The ABA-sponsored Administrative Law Review housed at The American University Washington College of Law is hosting its annual symposium: Lessons from Broadcast Regulation for the Twenty-First Century on Tuesday, April 16, 2013 from 9:00 AM to 2:00 PM at WCL.
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Bowman Decision a Win for Big BusinessDo second-generation soybean seeds deserve the same patent rights as their predecessors? Or should the conditional sale doctrine be considered when investigating soybean patent rights rather than the doctrine of patent exhaustion? The Supreme Court tackled these questions while exploring the intricacies of the soybean farming industry when hearing a case between the Monsanto Company and a small farmer named Vernon Bowman. On February 19, American University’s Washington of College of Law also hosted post argument discussions with counsel and representatives from both sides.
Representing Monsanto, Paul Wolfson of Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr presented the consequences of not recognizing patent rights to self-replicating technologies such as soybean seeds. The core of Wolfson’s argument was that companies spend tremendous amounts of money on research and development for self-replicating technologies, and if the U.S. does not grant patent protection to the naturally occurring second generations, then research will decline. Wolfson stated Monsanto has no other option than to charge each use of the seeds because “there [was] no possible way to recoup investment equal to charging off the very fist bag.” Monsanto and Wolfson both recognized that research costs are astronomical, and by allowing farmers to plant second-generation seeds free of charge, Monsanto would never be able to recoup their research expenses.
Supreme, one of the most coveted skate-inspired clothing brands, is suing women’s clothing brand Married to the Mob and its founder Leah McSweeney for trademark infringement to the tune of $10 million.
Mr. Brainwash’s works recently joined the increasing number of cases on appropriation art after photographer Dennis Morris sued the street artist for use of his 1977 picture of Sid Vicious.
This is the story of a Vermont-based artist’s attempt to register “Eat more kale” as a trademark. His efforts have been thwarted by Chick-Fil-A Inc. fast-food chain. Robert Muller-More was informed by US Patent and Trademark Office that his mark was likely to be confused with the chain’s “eat mor chikin” mark.
The Food and Drug Administration’s recent decision, which reasoned that the drug posed public health and safety concerns, creates serious patent implications with regard to generic drugs.
On April 3rd, 2013 the USPTO withdrew its initial rejection of Apple, Inc.’s application for federal trademark protection of the term IPAD MINI for being “merely descriptive.”
The Supreme Court will decide in June just how much human manipulation is involved in “isolated” gene sequences.
Vringo Inc. is appealing a federal court decision awarding it damages and future royalties from its suit against Google, AOL, and other companies for patent infringement, seeking an increase on the dollar amount awarded and an increase in the running royalty rate.
Facebook is being sued over its use of the phrase “Timeline,” and this case is going to court.
Some companies see patent trolls as the bane of their existence, while others see them as a weapon to be used against competitors.
Shanghai Internet technology company Zhizhen brought suit against Apple, Inc., claiming that Apple’s Siri infringed on its patent for “Xiaoi,” a chat robot system. Specifically, Zhizhen contends that Siri’s core technology—man-machine interaction—is based on the word chat robot system which Xiaoi patented.
Copyright »
Appropriating Sid Vicious
Mr. Brainwash’s works recently joined the increasing number of cases on appropriation art after photographer Dennis Morris sued the street artist for use of his 1977 picture of Sid Vicious.
Patents »
Bowman Decision a Win for Big Business
Shortly after the oral arguments between Monsanto and Bowman, WCL hosted both parties for a post argument discussion. Recently the Supreme Court ruled on the case, requiring annual purchases of Monsanto’s soybeans.
Trademark »
Supreme Sues Married to the Mob for $10 Million
Supreme, one of the most coveted skate-inspired clothing brands, is suing women’s clothing brand Married to the Mob and its founder Leah McSweeney for trademark infringement to the tune of $10 million.
