Intellectual Property

Req 7c — IP Disputes in the News

7c.
Discuss with your counselor an article or (with your parent or guardian’s permission) a report on the internet about a recent legal case involving an intellectual property dispute.

Intellectual property disputes are not abstract legal theory — they involve billions of dollars, shape the technology products you use every day, and set the rules for how companies compete. Finding and analyzing a real case brings everything you learned in Req 7a to life.

How to Find a Case

Search for recent IP disputes using these strategies:

Search terms to try:

Reliable sources for legal news:

Reuters — Intellectual Property News Reuters' dedicated intellectual property news section covering major patent, copyright, and trademark cases worldwide. Ars Technica — Law & Disorder Technology policy and legal coverage written for a general audience — explains complex cases in accessible language. The Verge — Policy & Law The Verge's coverage of technology law and policy, including IP disputes involving major tech companies.

Notable Cases to Research

If you are having trouble finding a case on your own, here are some well-documented disputes you can research. Each involves a different type of intellectual property:

Patent: Apple vs. Samsung (Smartphones)

Apple sued Samsung in 2011, claiming that Samsung’s Galaxy phones copied the iPhone’s design — including the rounded rectangle shape, the icon grid layout, and touch gestures. The case lasted years, went to the U.S. Supreme Court, and resulted in Samsung paying Apple over $500 million. This case raised fundamental questions about how much protection a product’s visual design should receive.

Google used parts of Oracle’s Java programming language to build the Android operating system. Oracle argued this was copyright infringement. Google argued it was “fair use.” After a decade-long legal battle, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled 6-2 in Google’s favor in 2021, finding that Google’s use of the Java API was fair use. This decision has major implications for how software developers can use and build upon existing code.

Copyright: AI-Generated Content Disputes

Multiple lawsuits have been filed by artists, writers, and news organizations against AI companies, arguing that AI training on copyrighted works without permission constitutes infringement. These cases — involving companies like OpenAI, Stability AI, and others — are still unfolding and could reshape how copyright law applies to artificial intelligence.

Trade Secret: Waymo vs. Uber (Self-Driving Cars)

Google’s self-driving car division (Waymo) sued Uber in 2017, alleging that a former engineer stole 14,000 confidential files about their self-driving technology before joining Uber. The case settled with Uber paying Waymo approximately $245 million in equity. It highlighted how trade secret theft can shortcut years of research and development.

Analyzing Your Case

When you discuss your chosen case with your counselor, be prepared to cover:

Case Analysis Framework

Prepare these points for your counselor discussion
  • What type of intellectual property was at stake? (Copyright, patent, trademark, or trade secret)
  • Who were the parties involved? What does each company or person do?
  • What specifically was the dispute about? What did the plaintiff claim?
  • What was the defendant’s argument?
  • How was the case resolved? (Court ruling, settlement, ongoing)
  • Do you agree with the outcome? Why or why not?
  • How does this case affect ordinary technology users?
A teenager in a Scout uniform sitting at a library table reading about a technology legal case on a laptop

You have covered the legal side of digital technology. Now let’s shift to the environmental side — what happens to all these devices when they reach the end of their lives.