News & Analysis as of

Copyright Infringement Trade Dress

Farella Braun + Martel LLP

To Catch A Fashion Thief: Trend Chasing or IP Infringement?

Fighting knock-offs in the fashion industry is notoriously difficult. Copyright, trademark, and trade dress laws offer some protection for branding and marketing materials used to sell fashion products, as well as for...more

Katten Muchin Rosenman LLP

Beige Battle: Social Media Influencers Settle Dispute Over Minimalist Brand Identity - The Katten Kattwalk | Issue 29

On May 28, two "frenemy" social media influencers informed a federal court in Texas that they had settled a lawsuit in which one of them accused the other of infringing on her copyrighted social media posts on Instagram and...more

Fox Rothschild LLP

Influencer Aesthetic Dispute Resolves by Voluntarily Dismissal

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What has become known as the “Sad Beige Lawsuit” ended on May 28, 2025, when influencer Sydney Nicole Gifford (“Gifford”) voluntarily dismissed all claims against fellow influencer Alyssa Sheil (“Sheil”) with prejudice. The...more

Rivkin Radler LLP

There’s Coverage for That? The ‘Ins & Outs’ of Personal & Advertising Injury Coverage

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Michael Cannata and Frank Misiti wrote, “There’s Coverage for That? The ‘Ins and Outs’ of Personal and Advertising Injury Coverage” for the Summer 2025 issue of USLAW Magazine. The story explains “personal and advertising”...more

Ropes & Gray LLP

Imitation Game: Legal Considerations with Dupes-Based Business Models

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Lower-cost products that are inspired by luxury or well-known branded products —often called “dupes”—have been a fixture in the consumer marketplace for decades. From store-brand pain relievers sold in similar packaging next...more

Kaufman & Canoles

K&C Sports & Entertainment Law Weekly Roundup - June 2025 #2

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The New York State Education Department said it won’t rescind a ban on the use of Indigenous mascots and names in public schools despite a threat from the Trump administration to pull its federal funding, telling the U.S....more

Loeb & Loeb LLP

Carroll Shelby Licensing, Inc. v. Halicki

Loeb & Loeb LLP on

Ninth Circuit holds that custom Ford Mustang called “Eleanor,” which appeared in four films from 1974 to 2000, is not entitled to character copyright protection under Towle test and that licensor of custom car design did not...more

Clark Hill PLC

Surprise, Surprise: The “Sad Beige Lawsuit” ends

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The high-profile “Sad Beige Lawsuit” has ended between two prominent social media influencers, which begged the question, can you protect a personal “aesthetic” or “vibe?” On May 28, influencer Sydney Nicole Gifford...more

Procopio, Cory, Hargreaves & Savitch LLP

Gone from Copyright: Ninth Circuit Rejects Copyright Protection for Iconic “Eleanor” Shelby Mustang

Court Narrows Scope of Character Copyright, Drawing Sharp Line Between Props and Protectable Expression - Not every film icon gets legal protection. On May 27, 2025, the Ninth Circuit ruled that Eleanor—the legendary Mustang...more

International Lawyers Network

Different Kinds of Cool That Still Just Don’t Register: Why Birkenstocks & Melted Rink Ice (AKA Water) Aren’t Copyrightable

In 2015, the Wall Street Journal observed why Birkenstock sandals might be considered cool: “It’s a taboo thing,” said New York-based stylist Brian Coats, who dresses Jimmy Fallon....more

Troutman Pepper Locke

Shoe Dupes Walk a Fine Line After Recent IP Infringement Case

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Dupes of original branded items present significant intellectual property (IP) challenges in the fashion industry. Not all fashion products are entitled to IP protection and perceived similarities between products do not...more

K&L Gates LLP

Make Protecting Your UK and EU Product Packaging and Labels Your New Year’s IP Resolution. Part 2: Combatting Dupes and Copycats...

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Everybody knows that trade marks are necessary to protect a brand’s logo and name, and a lot of people know that registered designs are a powerful tool in stopping counterfeit goods, but did you know these rights can also be...more

Troutman Pepper Locke

What Were the Cooler Wars? (Part 1) — No Infringement Intended Podcast

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In this episode, Austin Padgett and Rusty Close delve into the intellectual property battle between cooler giants YETI and RTIC. They explore how YETI created a lifestyle brand of coolers and drinkware, and how RTIC brazenly...more

Clark Hill PLC

The “Sad Beige Lawsuit” and the Fight Over Social Media Influencer IP Rights

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Can you protect a personal “aesthetic” or “vibe?” Social media influencer Sydney Nicole Gifford believes so, as she recently sued fellow social media influencer Alyssa Sheil in Texas Federal Court, in what is now known as the...more

McDermott Will & Emery

Untwisting the Fixation Requirement: Flexible Rules on Moveable Sculptures

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The US Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit reversed and remanded a district court’s dismissal of a claim of copyright infringement for kinetic and manipulable sculptures, finding that movable structures were sufficiently...more

Farella Braun + Martel LLP

FAQs: Wine Industry Intellectual Property Protection

For wineries, managing intellectual property (IP) is crucial to maintaining brand identity and protecting creative investments. While general IP principles apply across many sectors, wineries face unique challenges and...more

Kohrman Jackson & Krantz LLP

Copycats or Common Trends? Legal Battle Between Influencers Over "Clean Girl" Aesthetic

A recent lawsuit in Texas highlights the challenges social media influencers face in protecting their intellectual property. Sydney Nicole Gifford, a well-known influencer, claims that Alyssa Sheil copied her “vibe,” –...more

Kaufman & Canoles

K&C Sports & Entertainment Law Weekly Roundup - October 2024

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Lawyers involved with a proposed multi-billion-dollar settlement of three athlete-compensation antitrust cases against the NCAA and the Power Five conferences filed documents on Thursday that included small, but potentially...more

McDonnell Boehnen Hulbert & Berghoff LLP

Andersen v. Stability AI: Defendants' Motion to Dismiss Narrows the Case, But Only Slightly

In the lawsuit brought against them for using visual artists' work to teach their large language model, and producing near-identical copies in response to prompts, Stability AI, Midjourney, DeviantArt, and Runway AI moved to...more

Kaufman & Canoles

K&C Sports & Entertainment Law Weekly Roundup - January 2024 #4

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Vince McMahon, co-founder of World Wrestling Entertainment Inc., has resigned, a WWE representative confirmed Friday, a day after a former employee claimed McMahon forced her to have sex, trafficked her to other executives...more

ArentFox Schiff

Reflecting on the Interplay Between Real Estate and Intellectual Property in 2023 - Landmark Trademark Cases and Copyright...

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As 2023 came to an end, it offered a prime opportunity to examine significant legal developments in intellectual property case law and implications for the real estate industry in the year to come. Among other things,...more

McDermott Will & Emery

Tableware Designer Gets Heavenly Results on Its Pearly Plates

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The US Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit reversed a district court decision, reversing the dismissal of a copyright claim based on lack of standing and finding ownership of the copyright in the claimant based on an...more

Fox Rothschild LLP

Intellectual Property Tools for Protecting Fashion Goods

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Just as every piece of artwork is unique, there is no “one size fits all” when it comes to protecting your fashion goods with intellectual property tools. Below are three possible situations in which you can use intellectual...more

McDermott Will & Emery

More Than a Feeling: No Fees for Frivolous Claim Where “Perceived Wrongs Were Deeply Felt”

Addressing the appropriateness of the district court’s decision to deny attorneys’ fees relating to a copyright claim it labeled “frivolous,” the US Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit affirmed the denial, despite the...more

McDermott Will & Emery

Chalk One Up to the Knock-Off

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Addressing issues of design patent infringement, copyright infringement, trade dress infringement and unfair competition, the US Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit affirmed a district court’s grant of summary judgment...more

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