Intellectual Property, Litigators, Patents
3 Questions For A Patent Case Winner
IP columnist Gaston Kroub interviews a prevailing party in a patent dispute.
* Talk about an alleged fashion faux pas! LuLaRoe, the maker of the “buttery-soft” leggings that have taken the internet by storm, is facing a class-action lawsuit over the quality of the company’s leggings. Plaintiffs claim that the leggings as “tear[] as easily as wet toilet paper.” LuLaRoe, of course, has stated that the allegations are “completely without merit.” [BuzzFeed]
* “There’s a reason they call it the nuclear option, and that is because there’s fallout. And this fallout will be dangerously and perhaps disastrously radioactive for the Senate for years to come.” Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has set a vote to change Senate rules in order to confirm Supreme Court nominee Judge Neil Gorsuch. [Reuters]
* In a landmark en banc decision, the Seventh Circuit reversed itself and ruled that the Civil Rights Act of 1964 protects LGBT employees from workplace discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation. This is not only the first time in history that a federal appellate court has come to this conclusion, but it also creates a split from a recent Eleventh Circuit opinion. This will likely be heard by the Supreme Court. [TIME]
* Squire Patton Boggs has formed an alliance with Donald Trump’s longtime personal attorney, Michael Cohen, who credits himself as the one who convinced the president to run for office. At this time, it’s unclear what exactly Cohen will be doing for the firm, but he’ll be working from the firm’s offices in New York, London, and D.C. [WSJ Law Blog]
* Dislike: Facebook must turn over digital information from almost 400 user accounts following its failed bid at the New York Court of Appeals to appeal a bulk warrant on privacy grounds. A lone judge dissented, bemoaning the fact that the high court punted on a case that could have disastrous effects on civil liberties. [New York Daily News]
* Justice Ginsburg says she’s feeling “very well.” Has anyone else noticed that we’ve resorted to monitoring the Supreme Court like the 1970s Kremlin? [Law.com]
* Jewish centers across the country are receiving bomb threats. But dealing with anti-Semitism is hard, so let’s definitely deport more people to Mexico. [Huffington Post]
* The most important thing to remember about the Constitution is that no one has standing to challenge the most egregious breaches of its terms. [National Law Journal]
* Salvation Army wins trademark battle with itself. That sounds ridiculous, but this is an organization that’s had it’s bell rung a few times. [Corporate Counsel]
* The ACLU is finding uses to all the money getting dropped on them. [Litigation Daily]
* Orrick nabs tech partner from Squire Patton Boggs [The Recorder]
* Thanks for ruining the holidays for millions of hard-working Americans, Your Honor: Judge Amos Mazzant of the Eastern District of Texas has granted a nationwide injunction to block a rule proposed by the Obama administration that would have extended mandatory overtime pay to 4.2 million people who make $47,500 per year or less. The rule was to take effect as of December 1. [Reuters]
* Desperate times apparently call for desperate measures? The European and Middle Eastern arms of King & Wood Mallesons may seek to merge with another firm after their partners failed to raise enough capital, a move that would sever those branches from the rest of the firm as a whole. Consultants fear that “if a bunch of people desert the sinking ship, all bets are off and the run on the bank will be coming.” [Big Law Business]
* Sure, President-elect Donald Trump says that his Supreme Court nominees will overturn the landmark case of Roe v. Wade, but it may be a feat that’s easier said than done. While some of the jurists on Trump’s Supreme Court shortlist have come out on the record as being firmly against abortion, others don’t have public records of any kind showing how they feel about abortion rights. Will this go his way? [Bloomberg]
* Last week, during a citizenship ceremony over which he was presiding, Judge John Primomo of the Western District of Texas informed newly sworn-in Americans that if they didn’t like President-elect Donald Trump, they should find a new country to live in. Judge Primomo has since been sanctioned by Chief Judge Orlando L. Garcia, and as a “permanent resolution,” can no longer oversee citizenship ceremonies. [WSJ Law Blog]
* “This is his first return to the silver tube. Going on the Netflix platform is a win-win for both Netflix and for Dave.” Fresh off of an awesome performance on Saturday Night Live, and thanks to Frederick Nance, the incoming U.S. managing partner of Squire Patton Boggs, the world will be be able to see three Dave Chappelle standup specials on Netflix. The deal has been valued at about $60 million. Congrats! [Am Law Daily]
* Some Biglaw firms, like Orrick, are now going to help young associates by making monthly contributions to their student loan payments. At $100 a month for 18 months, it’s not a very large contribution, but it’s something. We’ll have more on this debt repayment plan later. [DealBook / New York Times]
* Uh-oh… If you thought law firms were going to be alright in Brexit’s wake, you may want to think again. Berwin Leighton Palmer — a firm that almost merged with Greenberg Traurig — has frozen raises and bonuses until November, citing “political and financial uncertainty in the UK.” [Reuters]
* As part of Thomas Jefferson School of Law’s study-abroad program, Justice Clarence Thomas (who was filling in for the late Justice Antonin Scalia) was in Nice, France, last week teaching students about constitutional law. He left the city before the deadly terror attack during the Bastille Day parade. No law students were hurt. [WSJ Law Blog]
* Prior to accepting his position as Donald Trump’s running mate on the Republican ticket, and even prior to becoming the governor of Indiana, Mike Pence had a very short-lived career as a lawyer at a small firm. He worked there for only two years before deciding to pursue a career in politics and radio programming. [Big Law Business]
* “Our clients have been under siege the last eight years by the federal government in terms of policies toward corporate America.” Cleveland firms like Jones Day and Squire Patton are pulling out all the stops to host ritzy, invitation-only, business-oriented panel discussions during the Republican National Convention. [Crain’s Cleveland Business]
Michele L. Connell, Global Managing Partner, US
Case Western Reserve School of Law, JD
