IP News: Apple's Spat with Samsung; Monsanto's Big Victory

Apple Inc. (NASDAQ: AAPL) is seeking sanctions after a lawyer for Samsung Electronics publicly released evidence a judge had excluded from the trial in which Apple alleges that the Korean manufacturer copied designs and technology from the iPhone and iPad. Apple says the July 31 release was meant to prejudice the jury. The Samsung attorney who approved the release of the information said that it was done in response to a request from the media and the information was already public. Apple is seeking $2.5 billion for its claims, while Samsung has countersued, claiming that Apple has infringed its patents.

McDonald’s Corp. (NYSE: MCD), the world’s largest restaurant chain, says it will send a cease-and-desist letter to a candidate for Kansas State Senate who using its name in a political advertisement. Representative Joe Patton is running a “Happy Meals” ad that attacks his opponent’s tax plan. Patton said he would pull ad upon request from McDonald’s.

Monsanto Co. (NYSE: MON) was awarded $1 billion in a patent-infringement trial against E.I. du Pont de Nemours & Co. (NYSE: DD), better known as DuPont. It was the biggest U.S. jury verdict this year, and the fourth-largest jury award in a patent trial in U.S. history, according to Bloomberg. The trial revolved around Monsanto’s patent for seeds for growing herbicide-tolerant soybeans. Monsanto had offered to settle the lawsuit during the trial by giving DuPont the opportunity to license its technology. DuPont said in a statement that it strongly disagrees with the verdict and will appeal it.