Stites & Harbison, PLLC

With the USPTO’s implementation of new fees for certain continuation patent applications, applicants now face important strategic decisions regarding the timing and management of their filings. IP attorney Mandy Decker takes a look at the new fees in this Stites & Harbison Client Alert.

If you or your company have developed a new technology, filing a patent application is an important step to protect your investment. However, because patent rights are territorial, it’s often necessary to file patent applications not only in the United States, but also globally. IP attorneys James Hayne takes a look at the difference between the U.S. and the Chinese systems.

There is yet another update with respect to the Corporate Transparency Act (the “CTA”). Less than two weeks after the U.S. Treasury Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (“FinCEN”) set a new deadline for CTA compliance, both FinCEN and the U.S. Department of Treasury issued separate press releases announcing their intent to not enforce the CTA until new rules are finalized. Stites & Harbison's Corporate Transparency Act Committee takes a look at the update in this Stites & Harbison Client Alert.

On February 26, 2025, the United States Supreme Court unanimously held that a prevailing plaintiff in a trademark infringement case may recover profits only from the defendant named as a party to the proceeding, and may not also recover profits from the defendant’s affiliates who are not parties to the proceeding. Dewberry Group, Inc., fka Dewberry Capital Corp. v. Dewberry Engineers Inc., No. 23-900, _____ U.S. ____ (Feb. 26, 2025). The Court’s decision reinforced the principle of corporate separateness, but also left open the possibility that the federal trademark statute (the “Lanham Act”) might allow trial courts to consider evidence related to a defendant’s affiliates when exercising the discretion to adjust a profits award upwards or downwards for the sake of fairness. IP attorneys Alex MacKay and Sam Miller take a look at the decision in this Stites & Harbison Client Alert.