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Copyright Litigation 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

Fox Rothschild LLP on

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

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

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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

Clark Hill PLC on

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

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

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

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

That’s Bananas: Third Circuit Examines Copyright Protection Under Star Athletica

McDermott Will & Emery on

Applying the Supreme Court of the United States’ 2017 decision in Star Athletica v. Varsity Brands regarding the copyrightability of non-utilitarian sculptural design features (IP Update, Vol. 20, No. 4), the US Court of...more

Akerman LLP - Marks, Works & Secrets

The Third Circuit Goes Bananas

In Silvertop Associates, Inc. v. Kangaroo Manufacturing, Inc., the Third Circuit applied the two-part test set forth in the Supreme Court’s decision in Star Athletica, L.L.C. v. Varsity Brands, Inc., and held that a full-body...more

Dorsey & Whitney LLP

“Sleevey Wonders” are “Arm Tight” in California Lawsuit

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The women’s hosiery powerhouse, Spanx, is being sued for allegedly copying designs of a small shapewear company (R and A Synergy, LLC, v. Spanx, Inc., (C.D. Cal. 2017)). In the Complaint filed on December 21, 2017 in the...more

Shook, Hardy & Bacon L.L.P.

Food & Beverage Litigation Update | November 2017

NOSB Votes to Continue Allowing Hydroponics - The National Organic Standards Board (NOSB) has reportedly voted to continue allowing food grown in water-based nutrient solutions to be labeled “organic,” rejecting a...more

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