OA107: Adnan Syed Obviously Did It (Also: You Can Learn About Patents!)

Today's super-sized show -- at long last! --  discusses season 1 of the Serial podcast.  Even if you haven't heard Serial, we think you'll enjoy this application of the principles of reasonable doubt. We begin with a discussion of the recent settlement between Evergreen College and Bret Weinstein.  Why does Andrew say this means the college valued Weinstein's alleged $3.8 million lawsuit at zero? In the main segment, Andrew goes through some of the issues behind the Serial and Undisclosed podcasts related to the Adnan Syed case. Next, Andrew does a mini-deep dive on patent law by looking at a strange recent deal between Allergan and the Saint Regis Mohawk Tribe.  What in the world do these two entities have in common? Listen and find out! Finally, we end with the answer to Thomas Take the Bar Exam Question #42 regarding authentication of evidence.  Don't forget to following our Twitter feed (@Openargs) and like our Facebook Page so that you too can play along with #TTTBE! Recent Appearances Andrew was a guest on Episode 11 of the Reasonable Risk podcast; go check it out! Show Notes & Links

1. Andrew quoted extensively from State v. Earp, 319 Md. 156, 170-172 (1990) on witness coaching.
2. This is Allergan's press release regarding their deal to sell the patents to the St. Regis Mohawk Tribe.
3. The two relevant sections from the U.S. Code relating to inter partes review are 35 USC § 102 (“no prior art”) and 35 USC § 103 (“non-obvious”).
4. This IP website has a brief discussion of the Oil States v. Greene's Energy Group case in which the Supreme Court will consider whether the inter partes review process is constitutional.
5. The two recent patent cases discussed in the "C" segment are Covidien, LP v. University of Florida Research Foundation, Inc. (Jan. 25, 2017) and NeoChord v. University of Maryland, Baltimore (May 23, 2017).
6. For a refresher on sovereign immunity, you might want to check out Opening Arguments Episode #90.
7. Finally, don't forget to check out and join the Opening Arguments Facebook Community!

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