Sixth Circuit Requires District Court to Estimate Loss in Trade Secrets Disputes

United States v. Howley
By Ron Gonski – Edited by Daniella Adler

The Sixth Circuit unanimously affirmed in part and vacated and remanded in part a ruling by the Eastern District of Tennessee, which found that defendants Howley and Roberts stole trade secrets and committed wire fraud in connection with Goodyear’s tire-manufacturing technology.

Read More...

Fifth Circuit Says First Amendment May Protect Domain Names

Gibson v. Texas Dep’t of Ins. – Div. of Workers’ Comp.
By Michael Hoven – Edited by Daniella Adler

The United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit affirmed in part and reversed in part the Northern District of Texas, which had dismissed John Gibson’s claim that a Texas law barring him from using the words “Texas” and “workers’ compensation” or “workers’ comp.” in his domain name violated the First, Fifth, and Fourteenth Amendments.

Read More...

DC Comics v. Pacific Pictures Corp. By Dorothy Du – Edited by Daniella Adler DC Comics v. Pacific Pictures Corp., No. CV 10-3633 ODW (RZx), (C.D. Cal. Oct. 17, 2012) Slip opinion The District Court for the Central District of California ruled that the heirs of Joseph Shuster, the first illustrator of Superman, signed away their right to reclaim Superman copyrights in an agreement with DC Comics (“DC”). The court granted plaintiff DC’s motion for partial summary judgment. The court ... Read More...

Megaupload.com indicted by Department of Justice By Daniella Adler – Edited by Abby Lauer U.S. v. Kim Dotcom et al., 1:12-cr-3 (E.D. Va.) Indictment The Department of Justice recently brought a criminal indictment against Megaupload.com and related websites in the Eastern District of Virginia on three different counts of copyright infringement as well as money laundering and racketeering. The indictment calls the operators of Megaupload.com and its environs the “Mega-Conspiracy” and describes it as a “worldwide criminal organization.” The government ... Read More...