The next time you see a bottle of Crest mouthwash, take a moment to appreciate the angles of the bottle. Particularly the trapezoidal-shaped surface near the top. Crest really cares about that trapezoid, so much that its parent company, Proctor and Gamble, tried to patent it, Patently-O reports.
We say tried, because the Federal Circuit Court of Appeals ruled this week that P&G did not succeed.
Here at FindLaw, we understand the pressures of being a legal professional - most of us are recovering lawyers - so we want to help by tossing you that preferred life preserver of the legal profession, the short list. Today’s offering: The Federal Circuit’s latest addition, Richard Taranto.
The Senate is slowly filling the vacancies (and pending vacancies) on the Federal Circuit Court of Appeals. Last week, senators confirmed Richard Taranto as the appellate court’s newest judge. On Friday, Judge Taranto was sworn in. (Beware the Ides of March no more, eh Judge?)
It's not enough to notify a competitor that its design infringes on your patent, and then forget about the claim for years.
The Federal Circuit Court of Appeals ruled last week that equitable estoppel applies to block a patentee from alleging patent infringement following a five-year delay in pursuing its claim, Patently-O reports.
Occasionally, we get excited when perusing federal appeals because one of the litigants has a famous name. That excitement has manifested itself in posts about Joe the Plumber and David Bowie. (Not that David Bowie.)
So you can imagine our delight upon discovering a Federal Circuit appellant named Jerry McGuire. Even if his surname was spelled differently than the titular movie character.
Jerry McGuire leased a plot of farmland in Arizona from the Colorado River Indian Tribes (CRIT) with the approval of the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA). He planned to raise alfalfa on the land. McGuire's alfalfa dreams were dashed thanks to a BIA-owned bridge.
