Judges Speak Out on IP

On February 4, 2009, the Intellectual Property Committee of the Young Lawyers' Section of the Chicago Bar Association hosted its second annual Judges Panel. The distinguished panel was comprised of four judges from the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois: Chief Judge, the Honorable James F. Holderman, the Honorable John F. Grady, the Honorable John W. Darrah and the Honorable Joan Humphrey Lefkow. The judges commented on recent holdings in intellectual property cases, including Tiffany, Inc. v. eBay, Inc. and Egyptian Goddess, Inc. v. Swisa, Inc. , provided practical advice to attorneys and their clients, and reported on the Northern District of Illinois' adoption of patent-specific local rules and potential participation in a pilot program to establish a pool of judges designated to hear patent cases...