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E.U. Starts In-Depth Investigation Into Google/DoubleClick Deal

Client Alert | less than 1 min read | 11.15.07

European Union regulators continue their investigation of the potential impact on competition of Google's proposal to buy DoubleClick by opening a "second phase," which will extend the investigation for approximately four months. The deal is already under scrutiny in the U.S. after competitors such as Yahoo Inc. and Microsoft Corp. expressed concerns that the combination would hurt competition in the $40.6 billion global online-advertising market. In the E.U., publishers have also urged regulators to look at how Google's bid for DoubleClick may reduce advertising choices for media companies.

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Client Alert | 3 min read | 11.20.25

Design Patent Application Drawings & Prosecution History Must Be Clear (Merely Translucent Won’t Suffice!)

Design patents offer protection for the ornamental appearance of a product, focusing on aspects like its shape and surface decoration, as opposed to the functional aspects protected by utility patents. The scope of a design patent is defined by the drawings and any descriptive language within the patent itself. Recent decisions by the Federal Circuit emphasize the need for clarity in the prosecution history of a design patent in order to preserve desired scope to preserve intentional narrowing (and to avoid unintentional sacrifice of desired claim scope)....