C&B Tops IP Law Category of NC Legal Elite 2024 Awards

Career C&B attorney John Owen has been recognized by Business North Carolina magazine as the top Intellectual Property attorney in North Carolina for the year 2024.  His high quality work product and overwhelmingly positive feedback from peers throughout the industry has even earned Mr. Owen a spot on the front cover of the magazine’s January

Verdict Reached in Depp v. Heard Defamation Trial

Jurors have reached a much-anticipated verdict in the Depp v. Heard defamation trial.  In case you haven’t already heard, Johnny Depp sued Amber Heard for defamation, asking a jury for $50 million in damages.  Ms. Heard countersued for defamation, asking the same jury for $100 million in damages.  After deliberating for about 13 hours over

Katy Perry’s “Dark Horse” Doesn’t Infringe on Unoriginal Aspects of Christian Rap “Joyful Noise”

In a previous post, we emphasized that copyright protections do not extend to elements of a work that are unoriginal.  A recent precedential decision from the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals reinforces these principles, emphasizing the need to consider to what extent a work is genuinely an original work of authorship. If you haven’t been following along,

Member William G. Pagán Supports Henrico County Public Schools

In January 2022, Attorney William G. Pagán was a guest lecturer for three sections of an “Inventions and Innovations” class at Elko Middle School in Henrico County, Virginia.  The class, taught by Technology Education Teacher Kennesha Walker, was intended (among other things) to expose middle school children to various intellectual property concerns associated with devising inventive solutions and bringing them to the

Should I Pursue Reissue of my Patent?

Applicants who have obtained a patent may be dissatisfied with the scope of protection they have obtained. In some cases, an applicant may discover that their patent is too narrow to be worthwhile. Alternatively, an applicant may find that their patent is so broad that the patent is probably invalid. In other cases, a patent

Welcome Attorney Bennett C. David

Coats & Bennett, PLLC is proud to welcome its newest associate, Patent Attorney Bennett C. David. Licensed to practice at the USPTO since 2016, Bennett holds a B.S. in Computer Engineering from North Carolina A&T State University, a Masters of Business Administration from Suffolk School of Management, and a law degree from Suffolk University Law