District Court Litigation

CAFC Sanctions Patent Atty For Frivolous Appeal; Is USPTO Discipline Next?

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The Federal Circuit on Friday affirmed a district court’s order imposing sanctions against a Colorado patent attorney and his patentee client for vexatious litigation.  Doubling down, the Federal Circuit imposed its own sanctions for what it says was a frivolous appeal.  See Walker v. Health International Corp., No. 15-1676 (Fed. Cir. Jan. 6, 2017).  The CAFC’s ruling opens the […]

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Day of Reckoning Arrives For Thieving IP Attorney

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A former senior in-house intellectual property counsel for Hunter Douglas was sentenced Wednesday to nearly six years in federal prison for his role in a fraudulent billing scheme involving fake patent searches. The former patent attorney pleaded guilty in April to federal felony charges of tax evasion and mail fraud arising from his theft of

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IP Conflicts of Interest, Hot Potatoes, and “The Game of [Litigation] Life”

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“You will learn about life when you play The Game of Life” – original TV jingle for “The Game of Life” Plaintiffs, alleged owners of the IP rights to the “The Game of Life”, want to end up on Millionaire Estates.  Defendants, including the toy company that has been making and selling “The Game” for

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Excluded Patent Attorney Appeals To Federal Circuit

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A patent attorney who was excluded from the USPTO has appealed to the Federal Circuit. By way of background, on July 15, 2015, the USPTO Director entered an order excluding Richard Polidi from practice before the Office.  The USPTO Director’s disciplinary action came after the Director of the Office of Enrollment and Discipline (OED) filed

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CAFC Muzzles Attorneys’ Appeal From Terminating Sanctions In Patent Case

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In a 2-1 decision, a panel of the Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit ruled it lacked jurisdiction to hear an appeal of an order imposing terminating sanctions in a patent case based upon trial counsels’ conduct in misleading the court about evidence of an on-sale bar.  The Federal Circuit ruled that because the parties

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District Court Tells IP Firm “Don’t Ask Alice,”Confirms $8 Million Malpractice Award For Bungling Patent Application

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A federal judge in New York rejected an intellectual property firm’s attempt to rely on the Supreme Court’s 2014 Alice decision as grounds to set aside a jury’s multi-million dollar verdict for mishandling a client’s patent application.  In denying post-trial motions, U.S. District Judge Pamela Chen ruled that Virginia law firm Antonelli Terry Sout & Kraus LLP forfeited

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Delaware Court Disqualifies Patent Lit. Counsel For Conflict Of Interest

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On May 15, 2015, the U.S. District Court for the District of Delaware granted a defense motion disqualifying plaintiff’s counsel in a patent infringement action due to a former client conflict of interest. Innovative Memory Solutions, Inc. v. Micron Tech., Inc., No. 14-1480-RGA (D. Del. May 15, 2015) (order here). Innovative Memory Solutions, Inc. (“IMS”)

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Sony Alleges Conflict Of Interest, Wants Acacia In-House And Outside Patent Litigation Counsel DQ’d

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Motions to disqualify opposing counsel are not uncommon, especially in patent litigation. In many cases, disqualification is sought based on an alleged former client conflict of interest. Former client disqualification motions normally allege that an attorney working in the law firm representing one of the parties to a litigation previously represented the opposing party in

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