The rise of the video game industry in recent years has led to growing scrutiny of certain practices by government officials. Most recently, on August 7, 2019, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) held a public workshop to...more
9/27/2019
/ Class Action ,
Consumer Protection Laws ,
False Advertising ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
Illegal Gambling ,
Legislative Agendas ,
Mobile Apps ,
Online Gaming ,
Risk Assessment ,
Risk Mitigation ,
Software Developers ,
Video Games
In the inaugural issue of Video Gaming / E-Gaming Law Update, we explore the legal risks and consumer protection issues surrounding "loot boxes" and summarize recent judicial decisions and new litigation filings that may...more
8/6/2019
/ Amazon Marketplace ,
Copyright Infringement ,
Digital Assets ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
Gambling ,
Gaming ,
Intellectual Property Protection ,
Nintendo ,
Online Gaming ,
Proposed Legislation ,
Regulatory Oversight ,
Trademark Registration ,
Trademark Trial and Appeal Board ,
Video Games
On June 24, 2019, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled, in a 6-3 decision in Iancu v. Brunetti, 588 U.S. ____ (2019), that Section 2(a) of the Lanham Act’s ban on the registration of “immoral” or “scandalous” trademarks violates the...more
6/26/2019
/ Appeals ,
Constitutional Challenges ,
First Amendment ,
Free Speech ,
Iancu v. Brunetti ,
Lanham Act ,
Reaffirmation ,
Reversal ,
Scandalous/Immoral Marks ,
SCOTUS ,
Trademark Registration ,
Trademark Trial and Appeal Board ,
Trademarks ,
Viewpoint Discrimination
On May 20, 2019, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in Mission Product Holdings, Inc. v. Tempnology, LLC, 587 U.S. ___, that a debtor’s ability to reject executory contracts under Section 365(a) of the Bankruptcy Code does not...more
5/21/2019
/ Bankruptcy Appellate Panel (BAP) ,
Bankruptcy Code ,
Breach of Contract ,
Commercial Bankruptcy ,
Debtors ,
Exclusions ,
Executory Contracts ,
IP License ,
Mission Product Holdings Inc v Tempnology LLC ,
Rescission ,
Reversal ,
SCOTUS ,
Section 365 ,
Split of Authority ,
Trademark Licenses ,
Trademarks ,
Trustees
On March 4, 2019, the U.S. Supreme Court issued two unanimous decisions interpreting the Copyright Act.
In Fourth Estate Public Benefit Corp. v. Wall-Street.com LLC, 586 U.S. ___, the Court resolved a circuit split over when...more
3/5/2019
/ Appeals ,
Copyright ,
Copyright Applications ,
Copyright Exhaustion ,
Copyright Infringement ,
Copyright Litigation ,
Copyright Registration ,
Damages ,
Expert Fees ,
Fourth Estate Public Benefit Corp v Wall-Street.com LLC ,
Judicial Discretion ,
Litigation Fees & Costs ,
Petition for Writ of Certiorari ,
Popular ,
Prevailing Party ,
Reaffirmation ,
Remand ,
Remedies ,
Reversal ,
Rimini Street Inc v Oracle USA Inc ,
SCOTUS ,
Solicitor General ,
Split of Authority ,
The Copyright Act ,
Uniformity
On July 27, 2018, the Federal Circuit ruled that a patent applicant’s obligation to pay the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office’s (PTO) “expenses” for district court proceedings to review patent application rejections does not...more
7/31/2018
/ 35 U.S.C. § 145 ,
Administrative Proceedings ,
American Rule ,
Appeals ,
Attorney's Fees ,
En Banc Review ,
Litigation Fees & Costs ,
Patent Examinations ,
Patent Litigation ,
Patent Trial and Appeal Board ,
Patents ,
Reversal ,
Split of Authority ,
Sua Sponte ,
Trademarks ,
USPTO ,
Vacated
On June 28, 2018, the U.S. Supreme Court granted petition for writ of certiorari in Fourth Estate Public Benefit Corporation v. Wall-Street.com, LLC, on appeal from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit’s May 18,...more
7/2/2018
/ Appeals ,
Copyright ,
Copyright Infringement ,
Copyright Registration ,
Fourth Estate Public Benefit Corp v Wall-Street.com LLC ,
Petition for Writ of Certiorari ,
SCOTUS ,
Solicitor General ,
Split of Authority ,
The Copyright Act ,
Uniformity
On March 22, 2017, in a 6-2 decision in Star Athletica, L.L.C. v. Varsity Brands, Inc., et al., 580 U.S. ___, the U.S. Supreme Court held that a design feature incorporated into a useful article may obtain copyright...more
3/23/2017
/ Cheerleaders ,
Copyright ,
Copyrightable Subject Matter ,
Fashion Design ,
Graphic Designs ,
SCOTUS ,
Section 101 ,
Separability ,
Star Athletica v Varsity Brands ,
The Copyright Act ,
Uniforms ,
Utilitarian Function
On June 16, 2016, in an 8-0 decision in Kirtsaeng v. John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 579 U.S. __, the U.S. Supreme Court held that when district courts determine whether or not to award discretionary attorney fees to prevailing...more