On Wednesday, March 27, 2019 from 1:15-2:45pm CT, John Marshall’s Center for Intellectual Property, Information & Privacy Law is hosting George Mason Law Professor Adam Mossoff for a discussion of the implication of the Supreme Court’s decision holding that patents are public rights which can be taken back by the government, in this case via the Patent Trial & Appeal Board (PTAB). Professor Mossoff will consider whether the Supreme Court’s ruling will be limited to…

Clarivate’s Karl Doane wrote the below article focusing upon trade dress and industrial design searching and its increasing import. If you have an article you would like published on the Chicago IP Litigation blog, please reach out. I am glad to consider submissions. Infringement on the rise: 35% of brands suffer Industrial Design infringement By: Karl Doane, Senior Product Manager, CompuMark The ongoing globalization of markets and the ease to reach consumers online, has resulted…

The Northern District and the Chicago Chapter of the Federal Bar Association are seeking nominations – no later than March 15, 2019 – for outstanding pro bono and public interest representation in civil and criminal matters before the Court. Factors considered include: dedication to pro bono or public interest work; outstanding achievement resulting from the representation of a large group of indigents, successful representation in a difficult case, outstanding negotiation and settlement skills in achieving…

After Magistrate Judge Mason’s retirement and Magistrate Judge Rowland’s nomination to the district court, the Northern District has selected Jeffrey Cummings and Sunil Harjani to become magistrate judges. Both have strong, diverse experience and will be excellent additions to the bench. And kudos to the Northern District for moving so quickly while the Court is already overburdened. Here are some details about the background of our newest magistrates: Jeffrey Cummings, who takes the first open…

Flair Airlines, Ltd. v. Gregor LLC, No. 18 C 2023, Slip Op. (N.D. Ill. Jan. 17, 2019) (Guzman, J.). Judge Guzman denied plaintiff’s Fed. R. Civ. P. 12(b)(6) motion to dismiss certain of defendants’ counterclaims in this case involving Lanham Act trademark infringement and deceptive trade practices, copyright and related state law claims. Of particular note, the Court held as follows: Defendants’ breach of contract claim were sufficiently pled because they identified parties to the…

Life After Hate, Inc. a/k/a ExitUSA v. Free Radicals Project, Inc., No. 18 C 6967, Slip Op. (N.D. Ill. Jan. 10, 2019) (Cole, Mag. J.). Magistrate Judge Cole granted plaintiff’s motion for a protective order limiting discovery to information reasonably relevant to plaintiff’s motion for preliminary injunction in this Lanham Act counterfeiting, infringement and deceptive trade practices case. As an initial matter, the Court noted that because the parties had not conducted the required Fed.…