mindful of unique substantive and procedural aspects of Section 337 litigation. These differences offer both promise and peril for complainants. ...more
Opponents of the use of Section 337 by Standard Essential Patent (SEP) holders claim that the threat of ITC exclusion orders lends itself to patent hold-up. These opponents, however, can point to no instance in which an ITC...more
The key to success as a Complainant in the ITC is careful preparation, long before the complaint is filed. Nowhere is this more important than in preparing and planning a Complainant’s domestic industry case. The so-called...more
The Fifth Circuit recently ratified the right of holders of standard essential patents (“SEP”) to choose where in the supply chain to license SEPs and dealt a blow to the “hold up” narrative advanced by some implementers. In...more
The U.S. International Trade Commission (the “ITC”), in an important new opinion, recently extended a series of final determinations that complainants had satisfied the “economic prong” of Section 337’s domestic injury...more
As a Patent Owner in an instituted Inter Partes Review (IPR), there are dozens of considerations to bear in mind – from strategically approaching depositions and maximizing expert testimony, to drafting the final say in your...more
The DOJ is requesting public comment on a new draft policy concerning licensing negotiations and remedies for standards-essential patents (SEPs) subject to voluntary F/RAND commitments recently jointly issued by the U.S....more