Indiana Intellectual Property Law News

Indianapolis, IN - Federal authorities, led by the Homeland Security Investigations division of the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), have seized counterfeit Super Bowl goods, shut down websites and made one arrest in a targeted effort to crack down on counterfeit sports goods and websites. According to a government press release, federal authorities seized fake jerseys, caps, t-shirts and other souvenirs illegally bearing NFL and other sports trademarks, trade names and copyrights. According to the press release, the operation has been ongoing since October 2011 and culminated in the raids and arrest on Thursday, February 2. The total value of the goods seized was reported to be $4.8 million.

Indianapolis Metro Police Department also participated in the operation, which focused on street vendors in and around the Indianapolis Super Bowl village as well as counterfeit sellers around the world. According to a news report, a store called Off the Wall in Fort Wayne was one of the stores raided by federal agents.

The operation, dubbed Operation Fake Sweep, also targeted websites that illegally stream sports events and sell counterfeit goods. Over 300 websites were shut down. Yonjo Quiroa of Michigan was the sole person arrested. He has been charged with criminal copyright infringement based on his alleged operation of websites that illegally streamed live sporting events. According to news report, many of the websites selling counterfeit goods were from.

Washington, DC - The U.S. Supreme Court has affirmed the constitutionality of the Uruguay Round Agreements regarding copyright protection for foreign parties. In 1994, Congress enacted Uruguay Round Agreements Act, which implemented negotiations in the World Trade Organization's Marrakech Agreement. The law in question restored foreign copyrighted works that had previously been in the public domain back to the private domain and granted U.S. copyright protection for those works. Copyright attorneys for Golan and a group of musicians who had used foreign works while the works were in the public domain had filed this lawsuit against United States Attorney General Eric Holder, arguing that the Act violated the U.S. Constitution's Copyright Clause and violated the First Amendment Rights of those who had free access to the works that were restored to private domain.

The Supreme Court rejected these challenges and affirmed the constitutionality of the Act. The Court's opinion emphasized that the Act brought the United States' law into harmony with that of other nations. The SCOTUSblog has links to all the parties' and amicus briefs as well comprehensive coverage of this case.

The Court's opinion affirmed the Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals decision and the decision of Judge Babcock of the United States District Court of Colorado.

Continue reading "U.S. Supreme Court Issues Copyright Opinion in Golan v. Holder, Protecting Foreign Copyrights in the United States" »

Indiana patent attorneys obtained issuance of the following 174 patents from the US Patent Office to persons and businesses in Indiana in January, 2012.

Continue reading "Indiana Patent Attorneys Obtain 174 Patents for Indiana Companies in January, 2012" »

The US Trademark Office issued the following 146 trademark registrations to persons and businesses in Indiana in January, 2012, based on applications filed by Indiana Trademark Attorneys:

Continue reading "Trademark Registrations Issued to 146 Indiana Companies in January, 2012" »

Chicago, IL - Copyright attorneys for Rude Music Inc. of Palatine, Illinois have filed a lawsuit in the Northern District of Illinois alleging that Republican presidential candidate Newt Gingrich and the American Conservative Union of Washington, D.C. infringed the copyrighted song "Eye of the Tiger," which has been registered with the US Copyright Office.

Rude Music is owned by Frank Sullivan, who is a co-author of "Eye of the Tiger," which was the theme song from the movie Rocky III. The complaint alleges that Newt Gingrich has been appearing at campaign and fundraising events since 2009 where the copyrighted song was played as he took the stage. Some of these events were fundraising events for the American Conservative Union while other events were part of Gingrich's presidential campaign. The complaint states that Gingrich's use of the song is unlicensed, unauthorized and willful infringement. Interestingly, the complaint alleges that Gingrich's experiences in the House of Representatives as well as being president of Gingrich Productions, a multimedia company, make him knowledgeable about copyright infringement. The complaint seeks an injunction barring Gingrich's use of the song, damages, attorney fees and costs.

Continue reading "Newt Gingrich Sued for Copyright Infringement of "Eye of the Tiger"" »

Indianapolis, IN - The Southern District of Indiana has dismissed a patent infringement lawsuit, finding that the complaint failed to give fair notice of the patent infringement claim. Patent attorneys for AirFX, LLC of Indianapolis, Indiana had filed a lawsuit against Custom Cycle Control Systems, Inc. of Las Vegas, Nevada, alleging Custom had infringed patent no. 7,559,396 Motorcycle air suspension System.

AirFX's complaint alleged that AirFX received a defective product made by Custom Cycle Control Systems from a customer, who believed he had purchased a genuine AirFX product that utilized the patented technology. AirFX claims that Custom Cycle has been manufacturing and selling products that infringe its patent and that the inferior products of Custom Cycle have damaged the reputation of AirFX. Patent attorneys filed an amended complaint in September.

In this entry by Chief Judge Richard L. Young, the court noted several "deficiencies that concern the court" in the amended complaint. The court pointed out that the Plaintiff failed to identify the means or theory of infringement and simply alleged the defendant infringed the patent. Further, the complaint included a period before the patent was assigned to AirFX. Finally, the court noted that the Plaintiff's patent attorney failed to attach a copy of the patent to complaint. The Plaintiff did attach a copy of a patent, however, it was not the patent at issue in this case. In sum, the court found the complaint failed to give the defendants sufficient notice of the claims against it. The court gave AirFX only 15 days to file a second amended complaint.

Continue reading "Southern District Dismisses AirFX's Patent Infringement Suit Against Custom Cycle Control Systems Over Motorcycle Suspension" »

Alexandria, VA - The Trademark Trial and Appeal Board of the US Trademark Office has reached a decision regarding the opposition of trademark registration filed by Rolex Watch U.S.A., Inc. of New York, New York against AFP Imaging Corporation of Elmsford, New York on trademark serial no. 77/492,131 for the mark ROLL-X registered with the US Trademark Office.

In 2008, AFP filed a trademark application with the US Trademark Office for the mark ROLL-X, with the product category of "x-ray tables for medical and dental use." Rolex Watch filed an opposition to that registration, arguing that there was a likelihood of confusion between AFP's products and the Rolex trademark that Rolex has used for many years and that the Rolex marks would likely be diluted by tarnishing or blurring of the marks. The opinion notes that Rolex's trademarks state that their products are "watches, clocks, parts of watches and clocks, and their cases." After considering all the statutory factors, the Board determined that Rolex had not demonstrated that AFP's proposed trademark registration would result in dilution of Rolex's trademarks.

Continue reading "Trademark Trial and Appeal Board Issues Opinion for Rolex in Trademark Dispute Suit Over Dilution" »

Indianapolis, IN - Copyright attorneys for Lioness Vizions, LLC, Angentia Childs of Indianapolis, Indiana and Delina Hill-Brooker of Powder Springs, Georgia filed a copyright infringement suit in the Southern District of Indiana alleging that Rhasha and Mikel Hoosier of Gahanna, Ohio, Reign Media Group and Romantic Media Group of the State of Ohio infringed the copyrighted work Revealing & Healing: 3 Women's Stories of Survival. The plaintiffs also allege other claims based on the operation of a limited liability company that marketed and sold the book.

The complaint describes how Ms. Childs, Ms. Hill-Brooker and Ms. Hoosier wrote a book together, which is the allegedly copyrighted work. Because they could not find a publisher, the three women formed a limited liability company, Lioness Vizions LLC, to publish, market and sell their book. The complaint states that the three women assigned their copyright to the company. The complaint states that in August 2010, Ms. Hoosier resigned from company and then dissolved the company without the authorization of the two other women. The complaint alleges that Ms. Hoosier, however, went on to market and sell the book on her own and formed another company to sell the book. The complaint states that Ms. Hoosier has appeared on radio shows and done other promotional activities to sell the book and has not shared the profits with the other co-authors. The complaint makes claims of wrongful dissolution for Lioness Vizions LLC, copyright infringement, right of publicity infringement, breach of operating agreement, breach of fiduciary duty, civil theft, tortuous interference with existing or potential business relationships, and unfair competition. Copyright attorneys are seeking an injunction, damages, return of all copies of the book, an order reinstating Lioness Vizions LLC, disgorgement of profits,

Continue reading "Lioness Vizions, LLC Sues Rhasha and Mikel Hoosier for Copyright Infringement in Dispute Between Co-authors of Book" »

Indianapolis, IN - Patent attorneys for Eli Lilly and Company of Indianapolis, Indiana filed a patent infringement suit in the Southern District of Indiana alleging that Accord Healthcare, Inc., USA of Durham, North Carolina infringed patent no. 7,772,209, Antifolate combination therapies, which has been issued by the US Patent Office.

The complaint states that in December Accord sent a letter notifying Lilly that Accord had submitted an Abbreviated New Drug Application (ADNA) to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for its generic version of Alimta. Lilly alleges that Accord's proposed product and labeling will infringe its patents. Lilly seeks an injunction to prevent Accord from developing, manufacturing and selling the allegedly infringing product.

Continue reading "Eli Lilly and Company Sues Accord Healthcare for Patent Infringement of Lung Cancer Drug ALIMTA" »

Indianapolis, IN - A bill pending in the Indiana General Assembly would make changes to Indiana's Right of Publicity Law, I.C. 32-36-1-8. The bill would clarify that a person who died before 1994 does have the publicity rights provided by the law.

This bill is co-authored by Representatives Sean Eberhart of Shelbyville and Ralph Foley of Martinsville. It has been referred to the House Judiciary Committee. The Indianapolis Star quoted Representative Foley as explaining the need for the law as confusion in federal courts regarding whether the publicity rights attach to persons who died before 1994.

As we have previously blogged about, Indiana's Right to Publicity law is considered one of the strongest in the world. This bill, if passed, appears to strengthen that law even further. The Indiana Law Blog has compiled some recent blogs regarding the Right to Publicity law.

Continue reading "Indiana House Bill Looks Right of Publicity" »

Indianapolis, IN - A trade secret and breach of contract lawsuit filed in Marion County Superior Court has been removed to the Southern District of Indiana. In December, intellectual property attorneys for Angie's List of Indianapolis, Indiana filed a suit in Marion County Superior Court alleging Click and Improve, Inc. d/b/a, ClickAndImprove.com, Avi Zikry and Jesse Friedman of New York State breached a membership agreement by misappropriating trade secrets and committing computer fraud and abuse.

Angie's List provides consumer reviews of different service providers. Click and Improve is a competitor website started in 2011. Zikry and Friedman are Click and Improve's principles. The complaint alleges Zikry and Friedman became a member of Angie's List in 2011 and signed a membership agreement that limited the ways that members could use the information on Angie's List. The complaint alleges Zikry and Friedman essentially stole reviews and other information on Angie's List and published the information on their competing website. The complaint states over 24,000 proprietary files were stolen. The complaint makes claims of breach of contract, tortuous interference with contract, misappropriation of trade secrets, computer fraud and abuse, computer trespass, conversion, fraud and theft. Angie's List seeks an injunction, damages, treble damages, costs and attorney fees.

Continue reading "Angie's List Sues Click and Improve over Theft of Computer Files, Breach of Contract: Case Removed to Federal Court" »

Washington, D.C. - The Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit has affirmed the dismissal of a patent infringement case. Patent attorneys for Abbott Point of Care of Princeton, New Jersey had filed a patent infringement lawsuit in the Northern District of Alabama alleging that Abbott should have legal title to patent no. 6,845,327, Point-of-care in-vitro blood analysis system, and 6,896,778, Electrode module which has been issued by the US Patent Office. The patents are owned by Epocal, Inc. of Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, who was named as defendant in this suit. The Northern District of Alabama had granted Epocal's motion to dismiss and dismissed Abbott's complaint. Abbott appealed, and the Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit affirmed.

According to the opinion, Dr. Imants Lauks was once an employee of Abbott's predessor company, but went on to start Epocal after he left that employment. Dr. Lauks has assigned all his patent rights to Epocal. Pursuant a series of employment and consulting contracts with Abbott, Dr. Lauks agreed to assign to Abbott all patent rights to any inventions he conceived while employed with Abbott. Abbott claims that the patents in questions cover inventions that were conceived while Dr. Lauks was employed with Abbott and therefore Abbott should have the patent rights. Epocal filed a motion to dismiss for lack of subject matter jurisdiction and failure to state a claim. Epocal claimed the patents in question were conceived after Dr. Lauks's employment terminated, therefore Abbott has no ownership.

Chief Judge Rader, writing the opinion of the court, agreed with the district court that Abbott did not have any rights to the patents and therefore, lacked standing to bring a patent infringement lawsuit. The opinion noted that the district court had concluded the terms of the most recent agreement did not cover the invention in question. Justice Bryson wrote a dissenting opinion, noting he found that contracts to be ambiguous and would have remanded for further discovery of extrinsic evidence of the intention of the parties in entering the employment contract.

Continue reading "Appeal Court Grants Decision for Epocal, Inc. in Patent Infringement Suit Over Point of Care Blood Testing." »

Indianapolis, IN - Patent attorneys for Syndicate Sales, Inc. of Kokomo, Indiana filed a patent infringement suit in the Southern District of Indiana alleging Hill's Import, Inc. of Quakertown, Pennsylvania infringed design patent no. D652,342, Plateau vase with constant size neck, known as the "Harshman patent, "which has been issued by the US Patent Office.

The complaint states that the patented vase design was created by artist Trent Harshman, who has assigned all his rights to Syndicate. Syndicate's complaint states that Hill's has never been granted any rights to sell or import the patented vase design. The complaint alleges that Hill's infringed the patent by importing and selling vases that utilized the patented design. Syndicate's patent attorneys have alleged that the vases in question were manufactured in by Shangdong Yiyaun Oking Glassware Company in China. Syndicate is seeking a declaration of infringement, an injunction, damages, attorney fees and costs.

Continue reading "Syndicate Sales, Inc. Sues Hill's Import, Inc. for Patent Infringement of Flower Vase" »

Indianapolis, IN -- Indiana Intellectual Property Law and News has followed up on patent infringement cases filed in the Northern District of Indiana and the Southern District of Indiana by patent attorneys in 2011. The following updates are now available:

As we blogged in March 2011, the U.S. District Court of South Carolina transferred FC Patents v. Ford Meter Box Company of Wabash, Indiana, a patent infringement case involving fire prevention fixtures, to Northern District Court of Indiana. Following the transfer, plaintiff FC Patents voluntarily dismissed the case. This case was assigned to Judge Theresa Springmann and Magistrate Judge Christopher A. Nuechterlein in the Northern District of Indiana, and assigned case no. 3:11-cv-00116-TLS -CAN.

As we blogged in May 2011,Brandon S. Judkins of Indianapolis, Indiana filed a patent infringement suit alleging Polo Ralph Lauren Corporation of New York, New York infringed Patent No. D591,090, FURNITURE ARTICLE, which has been issued by the US Patent Office. In August 2011, Mr. Judkins voluntarily dismissed the case. This case was assigned to Chief Judge Richard L. Young and Magistrate Judge Debra McVicker Lynch in the Southern District of Indiana, and assigned Case No. 1:11-cv-00661-RLY-DML.

As we blogged about in May, patent lawyers for Knauf Insulation Limited of St. Helens, Merseyside, United Kingdom and Knauf Insulation GMBH of Shelbyville, Indiana, filed a patent infringement suit alleging Certainteed Corporation of Valley Forge, Pennsylvania infringed Patent No. 7,854,980, FORMALDEHYDE-FREE MINERAL FIBRE INSULATION PRODUCT, which has been issued by the US Patent Office.

Fort Wayne, IN - The Northern District of Indiana has denied a Motion to Amend a Stipulated Protective Order in a patent infringement case. Romary Associates Inc. of Fort Wayne, Indiana had filed a patent infringement lawsuit in the Northern District of Indiana alleging that KIBBI LLC d/b/a Renegade Custom Coaches and Trailers, McKibbin Enterprises, Inc. and KIBBI, Inc. all of Bristol, Indiana infringed patent no. 7,475,809, MOBILE BANKING VEHICLE, which has been issued by the US Patent Office. The invention is essentially a bank branch that can be.

The parties entered a Stipulated Protective Order in February 2011. Romary had moved to have the stipulated protective order amended to have certain "strategic" information designated "Highly Confidential - Outside Attorneys' Eyes Only." The original protective order allows the other party's attorneys as well as officers and employees to view confidential information. Romary now argued that KIBBI is seeking market analysis and strategic planning documents in discovery and that such document should be subject to heightened protection. Romary argued this type of disclosure was not foreseeable.

The court, in summary, held that these types of disclosures should have been foreseeable to Romary when the original protective order was entered. Therefore, the court failed to find "good cause to amend the protective order.

Continue reading "Northern District Denies Motion To Amend Protective Order In Patent Infringement Case Over Mobile Banking Vehicle" »