Posts Tagged: "damages"

Jury Awards Photographer Max Damages in Copyright Suit Against Senior Living Giant

A California jury on Monday awarded what is reportedly the “largest maximum statutory damages verdict for photography infringement in U.S. history,” according to a press release issued by the plaintiff’s counsel in the case. Scott Hargis is an architectural photographer who sued Pacifica Senior Living Management LLC in September 2022 for damages and injunctive relief related to infringement of 43 of Hargis’ photos that Pacifica used to advertise and market its senior living facilities.

Key U.S. District Court Cases with Implications for IP in the New Year

Although the proceedings before federal district courts may not garner as much attention as those of the U.S. Court of appeals for the Federal Circuit or the Supreme Court, they can be an important proving ground for the decisions rendered by those courts. And 2023 was no exception to that rule. As discussed below, the Zogenix v. Apotex and Teva v. Eli Lilly decisions provide a glimpse into what litigants can expect in the aftermath of the GSK v. Teva and Amgen v. Sanofi decisions, respectively. These cases will have an especially significant impact on the life sciences industry, and watching how these decisions are applied by the district courts should be a priority for practitioners in this space.

CAFC Partially Affirms for VLSI on Infringement But Vacates and Remands for New Trial on Damages

On December 4, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit (CAFC) issued a precedential ruling in the ongoing patent battle between computer chip patent owner VLSI and major chipmaker Intel Corp. While the court affirmed the infringement findings underpinning the bulk of VLSI’s $2.175 billion jury verdict awarded back in March 2021, the panel ordered a retrial of damages award for one of two asserted patents and dismissed the doctrine of equivalents infringement finding for the other patent. The Federal Circuit also found that the district court abused its discretion by denying Intel’s motion for leave to add a license defense to its case.

SCOTUS Declines Solving Circuit Split on Awarding Avoided Costs in Trade Secret Cases

On November 20, the U.S. Supreme Court denied a petition for writ of certiorari filed in Tata Consultancy Services Ltd. v. Epic Systems Corp. The denial leaves in place an appellate court decision awarding $280 million for unjust enrichment and punitive damages in a trade secret misappropriation case where the plaintiff suffered no economic harm and the defendant gained no actual benefit from the misappropriated information.

Court of Federal Claims Dismisses Psychological Damage Claims Filed Against USPTO

On July 25, the U.S. Court of Federal Claims (CFC) issued a ruling in Pulnikova v. U.S. dismissing monetary damages claims for alleged violations of 42 U.S.C. § 1983 by patent examiners and officials at the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). Although the CFC expressed its sympathy for the inventor’s frustrations, including the pro se filing of “appeal-books” containing thousands of pages responding to office actions, the court added that it lacked subject matter jurisdiction to award the type of damages sought.