In a move that has sent ripples through the sporting and legal worlds, Churchill Downs Incorporated (CDI) recently announced a landmark agreement to acquire the intellectual property rights to the Preakness Stakes from the Stronach Group (1/ST Racing). While the Kentucky Derby has long been the crown jewel of the CDI portfolio, this acquisition brings two-thirds of the elusive Triple Crown under a single corporate umbrella. From a legal and business perspective, this isn't ju

USPTO Final Rule — Effective July 20, 2026 A significant change is coming for foreign-domiciled inventors and companies seeking U.S. patent protection. On March 20, 2026, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) published a final rule mandating that any patent applicant or patent owner whose domicile is outside the United States or its territories must be represented by a U.S.-registered patent attorney or agent when filing and prosecuting U.S. patent matters. The rule ta

Adeia Inc. (Nasdaq: ADEA), a technology licensing company with a portfolio spanning digital entertainment and semiconductor solutions, has filed a patent infringement lawsuit against DISH Network Corporation and certain of its affiliates in the U.S. District Court for the District of Colorado. The complaint alleges that DISH infringes five patents from Adeia's media IP portfolio related to core media and pay-TV technologies, covering content discovery and viewing experiences

Cox Communications v. Sony Music Entertainment Yesterday, the U.S. Supreme Court handed down one of the most consequential copyright decisions in years. In a unanimous ruling in Cox Communications, Inc. v. Sony Music Entertainment, the Court reversed a billion-dollar verdict against Cox Communications and drew a clear — and important — line around when companies can be held liable for the copyright infringement of their users. The decision matters well beyond the ISP industry

A jury trial currently underway in Chicago's Cook County Circuit Court is drawing attention well beyond the music industry and for good reason. The legal battle between rapper Chancelor Bennett (known professionally as Chance the Rapper) and his former manager, Patrick Corcoran ("Pat the Manager"), offers a compelling case study in what happens when talented, creative people neglect to put their agreements in writing. The dispute has its roots in one of the most celebrated in

The rapid integration of Artificial Intelligence into research and development has pushed the legal boundaries of "inventorship." For years, the question has loomed: if an AI generates a billion-dollar molecule or a revolutionary circuit design, who gets the patent? As of early 2026, the answer from the highest courts and patent offices is increasingly clear: The machine is just a tool, and the human remains the master. The Death of the "AI Inventor" The most significant deve

Jim W. Ko is co-authoring a paper on Testing the Limits of the IP Legal Regimes: The Unique Challenges of Artificial Intelligence with former Chief Judge Paul Michel of the Federal Circuit, in conjunction with The Sedona Conference's upcoming Conference on AI and IP Law . Can the policy objectives behind the current intellectual property (IP) legal frameworks be met when GenAI is implemented? Or will new rules and regulations necessary to bring patent, copyright, trade secret

The patent examination process — whereby the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office reviews patent applications and issues or grants those that meet the requirements for patentability — is tailor-made for the implementation of AI. But what are the risks to the quality and fairness of the patent examination process when the USPTO implements AI? And what policies and procedures should the USPTO put in place to mitigate these risks? I. AI is made for patent examination The work of pat