Summary: Over the past several years, the United States Supreme Court has become increasingly involved in the area of intellectual property law.  During that time, the Court has issued significant decisions on, among other things, patent eligibility, indirect infringement, the definiteness requirement, enhanced damages and fee shifting.  The renewed focus on intellectual property law appears poised to continue into 2017, with the Supreme Court scheduled to issue decisions addressing a variety of issues, including venue in patent cases, the functionality...

Read more

On January 9, 2017, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit issued a decision in Phigenix, Inc. v. Immunogen, Inc.1 dismissing an appeal by a petitioner from the Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB) for lack of standing. The court held that a petitioner must be able to prove a case or controversy in its opening brief to establish its right to be heard on appeal. Background In 2011, Congress created new processes for challenging the patentability of patent...

Read more

On 30 November the European Commission published its long awaited Final Report on the capacity mechanism sector inquiry in the electricity market. The report is complemented by the “Clean Energy for All Europeans” package which will create a European legal framework for capacity mechanisms, introduce concrete rules for cross-border participation and lead to the integration of capacity markets. This new legal framework will clarify state aid assessment of capacity mechanisms by the Commission. Capacity mechanisms are support mechanisms set up by...

Read more

According to Secretary of Labor Thomas Perez, the “largest question” for the incoming administration will be how to “embrace innovation” as part of the changing nature of work, while ensuring a level of workforce protections for participants in the on-demand economy. In his Memorandum to the American People, Perez highlighted the Department of Labor’s regulatory and policy achievements over the past eight years, called on the new Congress to enact federal employment legislation, and urged the DOL under President-elect Trump...

Read more

CMBS trading activity resumed after the holiday break on Tuesday,  with volume picking up in the latter part of the week. In line with broader market equity gains, CMBS cash spreads narrowed three to 10 basis points up and down the credit stack in the past week. For CMBX indexes, Wednesday’s news of retail earnings and mass of closures appeared to weigh on spreads the following day, although, overall spreads have tightened from a weekly perspective. While CMBX 6/7/8/9 AAA...

Read more

SACRAMENTO, Calif. – January 9, 2017 – Ogletree, Deakins, Nash, Smoak & Stewart, P.C. (Ogletree Deakins), one of the largest labor and employment law firms representing management, is pleased to announce that it has opened an office in Sacramento, Calif., expanding the firm’s presence in California and bolstering its capabilities for assisting clients with operations on the West Coast. The Sacramento office is the firm’s 50th internationally and its sixth in California. The Sacramento office joins a network of...

Read more

Harry Clark, leader of Orrick’s International Trade & Compliance team, recently spoke with The Wall Street Journal for a series of posts on its Risk & Compliance Journal blog about economic sanctions policies under the incoming Trump administration. Harry noted that while many expect sanctions against Russia to be eased by the Trump administration, it is unlikely, in his view, that the new administration will broadly roll back sanctions on Russia. This is due to congressional opposition associated...

Read more

There are, even by the most conservative estimates, billions of objects and devices connected to the Internet. Various estimates place the total number of connected devices between 40 to 50 billion by 2020; and these devices together make up the Internet of Things (IoT).  Companies across a multitude of industries are pioneering this technology and demonstrating its long-term potential. According to one forecast, spending on industrial connected objects this year alone will total nearly $870 billion, compared with $546 billion...

Read more

NEW YORK, NY (January 9, 2016), Empire Global Ventures LLC (EGV LLC) today announced the appointment of three industry leaders to the firm’s team to support EGV’s advanced business directives and to provide greater services to both its domestic and international client base. Helen Allen, Giselle Fernandez, and Liz Leff have been selected to assist EGV in building their clients’ business across various sectors and borders and to build awareness about clients’ brands through earned media and influencer events. Giselle...

Read more

Record-setting delegation of French companies caps milestone year for what is now Europe’s top tech investment market LAS VEGAS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--La French Tech is going “all in” in Las Vegas at CES 2017, with a record number of companies participating at the mega tech show. More than 260 French enterprises, ranging from established market leaders to newly minted unicorns and disruptive startups, will showcase their innovations. The contingent will reach into every corner of industry on display at CES and feature...

Read more