Stop Online Piracy Act Seeks to Block Piracy Websites By Amy Rossignol – Edited by Charlie Stiernberg H.R. 3261 – Stop Online Piracy Act Bill The proposed Stop Online Piracy Act, introduced by House Judiciary Committee Chairman Lamar Smith (R-TX), would vest in the U.S. Attorney General the power to regulate and prevent access to foreign websites infringing on U.S. Intellectual Property (“IP”) rights. The U.S. Attorney General, with court approval, would be able to issue orders to block access ... Read More...
Archive for October, 2011
By Marsha Sukach FCC and CTIA Announce Plan to Reduce “Bill Shock” The FCC, the wireless communications association CTIA, and Consumers Union have announced a plan to help customers avoid “bill shock,” or the discovery of unexpected charges that consumers must pay when they exceed their monthly voice, data, and text limits. The FCC identified bill shock as a major problem, CNET reports, with many complaints from consumers who were surprised to find additional charges on their bill. A year ... Read More...
Federal Circuit Jettisons the Presumption of Irreparable Harm in Injunctive Relief By Charlie Stiernberg – Edited by Abby Lauer Robert Bosch LLC v. Pylon Mfg. Corp., No. 2011-1096 (Fed. Cir. Oct. 13, 2011) Slip Opinion The Federal Circuit reversed the United States District Court for the District of Delaware, which had denied plaintiff Bosch’s post-trial motion for a permanent injunction, and remanded the case with instructions to enter appropriate injunctive relief. Judge O’Malley, writing for a divided panel, held that the ... Read More...
District Court Permits Facebook’s Trademark Suit to Proceed Against Teachbook.com By Albert Wang – Edited by Abby Lauer Facebook, Inc. v. Teachbook.com LLC, No. 11-cv-3052 (N.D. Ill. September 26, 2011) Slip Opinion The District Court for the Northern District of Illinois denied defendant Teachbook’s motion to dismiss a trademark infringement suit brought by social networking site Facebook. Judge Aspen, writing for the court, held that Facebook had pled sufficient facts to survive Teachbook’s Rule 12(b)(6) motion. The court declined to ... Read More...
U.S. Signs the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA) By Amara Osisioma and Matt Gelfand – Edited by Andrew Segna Text of the Agreement On October 1, the United States — as well as Australia, Canada, Japan, Morocco, New Zealand, Singapore, and South Korea — signed the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (“ACTA”). Ars Technica provides commentary. The press release by the signatories indicated that the Agreement was necessary because “the proliferation of counterfeit and pirated goods poses considerable challenges for legitimate trade and ... Read More...
