Court extends application of Bilski and invalidates patents By Kate Wevers – Edited by Amanda Rice H&R Block Tax Servs., Inc. v. Jackson Hewitt Tax Service, Inc., No. 6:08-cv-37 (E.D. Tex. Nov. 10, 2009) Slip Opinion (hosted by Patently O) Magistrate Judge Love, sitting in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Texas, found several of H&R Block’s financial instrument patents invalid, and recommended that Jackson Hewitt’s motion for summary judgment be granted-in-part. The court applied the ... Read More...
Ninth Circuit Remands Cybersquatting Case By Debbie Rosenbaum – Edited by Amanda Rice Lahoti v. Vericheck Inc., No. 08-35001 (9th Cir., Nov. 16, 2009) Opinion On November 16th, the Ninth Circuit held that the district court’s finding that the mark “VeriCheck” was an inherently distinctive, legally protectable mark was based in part on erroneous legal reasoning and in part on valid reasoning. Accordingly, it vacated the lower court’s award of summary judgment in favor of the defendant and remanded. However, ... Read More...
Third Circuit Upholds Online Gambling Ban By Caitlyn Ross – Edited by Amanda Rice Interactive Media Entertainment and Gaming Association Inc. v. Attorney General of the United States, No. 08-1981 (3d Cir. Sept. 1, 2009) Opinion (Hosted by wired.com) On September 1, 2009, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit affirmed the United States District Court for the District of New Jersey decision, which upheld the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act of 2006. Wired.com provides an overview of ... Read More...
Conviction in Lori Drew MySpace Case Thrown Out By Vera Ranieri – Edited by Amanda Rice United States v. Drew, No. CR 08-0582-GW (C.D. Cal. Aug. 28, 2009) Opinion On August 28, 2009, Judge Wu of the Central District of California released a written opinion outlining his reasons for granting Lori Drew’s FRCP 29(c) motion for a post-verdict acquittal, a decision he had initially announced in early July. Judge Wu’s decision overturned the jury’s conviction of Lori Drew for violating ... Read More...
Federal Circuit Holds Blackboard Patent Claims Invalid for Indefiniteness and Failure to Disclose Sufficient Structure By Dmitriy Tishyevich – Edited by Amanda Rice Blackboard, Inc. v. Desire2Learn, Inc., No. 2008-1368, -1396 (Fed. Cir. July 27, 2009) Slip Opinion On July 27, 2009, the Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit affirmed the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Texas’s partial summary judgment, holding that claims 1 through 35 of the patent were invalid for indefiniteness. However, the ... Read More...
