Category Archives: Commercial Litigation
U.S. Supreme Court Seeks Administration’s View On Important Software Copyright Case
On April 29, the U.S. Supreme Court asked the Trump Administration to provide its views on whether it should hear an important copyright lawsuit which could very broadly define the level of copyright protection for software in the industry. The case involves Google’s appeal to Oracle Corp’s copyright infringement lawsuit involving their Android operating… Read More »
U.S. Supreme Court Makes Landmark—and Long Overdue—Copyright Infringement Decision
On March 4, the U.S. Supreme Court made a landmark decision finally bringing copyright law in line with patent and trademark law. Specifically, the Court ruled that, in order for a business or other part to sue for copyright infringement, the copyright owner must have their Federal Copyright Registration in possession, i.e. completed. Until… Read More »
A Look at Past & Future Labor and Employment Law Disputes
A number of businesses financially suffer each year due to labor and employment law disputes. As commercial litigation attorneys in Texas, we deal with a number of these disputes each year, customizing our approach based on our client businesses’ needs and the disputes themselves. Below, we discuss some of the most important employment law… Read More »
Texas Supreme Court to Hear Business Dispute That Could End Punitive Damages
During the second week of December, the Texas Supreme Court heard an important business/commercial litigation case that legal experts indicate could spell the death of punitive damages for civil disputes. The litigation involves claims that one business (Mercedes) intentionally devised a scheme to defraud another (a smaller dealership run by Carduco) via sabotage; specifically,… Read More »
When Companies File Trademark and Libel Lawsuits against Each Other
In September, one energy company (Monster) filed a direct lawsuit against a similar corporation Vital Pharmaceuticals Inc. (VPX), claiming that it violated federal trademark statutes, unfair competition, false advertising, and trade libel laws; and demanding a jury trial. The lawsuit highlights just how business disputes often arise and result in litigation between companies in… Read More »
Tesla’s Elon Musk Sued by Shareholder
In a shareholder dispute that has captured headlines, one of the world’s most high-tech automotive companies, Tesla, and its CEO and entrepreneur Elon Musk, were sued by its own shareholders, who claim that Musk illegally inflated the company’s share price via tweeting about taking the company private in August. Reportedly, Musk tweeted that his… Read More »
Case Argued Before Texas Supreme Court Has Broad Implications for Companies & Anonymous Users
An interesting case that was argued in front of the Texas Supreme Court on September 19 is one that businesses should watch with respect to what is considered defamatory when it comes to allegations of bad business practices, and what violates privacy and speech laws. The case involves the online forum Glassdoor, which hosts… Read More »
Where to Draw the Line with Films, Folklore, and Copyright Infringement
Some of the most widely covered copyright infringement lawsuits involve litigation filed against movie producers and film companies, accusing them of reproducing, distributing, performing, publicly displaying, or making copyrighted work into a derivative without first obtaining the permission of the copyright owner. One such lawsuit was recently filed and dismissed in connection with the… Read More »
Texas Students Sue DeVry under Texas Deceptive Trade Practices Act
In late June 32, former DeVry students filed suit against the school in San Antonio federal court, alleging that the school and parent company (Adtalem Global) committed fraud and violated the Texas Deceptive Trade Practices Act by misrepresenting the benefits of the degrees it offers. Specifically, the complaint alleges that the defendants falsely advertised… Read More »
Facebook Payout in Texas Copyright Infringement Case Halved By Judge
A copyright infringement case filed in the Northern District of Texas (Dallas) and involving allegations that Facebook—by virtue of acquiring Oculus VR (“Oculus”)—had stolen computer code from ZeniMax Media Inc. (“ZeniMax”) in order to create its virtual reality headset (the “Oculus Rift”) was recently decided in favor of ZeniMax. However, this week (June 27th),… Read More »
