On May 3, 2021, WM Wrigley Jr. Company ("Wrigley") filed a complaint against a host of cannabis companies and their respective owners (collectively "Defendants") in the United States District Court for the Central District of California alleging trademark infringement, dilution, and unfair competition. Wrigley is the owner of many famous trademarks that are registered with the United States Patent and Trademark Office ("USPTO"), including SKITTLES, STARBURST, and LIFE SAVERS (collectively the "Marks"). Wrigley's trademark infringement claim [...]

Patent litigation can be a powerful tool for improving the environment and protecting the planet. Read on if this sentence sounds crazy. Read on if you think patent litigation only fills the coffers of large companies by eliminating competition. Yes, corporations tend to bring patent litigations seeking near term financial returns to benefit shareholders–often to the detriment of the planet and environment. Yes, patent litigation, as currently understood and implemented, is particularly capitalistic. Companies [...]

Are courts making it impossible to guarantee trade secrets will not be disclosed upon filing of litigation? In a recent case, Binh Hoa Le v. Exeter Fin. Corp., the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit (covering Louisiana, Mississippi, and Texas) ruled that courts should take a more studied approach to allowing sealed records in trade secret proceedings, and a number of courts throughout the United States have quickly agreed. In fact, several district courts have [...]