Ed Sheeran Wins Appeal on ‘Let’s Get It On’ Copyright Dispute
The Second Circuit upheld a ruling in favor of Ed Sheeran, finding his song “Thinking Out Loud” did not infringe on Marvin Gaye’s “Let’s Get It On.” The court agreed that the musical elements of Gaye’s song were not original enough to be copyrighted.

NFL Legend Barry Sanders Faces Copyright Suit
Barry Sanders, former Detroit Lions star, is named in a new copyright lawsuit brought by a photographer, who alleges that a copyrighted photo has been misused by the NFL team and other entities in separate litigation.

Bell Helicopter Ordered to Pay $16M in Trade Secrets Dispute
A Texas jury has ordered Bell Helicopter Textron Inc. to pay $16 million for breaching a contract with a vendor. While the jury found Bell had not stolen intellectual property, it ruled that Bell improperly used the vendor’s trade secrets when working with a replacement supplier.

Unisys Resolves Trade Secrets Dispute with Former Executives
Unisys Corp., an IT firm, has settled its claims against two former executives accused of taking confidential information and trade secrets to a competitor.

Upcoming Apple Watch Trial Focuses on Trade Secret Claims
Apple and Masimo are set to meet in court next week in California, as Masimo accuses Apple of misappropriating its trade secrets for the health-monitoring features of the Apple Watch. This trial is one of several high-profile IP cases on the horizon.

Shark Tank Sweatshirt Brand Seeks Sanctions Against Rival
The creators of “The Comfy,” a sweatshirt featured on “Shark Tank,” are asking an Arizona federal judge to sanction a competitor for allegedly continuing to sell enjoined products after losing an $18 million patent and trademark infringement case.

Textbook Publishers Urge Court to Keep Google Pirated Books Case Alive
Textbook publishers are pushing for a federal judge in Manhattan to continue their copyright and trademark suit against Google, accusing the company of profiting from pirated textbooks advertised in search results.

IBM Reaches Settlement in $19.5M Blockchain Software Case
IBM informed U.S. District Judge Rodney Gilstrap that it has reached a settlement in principle with an Oklahoma firm that recently won a $19.5 million patent verdict involving blockchain software in Marshall, Texas.

Fitbit Prevails in Social Media Patent Litigation at Federal Circuit
Fitbit and other defendants won appeals on Friday in a patent dispute over programming automatic social media posts. The Federal Circuit dismissed arguments that a California federal judge mishandled the case and should have recused herself due to her husband’s ties to Fitbit’s parent company, Google.