Banner Witcoff

The International Trademark Association (INTA) has appointed Robert S. Katz as Vice Chair of the Design Rights Committee for the 2016-2017 term. INTA is the global association of trademark owners and professionals dedicated to supporting trademarks and related intellectual property in order to protect consumers and to promote fair and effective commerce. Its members include more…

Banner & Witcoff is recognized in Corporate Counsel‘s 2015 “Who Represents America’s Biggest Companies?” The annual survey tracks which law firms are representing which Fortune 500 companies in a number of practice areas, including intellectual property litigation. Please click here for the full results.

LACHES REMAINS A DEFENSE TO LEGAL RELIEF IN PATENT INFRINGEMENT SUITS By Ernest V. Linek On September 18, 2015, the Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, sitting en banc, ruled (6-5) in SCA Hygiene Products AB et al. v. First Quality Baby Products LLC et al., that laches remains a viable defense in a…

Banner & Witcoff welcomes associate Richard C. Pokropski to its Washington, D.C. office. Mr. Pokropski focuses his practice on a range of intellectual property issues in a variety of electrical and computer technologies, including electrical power, signal processing, multimedia, and telecommunications systems and devices. Before practicing law, Mr. Pokropski served as an officer in the…

Michael J. Harris is a new “Global Fellow” in the Federal Circuit Bar Association. The FCBA, with support from the German Association for the Protection of Intellectual Property, invites Mr. Harris and other emerging legal leaders to attend an intensive learning program taught by influential judges and practitioners from the United States and Germany. The…

DMCA TAKEDOWNS REQUIRE CONSIDERATION OF FAIR USE By Steve S. Chang The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit has held that copyright holders must at least consider fair use before issuing a takedown notice under the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA). The decision, in Lenz v. Universal Music Corp. et al.1, is the…

USPTO ISSUES SECOND ROUND OF AIA RULE CHANGES By Camille Sauer On August 19, 2015, the United States Patent and Trademark Office announced a new round of proposed changes to practice before the Patent Trial and Appeal Board, including inter partes review, post-grant review, the transitional program for covered business method patents, and derivation proceedings (the AIA proceedings).…

Azuka C. Dike discusses how companies can extract real value and drive economic performance from their IP portfolios in the September 2015 issue of Intellectual Property Magazine.Please click here to read the article (subscription required).

Banner & Witcoff client LMK Technologies LLC’s recent win against BLD Services LLC at the Patent Trial and Appeal Board is featured in the Law360 article, “PTAB Says Rehashed Args. Sink Pipe Rehab Patent Reviews.” In the article, Christopher L. McKee, who represents LMK, says “this is a well-deserved victory for LMK,” and that the PTAB “properly exercised its discretion…

Michael S. Cuviello discusses the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office’s proposed pilot program that would require one group of judges to decide whether to institute an inter partes review and another group of judges to determine the patent’s validity with World Intellectual Property Review. Please click here to read the article, “USPTO calls for feedback on PTAB judge pilot programme.”