Firefly Aerospace Soars in $6.3 Billion IPO as Space Tech Investment Accelerates
Firefly Aerospace, Inc. (NASDAQ: FLY) completed one of 2025’s largest space technology initial public offerings (IPO) on August 7, 2025. Firefly priced its shares at $45 and closed its first...
3-2-1 Blast Off: US Space Force Trademark Dispute Aims for the Supreme Court
The trademark attorney Thomas D. Foster has found himself in ongoing legal star wars to register US SPACE FORCE as his personal trademark covering coins, jewelry, watches, license plate holders,...
Application of Safe Harbor Exceptions to the Anti-kickback Statute
On August 7, 2025, the Office of the Inspector General (“OIG”) issued Advisory Opinion 25-09 (“Advisory Opinion”) providing a favorable opinion regarding remuneration to physicians with an ownership interest in a medical device manufacturer....
One Name, Two Claims: Prince’s Estate and Apollonia Clash Over Trademark Rights
Bono, Madonna, Beyoncé, Rihanna, Eminem, Drake, Cher, Sting, Lorde, Flea, Adele, Bjork, Seal, Pink: these celebrities all share the same elite status of fame to be known by a single...
Recent Machine Learning Studies in Medical Imaging Applying FDA Principles
Medical imaging is one of the most promising fields for use of AI tools, as pattern recognition and large data sets can enhance human diagnosis (e.g., by radiologists) or even compete...
Cardiosense Obtains FDA Clearance for Wearable Cardiac Sensor
Cardiovascular disease is a leading cause of death, with over 900,00 deaths reported in the United States in 2023. In this context many companies have pursued products to help diagnose...
Deleted Specification Portions Undermine Claim Construction
FMC Corp. v. Sharda USA, LLC Before Moore, Chen, and Barnett. Appeal from the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. Summary: The district court erred by construing a claim term based on...
Can § 101 Carry the Weight?
POWERBLOCK HOLDING, INC. v. IFIT, INC. Before Taranto, Stoll, and District Judge Scarsi. Appeal from the United States District Court for the District of Utah. Summary: Under step one of the...
Federal Circuit Lacked Jurisdiction Over a Patent Royalty Dispute
ACORDA THERAPEUTICS, INC. V. ALKERMES PLC Before Taranto, Hughes, and Stark. Appeal from the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York. Summary: The Federal Circuit held...
Federal Circuit Holds District Court Abused Its Discretion by Excluding an Authenticating Witness
JIAXING SUPER LIGHTING ELECTRIC APPLIANCE, CO. v. CH LIGHTING TECHNOLOGY CO., LTD. Before Dyk, Chen, and Hughes. Appeal from the United States District Court for the Western District of Texas....
Proposed FAA Rule to Allow Drone Operations Beyond Visual Line of Sight
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and Transportation Security Administration (TSA) on August 7, 2025, issued a notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM) related to “drones.” The notice proposes regulations to enable...
No Shenanigans: IPRs and Interference Estoppel
IGT v. ZYNGA INC. Before Prost, Reyna, and Taranto. Appeal from the Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB). Summary: Interference estoppel does not apply when the interference was terminated due...
Sunkist Squeezes Out a Win and Kisses Kist Goodbye!
SUNKIST GROWERS, INC. v. INTRASTATE DISTRIBUTORS, INC. Before Prost, Taranto, and Stark. Appeal from the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board. Summary: The TTAB incorrectly found that similar trademarks created distinct commercial...
An Examiner’s Allowance Does Not Create an “Especially Weighty” Presumption of Written-Description Support
MONDIS TECHNOLOGY LTD., HITACHI MAXELL, LTD., NKA MAXELL HOLDINGS, LTD., MAXELL, LTD. v. LG ELECTRONICS INC., LG ELECTRONICS USA, INC. Before Taranto, Clevenger, and Hughes. Appeal from the United States...
Eyeing the Prize of the U.S. Patent System, the Trump Administration Proposes Patent Maintenance Fee Overhaul
The Trump administration is considering changing the U.S. patent maintenance fee structure from the existing three fixed flat fees to an annual, value‑based “tax” model where patent holders would pay...
A Launchpad for Startups in the Space Domain: Apollo Accelerator
In 2023, the U.S. Space Force launched the Space Domain Awareness (SDA) Tools, Application, & Processing (TAP) Lab. The SDA TAP Lab aims to accelerate the delivery of space battle...
No Tariffs on Aerospace Products Traded Between U.S. and European Union
On July 27, 2025, the U.S. and EU reached a trade agreement. As part of the agreement, the U.S. will impose a 15 percent tariff “on the vast majority of...
China Responds to European Union’s Medical Device Restrictions With Restrictions of Its Own
China has imposed restrictions on procurement of European medical devices, following the European Union’s vote to limit Chinese companies from participating in public procurement tenders for medical device contracts last...
FDA Announces Review of New Clinical Trials That Export Americans’ Biological Samples to Hostile Countries
On June 18, 2025, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced that it will review new clinical trials that involve sending biological samples to “hostile countries,” to prevent exploitation...
Applicant Admitted Prior Art Can (Sometimes) Show Obviousness
SHOCKWAVE MED., INC., V. CARDIOVASCULAR SYS., INC. Before Lourie, Dyk, and Cunningham. Appeal from the United States Patent and Trademark Office, Patent Trial and Appeal Board in No. IPR2019-00405. Summary:...
Not So Cozy: Prosecution History Disclaimer for Design Patents
TOP BRAND LLC v. COZY COMFORT CO. LLC Before Dyk, Reyna, and Stark. Appeal from the United States District Court for the District of Arizona. Summary: Arguments presented during prosecution...
