Seyfarth’s 2026 Commercial Litigation Outlook reinforces a key reality for IP practitioners: artificial intelligence is not just driving innovation—it is fundamentally reshaping how intellectual property is created, protected, and challenged. This year, Seyfarth’s Intellectual Property team contributed insights focused on the growing risks to trade secrets, ownership rights, and proprietary information in an AI-driven environment.
Patent attorneys spend a lot of time explaining two deceptively simple concepts: novelty and obviousness. Both rise and fall on one thing: prior art. Most inventors assume prior art means a patent or some obscure technical paper written by someone surviving on cold brew and conference coffee.
That assumption is wrong.
Prior art is anything
The U.S. Supreme Court has declined to hear Dr. Stephen Thaler’s appeal seeking copyright protection for his AI‑generated artwork A Recent Entrance to Paradise. The decision allows to stand the long series of administrative and judicial rulings holding that a work created autonomously by an AI system cannot be protected by copyright under U.S.
On February 20, 2026, Gadgets, Gigabytes and Goodwill Blog co-editor Owen Wolfe spoke at the Fordham School of Law as part of the Fordham Intellectual Property, Media & Entertainment Law Journal Symposium, The Meaning of Ownership: Rethinking Intellectual Property, Creativity, and Control in the Age of Innovation. Owen discussed how courts have so far applied
Alvin Joiner, better known by his stage name Xzibit, is a rapper, actor, and record executive. He is also the face behind a cannabis brand called BRASS KNUCKLES, which is currently owned by a company called Hero Brands, Inc. In a recent lawsuit, Xzibit’s ex-wife, Krista Joiner, alleges that through a smokescreen of assignments, Xzibit
Seyfarth’s Patent Litigation practice group and partner Lisa Meyerhoff have earned recognition as “Highly Recommended” in World Intellectual Property Review‘s “USA Patents Rankings” for 2025. The firm earned the designation for its contentious patent work, with Meyerhoff gaining the same honor individually.
The WIPR’s national patent rankings spotlight leading law firms and
Unrivaled is a 3-on-3 basketball league founded by WNBA superstars Napheesa Collier and Breanna Stewart. The league has attracted many established WNBA stars, like Ms. Stewart, as well as up-and-coming young players like Paige Bueckers, who signed a deal to play in Unrivaled even before she was selected as the first overall pick in the
As the Seattle Seahawks and the New England Patriots meet again on football’s biggest stage, the rematch inevitably pulls everyone back to one moment. Different rosters. Different seasons. Same unresolved question. With a championship on the line, memories of the one-yard line come rushing back, not because the teams are the same, but because the
The International Trademark Association (INTA) has recognized intellectual property associate John “J.C.” Heinbockel as one of its 2026 Rising Stars, a distinction that celebrates emerging leaders in the IP profession.
INTA’s Rising Star program identifies individuals who demonstrate exceptional commitment to intellectual property law through substantive work and leadership potential. Honorees are selected for
Wednesday, January 21, 2026
1:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m. Eastern
12:00 p.m. to 1:00 p.m. Central
11:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. Mountain
10:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. Pacific
Join Seyfarth partners Lauren Leipold and Ken Wilton as they present their annual recap of the most significant trademark law and litigation