In the News Today – October 28, 2016
- Leading Patent Lawsuit Filer Demanding License Fees from Small Businesses: Shipping & Transit LLC has sued more than 100 small companies in 2016, claiming these companies are infringing on its patents “through use of its electronic tracking, text, email and other messaging to customers.” Despite hundreds of lawsuits filed by Shipping & Transit, a court has never ruled on the merits of the patent claims largely due to the fact that fighting could “cost more than settling” for the small businesses targeted by Shipping & Transit. (The Wall Street Journal)
- Loftis Gets Dinged by the State Ethics Commission: The State Ethics Commission has fined South Carolina State Treasurer Curtis Loftis and reprimanded him for “helping hire a friend to represent his office in a lawsuit,” reports the Post and Courier. “Weeks after a seven-hour Ethics Commission hearing, the panel found Loftis violated ethics law by hiring lawyer Michael Montgomery to assist in a suit against Bank of New York Mellon. Montgomery received $2 million in legal fees for his work on the case.” (Post and Courier)