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…
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,…
Dua Lipa has been sued for copyright infringement by Artikal Sound System (who goes by “ASS” for short). As part of their complaint, ASS alleges that it is highly unlikely that Dua Lipa’s hit song “Levitating” (released in 2020) was created independently from the ASS song “Live Your Life” (released in 2017). A copyright arises…
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…
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…
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…
UPDATE: Given the recent impact of COVID-19, and out of an abundance of caution and care for the team here at Coats & Bennett, PLLC, we must regretfully withdraw from attending this trip in support of the Hispanic National Bar Association. However, please rest assured that we wish we could be with you all, and we will…
Coats & Bennett, PLLC, one of the nation’s highest rated intellectual property law firms, is proud to announce that Gavin Parsons has been elected as a Member of the Firm. Mr. Parsons is a veteran litigator who represents clients across numerous industries in high exposure civil litigation in state and federal courts, the North Carolina…
Coats & Bennett is proud to announce that Attorneys William G. Pagán and Edward H. Green III both had unblemished records on Appeal before the Patent Trials and Appeal Board (PTAB) in 2019, obtaining complete reversals of the Examiner’s rejections in six out of six cases. Not a single rejection was affirmed by the PTAB…
Printed publications often are the best source of evidence that a patent claim is invalid. For example, textbooks, technical specifications, whitepapers, and even comments posted in an online forum can include details that provide one or more grounds under 35 U.S.C. § 102 (anticipation) or § 103 (obviousness) in support of a petition to institute…