Spiderman Goes to the Supreme Court

December 22, 2014

The U.S. Supreme Court granted a writ of certiorari in Kimble et al. v. Marvel Enterprises, Inc., No. 13-720 on December 12, 2014, aka the Spiderman case. The plaintiffs are Tucson attorneys Steve Kimble and Bob Grabb; their involvement aside, however, the case offers a look inside the world of patent law.

Steve Kimble developed an add-on device for spraying Silly String, a la Spiderman. While he was obtaining a patent, he pitched his idea to Marvel. Its people passed, but said they would pay if they used the idea. Later, Marvel marketed what amounted to the same toy.  Litigation ensued, and there was a settlement, which included cash and royalty payments. (Bob Grabb acquired an interest in

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Posner, Northwestern & Chabad

November 24, 2014

Judge Richard Posner, mentioned here before, is a Senior Judge on the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals, where he has served for almost 33 years. He still teaches at the University of Chicago, part-time, and he’s written almost 40 books and hundreds and hundreds of articles. The Journal of Legal Studies says he’s the most cited legal scholar of the 20th century.

Appellate court judges like Judge Posner are charged with making sure that in lower court proceedings, rules got followed. Months or a year or more later, they function as the instant replay. They check the trial judge, making sure he or she called things properly, and that any missed calls matter with respect

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