Maria Santos

Correspondent

Maria Santos

White House correspondent, covers patent, trade and regulatory news

Business & Regulatory patent

Decisions covered by Maria Santos

1,038 decisions
Apr 29 2026
9th Cir. 3:24-cv-01555-JSC Unpublished

GELASIO V. ZAFAR, ET AL.

The Ninth Circuit reversed a dismissal for lack of personal jurisdiction, holding that non-resident defendants who sold NFTs and recorded a California resident's call purposefully directed their activities at the state. The court found the defendants' intentional acts expressly aimed at California caused foreseeable harm, satisfying the jurisdictional requirements without shifting the burden of unreasonableness.

Civil Contract
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Apr 29 2026
9th Cir. 4:21-cv-02841-YGR Unpublished

FAREPORTAL, INC. V. KUMAR, ET AL.

The Ninth Circuit affirmed judgment on the pleadings for five of six claims, ruling that Fareportal's RICO, DTSA, and trade secret actions were time-barred because the company knew of the injury in 2016. The court reversed regarding the civil conspiracy and Unfair Competition Law claims, finding them timely and remanding for further proceedings on those specific causes of action.

Civil Contract Statute of Limitations
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Apr 29 2026
Fed. Cir. 25-1854 Panel Decision

VB Assets, LLC v. Amazon.com Services LLC

The United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit dismissed an appeal in a contract dispute between VB Assets, LLC and Amazon.com Services LLC. The dismissal was granted by order because the parties agreed to the resolution.

Civil Contract
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Apr 29 2026
8th Cir. 25-6017 Panel Decision

In re: Robert Duane Wagner

The Bankruptcy Appellate Panel for the Eighth Circuit dismissed an appeal because the debtor-appellant died and no personal representative was substituted within a reasonable time. The court held that without a party to prosecute the case, continuing the proceedings is improper under Federal Rule of Bankruptcy Procedure 8023.1.

Bankruptcy Civil
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Apr 29 2026
11th Cir. 1:24-cv-04372-JPB Panel Decision

VICKY PATTERSON as surviving daughter and as anticipated administrator of the Estate of Patricia Daniel deceased v. LAKE CITY NURSING AND REHABILITATION LLC JOHN DOE 1, et al

The Eleventh Circuit granted leave to amend the notice of removal but remanded the case to the district court to resolve a jurisdictional defect regarding Vitas Healthcare's citizenship. The court held that unsworn corporate disclosures were insufficient to establish diversity jurisdiction for all necessary parties.

Administrative / Agency Review Civil
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Apr 29 2026
6th Cir. 25-5874 Published

In re VAN R. IRION

The Sixth Circuit affirmed a five-year suspension of attorney Van Irion for misrepresenting a client's trust status and secretly ghostwriting filings after withdrawal. The court held that the district court acted within its inherent authority to discipline attorneys and found no abuse of discretion in the sanctions imposed.

Administrative / Agency Review Civil
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Apr 29 2026
Fed. Cir. 24-2097 Panel Decision

CENTRIPETAL NETWORKS, LLC v. CISCO SYSTEMS, INC

The Federal Circuit affirmed the district court's judgment of noninfringement for three network security patents, rejecting Centripetal's arguments on claim construction and factual findings. The court held that Cisco's packet-filtering products failed to meet specific statutory limitations regarding two-stage filtering, but-for causation, and automated rule generation.

Civil Intellectual Property
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Apr 29 2026
Fed. Cir. 24-1258 Panel Decision

Linyi Chengen Import and Export Co., Ltd. v. United States

The Federal Circuit reversed the Court of International Trade, holding that the Department of Commerce properly rejected untimely documents and applied an intermediate input methodology to calculate dumping margins. The court affirmed that Commerce acted within its discretion to prioritize finality over accuracy when respondents failed to disclose key production records during the initial questionnaire phase.

Administrative / Agency Review Civil
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Apr 29 2026
Fed. Cir. 25-1044 Panel Decision

RFC LENDERS OF TEXAS, LLC v. SMART CHEMICAL SOLUTIONS, LLC

The Federal Circuit affirmed the dismissal of a patent infringement suit, holding that claims monitoring vehicle unauthorized usage are ineligible subject matter under 35 U.S.C. § 101. The court found the claims merely recite abstract ideas of detecting movement and identifying operators using conventional technology without adding an inventive concept.

Civil Intellectual Property
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Apr 29 2026
Fed. Cir. 24-1235 Panel Decision

FEDERAL EXPRESS CORPORATION v. QUALCOMM INCORPORATED

The Federal Circuit reversed the Patent Trial and Appeal Board's determination that a patent claim was obvious, holding that the Board impermissibly imported limitations from the specification into the claim construction. The court clarified that a 'programming change' requires an alteration in the function of a device, not merely a change in stored data.

Civil Intellectual Property
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