The US Supreme Court on Tuesday held in a 7-2 decision that a ruling from the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board (TTAB) may be sufficient to establish issue preclusion in a patent dispute. The case of B&B Hardware, Inc. v. Hargis Industries, Inc. centers around the similarity of a trademark name. Hargis attempted to register [...]
The US Supreme Court heard oral argument on Tuesday in a pair of consolidated cases involving a dispute over federal bankruptcy laws brought by Bank of America (BOA). The cases, Bank of America, NA v. Caulkett and Bank of America, NA v. Toledo-Cardona , stem from the mortgage bubble and collapse of the US housing [...]
The US Supreme Court their ruled Tuesday in Omnicare, Inc. v. Laborers Dist. Council Constr. Industry Pension Fund that a statement of opinion does not qualify as an “untrue statement” even if the opinion ultimately turns out to be incorrect. The federal government filed a claim against Omnicare , a pharmacy services company, for allegedly [...]
The UN Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) released a peace proposal on Tuesday in effort to end the country’s political instability and “deteriorating military situation.” Among many ideas offered, UNSMIL proposed the creation of a unity government “composed of independent personalities not belonging to any party or affiliated with any group.” The proposal also encouraged [...]
Utah Governor Gary Herbert signed a bill on Monday to restore the firing squad as a method of execution, making Utah the only US state with the option. The legislation, which was approved by the state’s senate earlier this month, allows for the use of a firing squad if drugs used for lethal injections are [...]
UN Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights Philip Alston on Tuesday warned that poverty in Chile “remains under the radar for many policy-makers … despite the country’s impressive array of anti-poverty programs.” Alston noted that although Chile serves as a model for much of Latin America in regards to human rights and social [...]
India’s Supreme Court struck down a law on Tuesday that gave authorities the power to jail people for offensive online posts. Bloggers, writers and rights groups challenged India’s Information and Technology Act after arrests were made across the country for statements posted on social media. “The law hit at the root of liberty and freedom [...]
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) faced its first challenges to its new Open Internet (net neutrality) Monday. USTelecom, an industry trade group, and Alamo Broadband , a Texas-based internet provider filed suit in Washington and New Orleans, respectively. According to the FCC, the basis of net neutrality is to “protect free expression and innovation on [...]
Venezuela effectively allows more violence and abuses through its failure to investigate and prosecute perpetrators of the injuries and tortures during 2014 protests, Amnesty International (AI) announced in a report released Tuesday. During the protests 3,351 people were detained, and most were released without charges. However, 1,404 individuals are still facing charges, and 25 remain [...]
A judge for the US District Court for the Southern District of New York dismissed a lawsuit against an anti-Iran advocacy group on Monday, claiming the case could raise national security risks by revealing state secrets. The order stems from a defamation lawsuit filed by Greek shipping company owner Victor Restis against United Against Nuclear [...]
