The administrative law judge who determined a crucial Kodak digital photograph patent is invalid contradicted prior findings by another ITC judge and PTO re-examiners. The full commission said Friday that it wants to take a look at that discrepancy.

Madoff liquidation trustee Irving Picard of Baker & Hostetler has suffered some major setbacks in his efforts to recover for victims of Madoff's mega-fraud, but he's handily convinced two federal judges to reject claims by investors in so-called feeder funds that they deserve a share of the spoils.

Manhattan district judge Scheindlin: "As I (and others) have repeatedly stated, the fact that damages must be calculated on an individual basis" is not fatal to class certification.

It ain't easy, but a nonlawyer named Timothy Ringgenberg pulled it off in a case affirmed by a California state judge last week. Ringgenberg, the founder of a company called iFreedom Communications, fired a high-ranking executive without cause, then refused to participate in the arbitration over his firing. The result: The arbitration calculated that the fired exec was due $1 billion in commissions--and tacked on another $3 billion in punitives. Take that, Mr. Ringgenberg!