HouseCanary Trade Secret Lawsuit Receives Monster Jury Verdict
Earlier this month, data-analytics group HouseCanary obtained one of the largest trade secret verdicts in US history for $706 Million. The verdict was handed down from a Texas jury based on a lawsuit filed in state court in San Antonio (Bexar County). HouseCanary’s verdict was against Amrock, Inc. d/b/a “Title Source,” which is one of […]
IPRs Found to be Constitutional – For Now
On April 24, 2018, the US Supreme Court handed down its decision in Oil States Energy Services, LLC v. Greene’s Energy Group, LLC, 138 S. Ct. 1365 (2018). The issue in the case was whether the PTO’s inter partesreview (“IPR”) procedure is constitutional. Oil States Energy asserted IPRs were not constitutional because they violated Article […]
The Eastern District of Texas’s Take on TC Heartland
In Raytheon Comp. v. Cray, Inc.,2:15-CV-01554-JRG, 2017 WL 2813896, at *4 (E.D. Tex. June 29, 2017), the Eastern District of Texas adopted a new venue test to deal with the influx of transfer motions after the U.S. Supreme Court’s TC Heartland holding. The Court in Raytheon adopted a test to determine the meaning of “regular […]
Did TC Heartland change much?
The U.S. Supreme Court recently decided a high profile case defining where patent cases can be filed: TC Heartland LLC v. Kraft Foods Group Brands LLC, No. 16-341 (S. Ct. May 22, 2017).In the 8-0 decision, Justice Thomas explained that the venue statute controlling patent cases is distinct from the general venue statutes. Venue in […]
What is the Difference between Defamation and a Disparagement Claim?
Bradford T. Laney, Texas Litigation Attorney Business Disparagement is different than defamation in regards to the right it protects. Defamation protects the personal reputation of the plaintiff, while business disparagement protects the economic interests of the plaintiff. The focus on telling the difference is determining what the statements were about. If the statements were about […]
What is Commercial Disparagement in Texas Disparagement?
– Bradford T. Laney, Texas Litigation Attorney Commercial/Business Disparagement: Commercial/Business Disparagement (referred to hereafter as “Business Disparagement” is a legal tort (i.e., a wrongful act or an infringement of a right (other than under contract) leading to civil legal liability). Unlike a personal injury lawsuit, to win a case for Business Disparagement, you’ll need to […]
What is a Deceptive Trade Practice in Texas?
– Bradford T. Laney, Texas Litigation Attorney The Texas Deceptive Trade Practices Act: In short, a Deceptive Trade Practice is when someone rips off a consumer, which may entitle him or her to recover damages for their loss. In long, what is a Deceptive Trade Practice is defined in Texas Business and Commerce Code […]
Intellectual Property Theft: Your Complete Guide
What is intellectual property theft? IP Infringement (intellectual property theft) is a violation of a persons intellectual property rights. This could mean the theft of technology protected by a patent or something as simple as a teenager downloading music from a torrent website. Intellectual property rights are defined as any work or product protected by […]
What is a Tortious Interference Claim in Texas?
– Bradford T. Laney, Texas Litigation Attorney What is Tortious Interference? Tortious interference, also known as intentional interference with contractual relations, in the common law of torts, occurs when one person intentionally damages someone else’s contractual or business relationships with a third party causing economic harm. You May Be Entitled to Damages: A “tortious interference” is when someone […]
Can You Represent Yourself in a Patent Infringement Lawsuit?
– Bradford T. Laney, Texas Patent Litigation Attorney You Can but You Shouldn’t The short answer is: yes. In the United States, every individual generally has a right to proceed forward with a lawsuit “pro se,” which means you are representing yourself (pro se is Latin for “for oneself”). The better answer is: why would […]