Skilled in the Art: IBM and Microsoft Settle; K&L Gates Throws Down
IBM's lawsuit against its former diversity officer set off debate over whether diversity hiring efforts can be considered trade secrets. So, which company came out ahead?
March 06, 2018 at 09:36 PM
3 minute read
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IBM, Microsoft Call Off the Dogs on Diversity
split the baby in a trade secrets dispute IBM v. McIntyre set off a vigorous debate in the IP and employment bars considered a protectable trade secret Just as important was the debate over whether it should be. Winston & Strawn's Kathi Vidal "siloing" ideas to advance diversity Venkat Balasubramani of Focal PLLC told GeekWire IBM never missed a chance to remind everyone that Microsoft is facing a high-profile gender diversity class action maintain confidentiality From the law perspective, I'm counting this as a slight win for IBM generally disfavors Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison Bob Atkins From the real world perspective, I give the W to Microsoft Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe Mike Delikat Morgan, Lewis & Bockius Keker, Van Nest & Peters IP partner Warren Braunig unsatisfying from the litigator's perspectiveWho Got the Work?
K&L Gates The dispute: Richard Rizika they'd spent the previous month setting up a competing company called Beta Retail. Rizika invited four other CBRE employees to his home for a presentation U.S. District Judge Michael Fitzgerald The attorneys: Christina Goodrich Kacy Dicke Victor Fu Albert Liou LKP Global LawFinjan Deal Could Be Worth $110 Million
I reported Finjan Inc. Symantec subsidiary Blue Coat Systems now it's official: Avast Avira FireEye Sophos Veracode Palo Alto Networks, ESET, Cisco Systems, Sonicwall, Bitdefender, Juniper Networks Zscaler 6,154,844 patent Kramer Levin Naftalis & Frankel mentioned last weekApple Crunches Two NPE Patents
Personalized Media Communications Apple, Samsung, Amazon Marcus Sernel, Joel Merkin, Eugene Goryunov, Gregory Arovas Alan Rabinowitz That's all of Skilled in the Art for this week. I'll be back Friday with a special post- Section 101 edition.This content has been archived. It is available through our partners, LexisNexis® and Bloomberg Law.
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Who Got The Work
J. Brugh Lower of Gibbons has entered an appearance for industrial equipment supplier Devco Corporation in a pending trademark infringement lawsuit. The suit, accusing the defendant of selling knock-off Graco products, was filed Dec. 18 in New Jersey District Court by Rivkin Radler on behalf of Graco Inc. and Graco Minnesota. The case, assigned to U.S. District Judge Zahid N. Quraishi, is 3:24-cv-11294, Graco Inc. et al v. Devco Corporation.
Who Got The Work
Rebecca Maller-Stein and Kent A. Yalowitz of Arnold & Porter Kaye Scholer have entered their appearances for Hanaco Venture Capital and its executives, Lior Prosor and David Frankel, in a pending securities lawsuit. The action, filed on Dec. 24 in New York Southern District Court by Zell, Aron & Co. on behalf of Goldeneye Advisors, accuses the defendants of negligently and fraudulently managing the plaintiff's $1 million investment. The case, assigned to U.S. District Judge Vernon S. Broderick, is 1:24-cv-09918, Goldeneye Advisors, LLC v. Hanaco Venture Capital, Ltd. et al.
Who Got The Work
Attorneys from A&O Shearman has stepped in as defense counsel for Toronto-Dominion Bank and other defendants in a pending securities class action. The suit, filed Dec. 11 in New York Southern District Court by Bleichmar Fonti & Auld, accuses the defendants of concealing the bank's 'pervasive' deficiencies in regards to its compliance with the Bank Secrecy Act and the quality of its anti-money laundering controls. The case, assigned to U.S. District Judge Arun Subramanian, is 1:24-cv-09445, Gonzalez v. The Toronto-Dominion Bank et al.
Who Got The Work
Crown Castle International, a Pennsylvania company providing shared communications infrastructure, has turned to Luke D. Wolf of Gordon Rees Scully Mansukhani to fend off a pending breach-of-contract lawsuit. The court action, filed Nov. 25 in Michigan Eastern District Court by Hooper Hathaway PC on behalf of The Town Residences LLC, accuses Crown Castle of failing to transfer approximately $30,000 in utility payments from T-Mobile in breach of a roof-top lease and assignment agreement. The case, assigned to U.S. District Judge Susan K. Declercq, is 2:24-cv-13131, The Town Residences LLC v. T-Mobile US, Inc. et al.
Who Got The Work
Wilfred P. Coronato and Daniel M. Schwartz of McCarter & English have stepped in as defense counsel to Electrolux Home Products Inc. in a pending product liability lawsuit. The court action, filed Nov. 26 in New York Eastern District Court by Poulos Lopiccolo PC and Nagel Rice LLP on behalf of David Stern, alleges that the defendant's refrigerators’ drawers and shelving repeatedly break and fall apart within months after purchase. The case, assigned to U.S. District Judge Joan M. Azrack, is 2:24-cv-08204, Stern v. Electrolux Home Products, Inc.
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