Blog Articles

The United States Supreme Court (the Supreme Court) recently ended a nearly six-year legal battle regarding the constitutionality of the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act (PASPA). In Murphy v. National Collegiate Athletic Association, 138 S. Ct. 1461 (2018), the Supreme Court, with Justice Alito authoring the majority opinion, joined by Chief Justice Roberts, and …

Continue reading "Nevada Touts in a Bout"

For winter sport enthusiasts and hikers alike, a goal only a few accomplish, involves the will, training and drive to reach the South Pole. This beautiful but strenuous 700-plus mile journey through white-out conditions, limited resources and pulling one’s own weight in supplies to survive, is a feat. This winter, Eric Larsen will try to …

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On November 9, 2018, in Arista Networks, Inc. v. Cisco Systems, Inc., the Federal Circuit held that assignor estoppel does not apply in inter partes review (IPR) proceedings. In this case, a former employee of Cisco Systems, Inc. (“Cisco”), who had assigned his invention as patented (U.S. Patent No. 7,340,597 – “the ‘597 patent”) to Cisco, …

Continue reading "Federal Circuit Decision: Assignor Estoppel Has No Place in IPR Proceedings"

On November 5, the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals decided an appeal of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers approval of a project to store more water in Colorado’s Chatfield Reservoir. The Audubon Society had challenged the Corps’ decision under the National Environmental Policy Act and the Clean Water Act, arguing that the Corps decision …

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KEY FEDERAL RACES At the federal level, 10 of 11 seats in Arizona’s Congressional delegation saw election races. The 2018 election shaped up to be a groundbreaking year for Arizona politics as hard-fought races caught the attention of the entire nation. U.S. Senate: With Senator Flake’s announcement to not seek re-election, a contentious election bid formed …

Continue reading "Recap and Commentary for Arizona’s 2018 Mid-Term Elections"

The results of the  2018 general election are in the books for 318 contested races. A total of 2,578,358 Colorado voters returned ballots (813,079 Republicans, 848,493 Democrats and 877,066 Unaffiliated). We want to take a moment to give you a brief update on where things stand now, and what it will mean for the state …

Continue reading "Colorado 2018 General Election Recap"

The results of the  2018 general election are in the books for 318 contested races. A total of 2,578,358 Colorado voters returned ballots (813,079 Republicans, 848,493 Democrats and 877,066 Unaffiliated). We want to take a moment to give you a brief update on where things stand now, and what it will mean for the state …

Continue reading "Colorado 2018 General Election Recap"

The results of the  2018 general election are in the books for 318 contested races. A total of 2,578,358 Colorado voters returned ballots (813,079 Republicans, 848,493 Democrats and 877,066 Unaffiliated). We want to take a moment to give you a brief update on where things stand now, and what it will mean for the state …

Continue reading "Colorado 2018 General Election Recap"

In 2017, voters in Denver approved the so-called “Green Roofs” initiative, which called for buildings over 25,000 ft. sq. to dedicate a certain portion (between 20% and 60% depending on building size) of the rooftop to green space. However, just yesterday the Denver City Council unanimously voted to repeal and replace the green roof requirement …

Continue reading "“Not-So-Green-Roofs” in Denver"

There’s a new “buzz” in the solar energy industry and it has nothing to do with declining solar energy prices, the efficiency of solar panels, or tax credits.  The “buzz” is about bees and other pollinators.  A report from Argonne National Laboratory earlier this year highlighted the potentially beneficial relationship between utility-scale solar energy (“USSE”) facilities …

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Pohl v. MH Sub I, LLC d/b/a Officite (N.D.Fla., June 20, 2018) U.S. District Judge Mark Walker of the Northern District of Florida determined that no reasonable jury could find that a plaintiff-dentist’s before-and-after photos of his patient’s teeth are sufficiently creative or original to warrant copyright protection. On summary judgment, the court acknowledged that …

Continue reading "Are Photographs of Utilitarian Objects Copyrightable?"

Online event ticket sales have been a common topic of complaints filed with the Federal Trade Commission so much so that the Commission has announced it will hold a public workshop on March 27, 2019.  The Release states, “Issues that frequently arise in connection with online event ticket sales include practices that prevent consumers from …

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HQ Trivia has taken the country by storm. HQ Trivia is an app and trivia game, released in  August 2017 on iOS and later for Android in December 2017. The app has seen viral success by successfully turning Jeopardy! into a live smartphone game show. Now, HQ is coming out with a new show format: HQ Words, …

Continue reading "Social Trivia Offerings Go Viral Amplifying the Importance of Compliance"

On October 2, 2018, the Federal Communications Commission released Public Notice DA-18-1009 announcing the launch of the National Lifeline Eligibility Verifier in Six States:   Colorado, Mississippi, Montana, New Mexico, Utah and Wyoming.   Starting on November 2, 2018, Eligible Telecommunications Carriers (ETCs) in these six states will be required to use the National Verifier System to …

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An open letter signed by 16 international gambling regulators, which includes the Washington State Gambling Commission, stated they are “increasingly concerned with the risks being posed by the blurring of lines between gambling and other forms of digital entertainment.” The regulators intend to analyze characteristics of social gaming and video games and, in the letter, …

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Governor Brown just signed a renewable energy initiative passed by the California legislature and known as SB100 that sets a goal of phasing out fossil fuels from the state’s energy portfolio by 2045.  That initiative requires California’s utilities to utilize specific renewable resources to generate 60 percent of their portfolio by 2030, 10 percent higher …

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On September 5, 2018, by a 4-0 vote, the New Mexico Public Regulation Commission denied SunZia’s proposed $2 billion high-voltage transmission project through seven counties in southern New Mexico.  The Commission relied heavily on the hearing examiner’s recommended decision which found that the location and route for the transmission line lacked sufficient specificity and did …

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In 1978, the Public Utility Regulatory Policies Act (PURPA) was signed into law with the overall goals of promoting energy conservation and encouraging the development of domestic renewable energy resources.  Among other mechanisms, PURPA sought to accomplish these goals through the recognition of a new class of generating facilities – Qualifying Facilities (QF).  In general, …

Continue reading "Is Colorado the Next Front in the PURPA Wars?"

Interesting story regarding Apple’s crackdown on gambling-related apps: Click here to read the story. As noted in the article, the ban appears to be, at least initially, a result of Norway requesting that Apple ban all gambling apps from its app store in that country. If you have questions regarding this or need legal assistance in …

Continue reading "Apple Takes Tougher Stance on Gambling Apps"

Months after the momentous U.S. Supreme Court decision permitting states to regulate sports betting, and the subsequent introduction of sports betting in several states (including DraftKings’ launch of the first mobile sports betting app in New Jersey) the focus now shifts to if and how U.S. credit card issuers will help fund such activities. Currently, …

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As wind and solar energy becomes more economical and states pass legislation requiring energy producing companies to have greater percentages of renewable energy as part of their portfolios, unexpected consequences are occurring.  In an article by Bloomberg LP on August 7, 2018, recent data shows that the amount of electricity being generated exceeds demand during …

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Last week, Colorado and seven other states (Montana, North Carolina, Oregon, Utah, Vermont, Washington, and Wyoming)  signed the “Confluence Accords” – a treaty of sorts that commits the signors to various efforts to grow the outdoor recreation economy. The agreement dictates that the states adopt common principles aimed at: public education and promotion of the …

Continue reading "States Team Up to Support and Protect the Outdoors and the $900 Billion Industry It Creates"

On May 25, 2018, the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) took full effect across the countries of the European Union, with unknown (and highly anticipated) effects on UDRP and related proceedings. In the days leading up to May 25, 2018, many trademark owners prepared and filed UDRP complaints for most, if not all, troublesome domain …

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What is Blockchain? Blockchain technology, some might argue, is the most important technological innovation since the Internet. Those impacted by this technology are not only companies, but also everyday people. Thus, everyone should try to have a basic understanding of what blockchain is, and how one might benefit from it. The inventor of the blockchain …

Continue reading "Blockchain: What is it and can I protect it via patents?"

On January 17, 2018, Partner and Chair of Lewis Roca Rothgerber Christie’s Commercial Gaming group, Karl Rutledge,  along with other leaders in the gaming industry, participated in a roundtable discussion hosted by Gaming Law Review which explored the important debate relative to the concepts of skill and chance. To read the full transcript of the …

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Lewis Roca Rothgerber Christie has announced Karl Rutledge, a partner in the firm’s Las Vegas office and chair of the firm’s gaming industry practice, has been elected as a member of the Executive Committee of the Gaming Law Section for the Nevada State Bar. “Karl is a leader in the field of gaming and administrative …

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In the aftermath of the Oil States and SAS Supreme Court decisions, the PTO’s proposal to adopt the Phillips standard for claim construction brings a small measure of relief for universities and research institutions.  The “broadest reasonable interpretation” claim construction standard currently used by the PTAB in deciding IPRs may open the instituted claims to challenge by a larger body of …

Continue reading "PTAB Proposal on Claim Construction Would Align with Federal Courts, ITC"

The Supreme Court’s decision in SAS Institute v. Iancu represents yet another blow to patent owners, but is an especially troublesome complication for universities and research institutions trying to generate licensing revenue. As obtaining a decision of invalidity may be easier in an inter partes review (IPR) in front of the Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB) than …

Continue reading "SAS Decision Could Have Chilling Effect on University Licensing"

On April 11, 2018, Arizona Governor Doug Ducey signed into law HB 2238. The Bill clarifies the appellate landscape for individuals and businesses challenging administrative decisions made by state agencies. In our blog post from May 7, 2017, we foreshadowed the legislation:  https://blog.lrrc.com/energy/2017/05/07/chevron-deference-arizona/ To recap, under federal law, if a statute or statutory term is …

Continue reading "New Appeals Process for Challenging Administrative Decisions Made by State Agencies in Arizona"

Winners and Losers in the 2018 Colorado General Assembly The warm weather has returned, spring sports are in full swing, and the Colorado General Assembly has adjourned for 2018. That means it’s time to take a look at the scorecard and review the energy and utilities related issues that won and lost this legislative season. …

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