U.S. Supreme Court

Next week, the U.S. Supreme Court will take up the copyright dispute between broadcast TV companies and Aereo, an Internet startup that streams broadcast programming online. Broadcasters have a Plan B if Aereo wins, The Wall Street Journal reports: "Plan B options under consideration range from lobbying Congress for a legislative solution to perhaps thwarting Aereo by shifting to cable transmission from broadcast. The most radical of the contingency plans is the recent suggestion from CBS Corp. CBS -0.08% Chief Executive Leslie Moonves that the company could offer its own Internet service if Aereo wins."

The U.S. Supreme Court, 5-4, has struck down overall limits on campaign contributions to candidates, political parties and political action committees, the Associated Press reports. Chief Justice John Roberts, writing for the conservative majority, said the overall limits intrude without justification on First Amendment activities. The court preserved a cap on donations to a single candidate, the AP further reports.

The U.S. Supreme Court has agreed to take up a case involving Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd.'s top selling drug, Copaxone, The Philadelphia Inquirer reports. The case could impact patent litigation, including because Teva asked the Supreme Court to require the Federal Circuit to be more deferential to lower court ruings.

The U.S. Supreme Court seemed skeptical of changing how software patents are enforced during oral argument Monday, Re/code reports: "On Monday, the court heard arguments in a case that could have far-reaching implications for the software industry, as the justices took up the issue of whether the Patent Act authorizes the granting of patents on software based on abstract ideas."

Alice Corp. argues that its patents for its software, designed to reduce the risk of non-payments, were infringed by CLS Bank International, but some of the justices questioned how its patents weren't just a computer version of an unpatentable abstract idea, Re/code said.

The U.S. Supreme Court will hear a case next month that could shape the future of broadcast TV and the contours of copyright law. Aereo, an Internet start-up that streams free broadcast TV over the Internet, argues that a ruling against it would "cripple the entire cloud industry," The Hill reports. Broadcasters argue the streaming services violates their copyrights in their programming.

The U.S. Supreme Court is slated to hear arguments tomorrow on whether software can continue to be patented, The Washington Post reports: "The case, Alice Corp. v. CLS Bank, focuses on software built to eliminate 'settlement risk' in currency and financial transactions where money is held in escrow and one party could renege on a deal and leave the other holding the bag. Alice Corp. claims that CLS Bank offers a service that infringes on its patent."

In a 1981 case, the court ruled that patents for inventions that tied a computer program to a real-world application were permissible, but patents involving solely a "mathemetical forumula" were not, The Post reports.

The U.S. Supreme Court "appeared likely on Wednesday to protect Secret Service agents from being sued for violating the free speech rights of demonstrators. During arguments in Wood v. Moss, justices of all stripes seemed ready to defer to the Secret Service's need to make split-second decisions to protect the president, without being second-guessed in court," Supreme Court Brief's Tony Mauro reported.

The U.S. Supreme Court appeared split on whether private for-profit companies have to provide insurance coverage for contraceptives to their employees, even if it violates their owners' religious beliefs, the Christian Science Monitor reports. Swing vote Justice Anthony Kennedy "asked skeptical questions of both sides, but one interaction with US Solicitor General Donald Verrilli might signal trouble for the Obama administration’s position. Kennedy asked Mr. Verrilli whether the administration’s position might mean that for-profit corporations could be forced to pay for abortions for their employees regardless of any religious objections of company owners. 'No,' Verrilli said immediately. A federal law prohibits such a government command, he said. 'But your reasoning would permit that,' Kennedy persisted."

Tony Mauro, writing in Supreme Court Brief, reports that the U.S. Supreme Court has no plans to provide wider access to the court. The Coalition of Court Transparency, a network of media and open-access organizations, had asked for broadcast of court proceedings or the same-day release of audio from oral transcripts, Mauro also reports.

The U.S. Supreme Court has rejected a petition of certiorari from the Delaware Court of Chancery to consider reinstating secret arbitrations in corporate litigation exceeding $1 million, The Legal Intelligencer's Jeff Mordock reports. Lower courts said the law violated the right of the public to access court proceedings.