On June 29, 2023, the Supreme Court decided Abitron Austria GMBH v. Hetronic Int’l, Inc., No. 21-1043, addressing the extraterritoriality of the Lanham Act. The Court held that §1114(1)(a) and §1125(a)(1) of the Lanham Act do...more
On May 14, 2020, the U.S. Supreme Court decided Lucky Brand Dungarees, Inc., et al. v. Marcel Fashions Group, Inc., No. 18-1086, addressing the subjects of claim and issue preclusion. The Court held that claim preclusion (or...more
6/15/2020
/ Claim Preclusion ,
Collateral Estoppel ,
Counterclaims ,
Defense Preclusion ,
Fashion Branding ,
Issue Preclusion ,
Lucky Brand Dungarees v Marcel Fashion Group ,
Motion to Dismiss ,
Res Judicata ,
SCOTUS ,
Split of Authority ,
Subsequent Litigation ,
Trademark Infringement ,
Trademark Litigation ,
Trademarks
Copyright Opinions -
Absence of Source Code for Video Games Results in JMOL of Non-Infringement: Antonick v. Electronic Arts, Inc., No. 14-15298 (9th Cir. Nov. 22, 2016).
Hurwitz, J. In a suit for royalties on EA's...more
12/14/2016
/ Amazon ,
Derivative Works ,
Due Process ,
IP License ,
Lanham Act ,
Nintendo ,
Noninfringement ,
Royalties ,
Trademark Infringement ,
Trademark Litigation ,
Use in Commerce ,
Warner Brothers Entertainment
Supreme Court Agrees to Review Bar on Registration of Disparaging Marks, Denies Washington Redskins' Petition to Join Proceedings -
Supreme Court Agrees to Review Bar on Registration of Disparaging Marks, Denies...more
10/19/2016
/ Blackhorse v Pro-Football ,
Copyright Infringement ,
Copyright Litigation ,
Disparagement ,
First Amendment ,
Lanham Act ,
Misappropriation ,
Petition for Writ of Certiorari ,
Preemption ,
Redskins ,
SCOTUS ,
The Slants ,
Trade Secrets ,
Trademark Litigation
Copyright Opinions -
Samples in Madonna's “Vogue” Too Trivial to Be Infringing: VMG Salsoul, LLC v. Ciccone, Nos. 13-57104, 14-55837 (9th Cir. June 2, 2016) -
Graber, J. In a suit claiming infringement of both...more
7/8/2016
/ B&B Hardware v Hargis Industries ,
Burning Man ,
Collateral Estoppel ,
Copyright Infringement ,
Copyright Litigation ,
De Minimus Quantity Exemption ,
Fee-Shifting ,
Injunctive Relief ,
Judgment As A Matter Of Law ,
Noninfringement ,
Popular ,
Sound Recording Copyrights ,
Summary Judgment ,
The Copyright Act ,
Trademark Infringement ,
Trademark Litigation ,
Trademark Trial and Appeal Board ,
Visual Artists Rights Act (VARA)
Copyright Opinions -
Sixth Circuit Upholds Siblings' Termination of Brother's Copyright Assignment: Brumley v. Albert E. Brumley & Sons, Inc., No. 15-5429 (6th Cir. May 16, 2016) -
Sutton, J. In a declaratory...more
6/1/2016
/ Acquiescence ,
Attorney's Fees ,
Copyright Litigation ,
Exceptional Case ,
Fair Use ,
Generic ,
IP Assignment Agreements ,
Lanham Act ,
Likelihood of Confusion ,
Octane Fitness v. ICON ,
Sound Recording Copyrights ,
The Copyright Act ,
Trademark Infringement ,
Trademark Litigation ,
Trademark Registration ,
Trademark Trial and Appeal Board
Summaries of Recent Precedential and Informative Appellate Opinions -
Trademark Opinions -
Owners of Foreign Marks May Sue Under Lanham Act Without Using Marks in the US: Belmora LLC v. Bayer Consumer Care AG,...more
4/5/2016
/ Amazon ,
Athletes ,
Bayer ,
Canada ,
Copyright Infringement ,
Copyright Litigation ,
Country of Origin ,
DC Comics ,
Dilution ,
Forum Non Conveniens ,
Lanham Act ,
Likelihood of Confusion ,
NFL ,
Petition for Writ of Certiorari ,
Popular ,
Right of Publicity ,
SCOTUS ,
Sex Trafficking ,
Tariff Act of 1930 ,
Trademark Infringement ,
Trademark Litigation ,
Trademark Trial and Appeal Board
In Belmora LLC v. Bayer Consumer Care AG,1 the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit is faced with novel issues about the reach of the Lanham Act. The case arose from Bayer’s filing of a petition to cancel Belmora’s...more
1/6/2016
/ Bayer ,
Lanham Act ,
Lexmark v Static Control Components ,
Mexico ,
Popular ,
SCOTUS ,
Standing ,
Trademark Cancellation ,
Trademark Litigation ,
Trademark Trial and Appeal Board ,
Young Lawyers
On March 24, the US Supreme Court issued a decision that is likely to raise the stakes of proceedings before the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board (TTAB). In B&B Hardware, Inc.v. Hargis Industries, Inc., No. 13-352 (March 24,...more