Intellectual Property Law

Northern District of California Considering Changes to Its Local Patent Rules
At the Northern District of California's annual Patent Law Roundtable held on October 2, 2007, a panel including judges Marilyn Hall Patel, Ronald Whyte, Susan Illston, and Elizabeth Laporte discussed patent law developments...

New ND Cal Patent Rules
Dennis Crouch's Patently-O blog just featured a post by Edward Reines, chair of the ND Cal's local rules advisory committee on that district's new patent rules. The post contains a copy of the new rules and the committee report explaining...

Local Rules committee activity - request for input
The 2008 edition of the Eastern District's local rules committee met last week in Tyler to review an initial set of proposed rule changes. I have been remiss in not asking readers to forward any suggestions they have for local...

USPTO News: Patent Office Posts Comments on New Appeals Rules
By Donald Zuhn -- On June 10, 2008, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office published a notice in the Federal Register setting forth amended rules of practice before the Board of Patent Appeals and Interferences (BPAI) in ex parte appeals (see "New Appeals Rules Published")...

Speedy Patent Trials Check Out the Northern District of California
We mediators long for the day when we can no longer use the expense, delay and uncertainty of trial as a good reason to settle your patent litigation.  Why?  Because mediation, as Diane Levin recently wrote, is simply an alternative -- not necessarily the "appropriate" -- means of resolving your clients' dispute...

What's new at the USPTO: Markush rules comments, new PPH, and pre-first action interview pilot
There have been a few new things relevant to the USPTO in the past couple of weeks that we haven't had a chance to talk about.  They include more comments regarding the proposed rules regarding Markush claims, a new Patent Prosecution Highway with the European Patent Office, and a pilot program where patent applicants would be able to have an interview to discuss a proposed first office action with the examiner before the action issues...

Discouraging Union Organizers
Strict work place rules

VA Sets New Benefit Rules for Agent Orange-Related Ilnesses
Agent Orange-Related Ilnesses VA Sets New Benefit Rules

Zantac Patent
GlaxoSmithKline and Cypress Pharmaceutical settle patent infringement dispute.

Soliris Patent
Alexion Pharmaceuticals Inc. agrees to pay the Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation a $10 million patent infringement settlement.

DRAM Patent
ProMOS Technologies and Mosel Vitelic pay MOSAID Technologies an undisclosed patent infringement settlement.

Sony
to Pay $18.5 Million For Patent Infringment

Qualcomm Settles Patent Suit for $891 Million