On Native Americans, Patent Trolls, And One Hugely Important Upcoming Supreme Court Decision Julie Blackman, Ph.D. Senior Vice President The best way to determine the validity and so the value of patents is in play.  In 2012, the AIA changed the rules of the game, and the value of patents changed abruptly.  An upcoming Supreme Court decision may roll back the changes that have followed from the AIA.  In the meantime, certain Native American tribes have profited more; patent trolls less. Native Americans:  The AIA Does Not Apply (Source:  New Yorker, November 20, 2017, “The Financial Page:  Patently Odd” by

On August 23, 2017, I saw something historic happen.  I saw jurors receive instructions about how to take steps to prevent the Internet from pushing case-relevant information to them.  This instruction was of no small moment since the trial was certain to generate a great deal of media attention.  New Jersey’s senior Senator, Robert Menendez, was about to be tried in a Newark, New Jersey federal courtroom for allegedly exerting political influence in exchange for gifts and favors from his co-defendant, ophthalmologist Salomon Melgen. Abbe David Lowell of Norton Rose Fulbright, Menendez’ attorney, raised this issue with Judge William Walls,

Wisconsin v. Loomis:  The Continuing Saga Of John Henry v. the Steam-Powered Hammer? by Julie Blackman, Ph.D. John Henry was an African American folk hero and a “steel-driving man.”  He hammered steel drills into rock to make holes for explosives that cleared the way for railroad tunnels.  According to legend and song, he competed in a race against a steam-powered hammer.  He won the race but died with his hammer in his hand.  The stress of his exertion stilled his heart. While attention to the role of artificial intelligence in courtroom decision-making is new, the value-laden competition between humans and