Correspondent
White House correspondent, covers patent, trade and regulatory news
The United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit affirmed the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board's decision in a trademark dispute between Titanium, LLC and ZSpec Design LLC. The court issued a nonprecedential per curiam order under Federal Circuit Rule 36, providing no substantive reasoning for its ruling.
The Federal Circuit reversed a district court's finding of civil contempt against Gen Digital's counsel for refusing to disclose privileged communications. The court held that an alleged conflict of interest does not automatically terminate the attorney-client privilege, rendering the underlying disclosure order invalid.
The United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit affirmed the Patent Trial and Appeal Board's decision in an inter partes review proceeding challenging patent validity. The court issued a per curiam order finding no error in the Board's prior ruling.
The United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit dismissed an appeal between Immervision, Inc. and Apple Inc. based on a mutual agreement between the parties. The court ordered that each side bear its own costs in the proceedings.
The United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit dismissed a petition for review of the Merit Systems Protection Board because the petitioner failed to pay the required docketing fee. The court characterized this failure as a failure to prosecute in accordance with the rules.
The Sixth Circuit affirmed the dismissal of a legal malpractice suit against a law firm, ruling that the claims were barred by Kentucky's one-year statute of limitations. The court held that the plaintiff had constructive notice of her injury in 2020 when she filed a related lawsuit, regardless of whether she had identified the specific wrongdoer at that time.
The Eleventh Circuit denied a pro se petition for permission to appeal bankruptcy court orders because the mandatory statutory certification required for direct review was never obtained. Without this certification from the bankruptcy court, district court, or a bankruptcy appellate panel, the appellate court lacked jurisdiction to hear the case.
The Third Circuit affirmed the District Court's dismissal of Urve Maggitti's pro se civil rights complaint, ruling that she forfeited her challenge by failing to develop arguments in her brief. The court further held that the District Court acted within its discretion to consolidate related cases and deny recusal motions based on the plaintiff's disagreement with prior rulings.
The Eleventh Circuit affirmed the district court's award of attorneys' fees to a relator under the False Claims Act, rejecting a defense based on the relator's unrelated prior misconduct. The court held that the unclean hands doctrine does not apply when the relator's past crimes have no immediate relation to the specific qui tam suit at issue.
The Eleventh Circuit affirmed the district court's refusal to compel arbitration, holding that VyStar Credit Union failed to prove the formation of a valid arbitration agreement under Florida state law. The court ruled that unilateral amendments to membership agreements via notice attached to account statements were insufficient to establish mutual assent to the new arbitration provision.
