Articles by Dan Levine and Miyoung Kim

Governments Getting Into Patent Buying Business: Reuters

Patent competition in the United States is usually a fierce arena for private companies, but now the South Korean and French governments are suiting up. Both countries have launched patent-acquisition companies, with the goal of helping domestic technology firms and …

Instagram Furor Triggers First Class Action Lawsuit

Facebook’s Instagram photo sharing service has been hit with what appears to be the first civil lawsuit to result from changed service terms that prompted howls of protest last week. In a proposed class action lawsuit filed in San Francisco …

Facebook IPO Lawsuits to Be Heard in Court in New York

Dozens of lawsuits against Facebook Inc., the NASDAQ exchange and various underwriters will be centralized before a federal judge in New York, who must sort through the legal aftermath of Facebook’s botched initial public offering. A panel of federal judges …

Court Certifies Gender Bias Class Action Against Costco

A U.S. judge has certified a class action lawsuit against Costco Wholesale Corp. over allegations of gender discrimination in the store’s promotion practices. Three women plaintiffs say Costco’s promotion system has a disparate impact on women employees who seek advancement …

Judge Lets Wal-Mart Discrimination Case Proceed

A U.S. judge rejected Wal-Mart Stores Inc.’s request to dismiss a gender discrimination case filed in California, but said he would rule later about whether the women plaintiffs had enough evidence to be certified as a class. The ruling on …

How Apple Outsmarted Samsung in Patent Dispute

In August 2010, just a few months after Samsung Electronics launched its Galaxy smartphone, a team of Apple Inc. lawyers flew to South Korea. Apple’s late co-founder, Steve Jobs, had already told Samsung executives at a meeting earlier that summer …

In Apple v. Samsung, Attention Turns to Alchemy of Damages

Between the hotshot designers and brainy engineers Apple Inc. questioned for three weeks in the company’s bitterly fought patent battle against Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd., a marketing expert from MIT took Apple’s lawyers all of three minutes. But the testimony …

Jury to Begin Deliberating Patent Disputes Between Apple, Samsung

Apple Inc.’s worldwide legal crusade against the Android mobile operating system drew toward a climax on Tuesday as the iPhone maker’s attorneys accused Samsung of taking a shortcut by copying Apple’s designs after realizing it could not keep up. Closing …

Judge Who Nixed Apple-Motorola Trial Questions Need for Software Patents

The U.S. judge who tossed out one of the biggest court cases in Apple Inc.’s smartphone technology battle is questioning whether patents should cover software or most other industries at all. Richard Posner, a prolific jurist who sits on the …

Judge Questions Evidence in Gender Bias Claim Against Wal-Mart

A U.S. judge on Friday said he was “seriously concerned” about whether women suing Wal-Mart Stores Inc. had enough evidence to move forward with their refiled gender discrimination lawsuit. Plaintiffs alleging the world’s largest retailer denied them pay raises and …