Overlawyered » patent litigation

March 2 roundup

Walter Olson — Fri, 02 Mar 2012 14:30:02 +0000

Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood, who crusades against distracted driving, worsens the problem by honking at motorists he sees using phones [WTOP via Mike Riggs, Reason] Expensive new mandate for back-up cameras in cars may be delayed until after election [Ira Stoll and more, Ann Althouse]
With reporter Lee Stranahan, the late Andrew Breitbart shone an investigative spotlight on the USDA’s billion-dollar settlement with lawyers representing black farmers, and there was indeed much to investigate [Big Government]
Substance on floor may have been own baby oil: “Oiled Stripper Loses Slip and Fall Lawsuit” [Erik Magraken; B.C., Canada; related on-the-job pole-dance injuries here and here]
Honeywell’s new thermostat design deserves high marks, its patent litigation maybe not so much [Farhad Manjoo, Slate]
Socialism takes too many evenings: @ChadwickMatlin live-tweets Park Slope Food Co-op meeting [The Awl]
Auto bailout a success? Really? [Mickey Kaus, Todd Zywicki, Ted Frank, Prof. Bainbridge]
Way to go Maryland: proud of my state for enacting law recognizing same-sex marriage, signed by Gov. O’Malley yesterday [WaPo]

Tags: agriculture and farming, autos, Maryland, NHTSA, patent litigation, same-sex marriage, strippers and exotic dancers

March 2 roundup is a post from Overlawyered - Chronicling the high cost of our legal system

February 24 roundup

Walter Olson — Fri, 24 Feb 2012 05:07:47 +0000

Melissa Kite, columnist with Britain’s Spectator, writes about her low-speed car crash and its aftermath [first, second, third, fourth]
NYT’s Nocera lauds Keystone pipeline, gets called “global warming denier” [NYTimes] More about foundations’ campaign to throttle Alberta tar sands [Coyote] Regulations mandating insurance “disclosures” provide another way for climate change activists to stir the pot [Insurance and Technology]
“Cop spends weeks to trick an 18-year-old into possession and sale of a gram of pot” [Frauenfelder, BB]
Federal Circuit model order, pilot program could show way to rein in patent e-discovery [Inside Counsel, Corporate Counsel] December Congressional hearing on discovery costs [Lawyers for Civil Justice]
Trial lawyer group working with Senate campaigns in North Dakota, Nevada, Wisconsin, Hawaii [Rob Port via LNL] President of Houston Trial Lawyers Association makes U.S. Senate bid [Chron]
Panel selection: “Jury strikes matter” [Ron Miller, Maryland Injury]
Law-world summaries/Seventeen syllables long/@legal_haiku (& for a similar treatment of high court cases, check out @SupremeHaiku)

Tags: Canada, climate change, discovery, environment, global warming, Hawaii, humor, illegal drugs, jury selection, low-speed auto collisions, Nevada, North Dakota, oil industry, patent litigation, politics, Senate, United Kingdom, Wisconsin

February 24 roundup is a post from Overlawyered - Chronicling the high cost of our legal system

December 13 roundup

Walter Olson — Tue, 13 Dec 2011 05:43:41 +0000

“The real cost of patent trolls” [Brad Feld, PoL on BU study] Survey finds patent litigation booming [Corporate Counsel, Reynolds Holding/Reuters] Company claiming patent on wi-fi-in-stores unlikely to sue retail customers “at this stage” [Patent Examiner] Retrospective on crustless-sandwich case [Peter Smith/Good, earlier]
Louisiana federal court holds severe obesity to be disability under ADA [Sam Bagenstos, related]
Florida: many cops remain on job despite evidence linking them to crimes [Balko on Sarasota Herald-Tribune investigation]
“FDA Regulation Could Doom Cigar Shops” [Jacob Sullum]
Ted Frank vs. Brian Fitzpatrick on class action fees [PoL, David Lat on Federalist Society panel]
Orange County keeps mum about partnerships it’s entered with plaintiff’s attorneys Robinson, Calcagnie and Thomas Girardi [Kim Stone, Fox & Hounds] Maybe like “private attorney generals”? Fannie/Freddie genre of government-sponsored enterprises called “monstrous moral hybrids” [Mark Calabria, Cato]
Posner: lawyers appeared more likely to run junk-fax suit for own interests than clients’ [Beck, Trask (Creative Montessori Learning Centers v. Ashford Gear LLC)]

Tags: class actions, Florida, Los Angeles, obesity, patent litigation, patent trolls, police, public employment, tobacco

December 13 roundup is a post from Overlawyered - Chronicling the high cost of our legal system

Who’s suing whom in the mobile business

Walter Olson — Wed, 03 Aug 2011 12:05:17 +0000

A pretty graphic depicting a not-so-pretty situation [Design Language News; more, FlowingData] Related: “When Patents Attack,” NPR; Will Wilkinson, “Patents Against Prosperity”, The Economist; “Good Defensive Patents Are Bad Patents,” Julian Sanchez.

Tags: cellphones, patent litigation, patent trolls

Who’s suing whom in the mobile business is a post from Overlawyered - Chronicling the high cost of our legal system

December 4 roundup

Walter Olson — Sat, 04 Dec 2010 05:17:29 +0000

Will they get group discounts on lawyers? Groupon vs. MobGob patent brawl [TechCrunch]
Why American courts should sometimes recognize Islamic law [series of Eugene Volokh posts]
No, it’s not a “public health issue”: “The Case Against Motorcycle Helmet Laws” [Steve Chapman, syndicated/RCP]
Failed system of justice on some Indian reservations [McClelland, Mother Jones]
Ten years ago: Morgan Lewis & Bockius handed mlb.com domain over to its client Major League Baseball [Ross Davies, SSRN]
City of Boston adds insult to injury after employee runs into building [TJIC, Popehat]
Citing fans’ drug use, feds seek forfeiture of farm used for Grateful Dead tribute concerts [Greenfield]
Johann Sebastian Bach, serial copyright violator [Cavanaugh, Reason]

Tags: baseball, Boston, copyright, forfeiture, Indian tribes, international law, music and musicians, patent litigation, public health

December 4 roundup is a post from Overlawyered - Chronicling the high cost of our legal system

Software startups and patent litigation

Walter Olson — Tue, 13 Apr 2010 05:18:26 +0000

“Knowing why and how startups can be sued into oblivion will give you a new appreciation for the problems in the patent system.” [Sawyer at Feld Thoughts via Pete Warden]

Tags: patent litigation, technology

Software startups and patent litigation is a post from Overlawyered - Chronicling the high cost of our legal system

Eastern District of Texas

Walter Olson — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 17:13:09 +0000

Explaining the role of the nation’s most famous venue for patent litigation [Brad Feld, Tech Review]

Tags: Eastern District of Texas, patent litigation

Eastern District of Texas is a post from Overlawyered - Chronicling the high cost of our legal system

Apple multitouch lawsuit

Walter Olson — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 16:44:03 +0000

Farhad Manjoo at Slate thinks the tech firm’s suits against competitors illustrate why “the patent system is in desperate need of reform”. And the New York Times “Bits” ran a chart last week showing the spaghetti-like tangle lawsuits among various mobile phone makers. More: Ryan Kim, San Francisco Chronicle.

Tags: Apple, cellphones, patent litigation

Apple multitouch lawsuit is a post from Overlawyered - Chronicling the high cost of our legal system

March 4 roundup

Walter Olson — Thu, 04 Mar 2010 05:12:31 +0000

“Toyota Recall: Scandal, Media Circus, and Stupid Drivers” [Dushane, Car & Driver via Prof. Bainbridge] Some parallels with Audi sudden-acceleration panic [Michael Fumento, who also questions recent numbers] More: Mike Allen, Popular Mechanics via Instapundit (“why widespread theories about electrical throttle problems and electromagnetic interference are misguided”); and Fumento on braking capacity.
Overly hot sandwich caused $2 million worth of damages, he says, though it’s true he didn’t seek immediate medical attention [Lowering the Bar, earlier]
Rick Esenberg on judicial recusal wars in Wisconsin and nationally [Point of Law first and second posts] In Circle of Greed, lawyer/felon Lerach flings recusal issue against late father of Carly Fiorina [Gerstein, Politico; our earlier Lerach coverage]
And more: Notwithstanding earlier denials, Lerach did lobby President Clinton to veto securities litigation reform act [Gerstein, Politico]
Claim by Connecticut AG and Senate candidate Richard Blumenthal: lawsuits he files “actually create jobs” [Wood, PoL]
Setback for prolific patent litigant Bender [Zura via Joe Mullin, related]
Following complaints by traditional video store competitors, prosecutor threatens criminal charges unless DVD rental kiosks remove R- and even PG-rated films [Indianapolis Star via Indiana Law Blog]
Lawyers send clients to chiropractor, he sends clients to lawyers, circle of life continues [Louisville Courier-Journal via Legal Blog Watch]

Tags: Connecticut, food safety, judges, patent litigation, prosecution, Richard Blumenthal, securities litigation, Toyota, Wisconsin

March 4 roundup is a post from Overlawyered - Chronicling the high cost of our legal system

Dozens of companies sued over patent “false markings” in recent weeks

Walter Olson — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 20:05:48 +0000

Per Joe Mullin, many of the plaintiffs appear to be attorneys. [Justin Gray, Gray on Claims; earlier here and here] [Corrected Wed. evening: Mullin says in email he initially overestimated the number of suits filed directly on attorneys' behalf.]

Tags: patent litigation, patent marking

Dozens of companies sued over patent “false markings” in recent weeks is a post from Overlawyered - Chronicling the high cost of our legal system