Specialty Publishing Company v. UDA Technologies, Inc., No. 1:25-cv-3873, Slip Op. (N.D. Ill. Jan. 13, 2026) (Coleman, J.).Judge Coleman granted Defendant UDA Technologies’ Fed. R. Civ. P. 12(b)(2) motion to dismiss for lack of personal jurisdiction in this trademark infringement case involving Plaintiff Specialty Publishing’s CONSTRUCTECH’S TOP PRODUCTS mark. Although the Court found Plaintiff sufficiently alleged that Defendant purposefully availed itself of Illinois through direct evidence of Illinois-based customers, the Court concluded that Specialty Publishing’s alleged injuries did not arise out of or relate to Defendant’s forum-based activities — a critical reminder that purposeful availment alone does not necessarily establish…
Continue Reading Illinois Customers Not Enough to Create Lanham Act Standing Without Illinois Injury

On Thursday, May 28, 2026 from 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. the P. Michael Mahoney Chapter of the Federal Bar Association will host a complimentary CLE program titled “AI for Attorneys: Risks & Rewards”. The program will address opportunities and risks artificial intelligence presents to the legal profession. Panelists include:

• Maura R. Grossman, Research Professor at the University of Waterloo, Adjunct Professor of Law at York University, and Principal of Maura Grossman Law;
• Phil Favro, Founder and President of Favro Law PLLC; and
• Honorable Michael F. Iasparro, U.S. Magistrate Judge for the Northern District of Illinois.

The presentation will take place…
Continue Reading AI for Attorneys: Risks & Rewards

BCD Technology Holdings, LLC et al. v. Paragon Micro, Inc. et al., No. 25 CV 6944, Slip Op. (N.D. Ill. Jan. 9, 2026) (Jenkins, J.).Judge Jenkins issued an order setting the framework for an evidentiary hearing on Plaintiffs’ preliminary injunction motion in this Defend Trade Secret Act and non-competition case. The Court gave 3.25 to 3.5 hours per side providing guidelines for the amount of time for each witness’s direct and cross exam.The Court also gave each party 25 minutes for argument after the witness testimony, and identified specific legal and factual issues the parties should address during argument. Those…
Continue Reading Court Sets Evidentiary Hearing with Time Limits by Witness

Hong Kong Leyuzhen Technology Co. Ltd. v. Floerns, No. 1:24-cv-02939 (N.D. Ill. Dec. 31, 2025) (Kennelly, J.).Judge Kennelly denied plaintiff’s Fed. R. Civ. P. 59(e) motion to reconsider an earlier summary judgment order that disposed of plaintiff’s copyright, Lanham Act, and state-law claims, emphasizing diligence and record consistency in post-judgment practice in this copyright dispute.The Court previously held that no reasonable factfinder could find valid ownership of the photos at issue because plaintiff lacked the required written agreement for “work made for hire,” overcoming the registration presumption.Plaintiff sought reconsideration with “newly discovered” evidence, including a declaration and a late-executed assignment.
Continue Reading Evidence That was Discoverable Before Summary Judgment Does Not Warrant Reconsideration

Seasonal Specialties, LLC v. Holiday Designs, LLC, No. 1:23-cv-14008 (N.D. Ill. Dec. 22, 2025) (Kness, J.).Judge Kness ruled on claim construction in a patent dispute over pre-lit Christmas tree lighting making clear the Court’s preference for plain and ordinary meaning where the intrinsic record resolved the parties’ disagreements without requiring any constructions. Applying Phillips and O2 Micro, the Court held no further construction was necessary for six disputed terms across two patents, including “an illumination element,” “a first switching circuit … a second switching circuit,” and “special lighting effect.” The court also rejected an indefiniteness challenge to “blinking” and “twinkling,”…
Continue Reading Court Finds That No Claim Term Requires Construction Beyond Plain & Ordinary Meaning

Dao Health v. Shenzhen Lutejiacheng Technology Co., Ltd., No. 23 C 4885 (N.D. Ill. Dec. 12, 2025) (Durkin, J.)Judge Durkin construed seven disputed terms across three patents involving a hands-free breast milk collection device and a related valve, rejecting indefiniteness challenges and clarifying several scope disputes in this patent matter.Of particular note, the Court held as follows:

• “External suction source” – Construed with reference to the reservoir, not the bra. The pump must be external to the reservoir’s internal volume but need not be external to the bra. The Court relied on the claim’s juxtaposition of “within” (for the adaptor)

…
Continue Reading Court Construes Claim Terms for Hands-Free Breast Milk Pump

Dao Health v. Shenzhen Lutejiacheng Technology Co., Ltd., No. 23 C 4885 (N.D. Ill. Dec. 2, 2025) (Durkin, J.)Judge Durkin denied Shenzhen’s motion to amend to add inequitable conduct counterclaims, holding the proposed amendments were futile for failure to plead but-for materiality and specific intent under the Federal Circuit’s tightened Therasense standard.Shenzhen alleged omissions relating to inventorship for earlier patents and a certification issue for a later patent. The Court found no plausible allegations that the Patent Office would not have issued the patents but for the alleged misconduct. The proposed claims focused on purported pecuniary motives and presentation issues,…
Continue Reading Inequitable Conduct Counterclaims Denied as Futile for Lacking Materiality

Fendi S.R.L. v. Schedule A Defendants, No. 25 C 14553, (N.D. Ill. Dec. 8, 2025) (Coleman, J.)Judge Coleman dismissed Fendi’s Schedule A trademark/copyright complaint without prejudice for lack of specific personal jurisdiction and improper joinder after the Court raised the issues sua sponte.While not reaching the merits of Lanham Act or copyright claims, the Court’s jurisdictional and joinder holdings have immediate significance for Schedule A litigation. The Court reiterated that operating an interactive website alone does not suffice; plaintiffs typically must show at least one Illinois sale and shipment or equivalent purposeful availment tied to the forum. Joinder also faced…
Continue Reading Court Dismisses Doe Defendants for Lack of Jurisdiction and Improper Joinder After Raising Issue Sua Sponte

On April 17, 2026, from 12:00 p.m. to 1:00 p.m., the Asian American Bar Association of Chicago (AABA Chicago) in collaboration with the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, will host a complimentary webinar focusing on federal motion practice. This special program, part of the Sidebar with Judge Kim series, will feature an engaging discussion moderated by Judge Kim and an outstanding panel of Federal Judges including Hon. Manish Shah, Hon. LaShonda Hunt, and Hon. Heather McShain.This event offers attendees a unique opportunity to learn from experienced judges and gain a deeper understanding of motion practice.  To register,…
Continue Reading Sidebar with Judge Kim – Effective Motion Practice: Best Practices in Federal Court

HFT Solutions, LLC v. Citadel Securities LLC, (N.D. Ill. Dec. 1, 2025) (Coleman, J.)Judge Coleman denied defendant Citadel’s Fed. R. Civ. P. 12(b)(6) motion to dismiss HFT’s patent case holding that the asserted field programmable gate array (FPGA)-based claims plausibly recite a specific technological improvement and are not directed to an abstract idea under Section 101. FPGAs are microchips that allow for rapid data processing by spreading computations across a chip with “massive fine-grained parallelism.”The asserted method and system claims, centered on FPGA architectures that use a phase-locked loop to synchronize clock signals and reduce latency. As an initial matter,…
Continue Reading Chip Patent Claims Survive Alice Challenge

Innovation Indus., LLC v. The Schedule A P’ships, Slip. Op., No. 25 C 3157 (N.D. Ill. Oct. 24, 2025) (Bucklo, J.)Judge Bucklo granted in part a motion by appearing defendants to vacate a preliminary injunction entered in a “Schedule A” copyright case involving alleged copying of a staged product photo depicting a hummingbird feeder heater operating in freezing conditions. The Court reaffirmed the preliminary injunction (PI) but narrowed the related asset freeze to specific gross-revenue amounts attributable to listings using the infringing image.Regarding likelihood of success, the Court found prima facie validity based upon timely copyright registration in the absence…
Continue Reading Asset Freeze Narrowed, but Preliminary Injunction Maintained in Online Copyright “Schedule A” Case