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Monthly Minute | Design Patents
Patent Infringement: Successful Litigation Stays the "Course"
In today’s competitive and innovation-driven economy, protecting intellectual property (IP) is no longer just about securing utility patents. A well-rounded IP strategy that incorporates multiple forms of IP, such as trade...more
Utility patent protection is typically the first thing that comes to mind for protecting a product; however, such protection may not be available when the product has been on the market a long time or is dominated by...more
Summary Trade dress is a powerful intellectual property (IP) tool that can be used to protect the distinctive non-functional “look and feel" of a product’s design, shape and/or 3D configuration.[1] Product manufacturers and...more
The beauty industry is ever changing, and makeup trends and viral product releases can drastically increase a company’s profits. However, without proper legal protection, competitors can quickly replicate a product, eating...more
Product designs often serve as the cornerstone of a brand’s identity, evoking instant recognition and loyalty among consumers. From the iconic silhouette of Coca-Cola’s glass bottle to the distinctive shape of Gibson guitars,...more
A New York-based design studio has filed a Federal lawsuit asserting infringement of one of its “most prominent and coveted products”; namely, a frosted glass orb chandelier. According to the complaint filed August 8, 2023,...more
Many brand owners are familiar with the value of registered trademarks, which safeguard the goodwill cultivated between mark holders and consumers by reducing confusion as to the source of the associated goods. However,...more
Thank you for reading the September 2023 issue of Sterne Kessler's MarkIt to Market® newsletter. This month, we discuss the significant revisions to the FTC's guidelines for endorsements and examine the benefits of design...more
Your products and product designs are the life blood of your business. However, many companies don’t think about protecting their creative product designs, and product packaging with intellectual property registrations. This...more
Last year, in our inaugural issue of “The Year in Review,” we reported that since the landmark jury verdict in the IP litigation between Apple and Samsung in 2012, which awarded more than $1B to Apple for infringement of...more
There was a lot of talk and much hype about the “metaverse” in 2022. While some were skeptical and stayed on the sidelines to watch, many companies began offering virtual counterparts to their real-world products for use by...more
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
It’s hard to be a fashion innovator. It’s far easier to be an imitator. Success requires enormous investment in creating and marketing new designs, with no certainty that the designs will succeed. The imitator merely needs to...more
Like the United States, China offers protection for 2D and 3D designs of products and packaging, which is often known by U.S. consumers and practitioners as “trade dress.” This four-part miniseries of posts provides a...more
In Ezaki Glico Kabushiki Kaisha v. Lotte International America Corp., the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit considered a trade dress infringement dispute between two confectioners. Ezaki Glico (“Ezaki”), a Japanese...more
The US Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit found that trade dress protection did not extend to the design of a chocolate-dipped, stick-shaped cookie, because the product configuration was useful. Ezaki Glico Kabushiki...more
On May 12, 2020, the United States Patent and Trademark Office issued over 700 new design patents. Fashion-related designs figured prominently among the new patent grants including accessories like eyeglasses (see U.S. Design...more
Three years ago, the Supreme Court announced a seemingly simple separability test for determining whether features of a useful article are eligible for copyright protection in the landmark decision Star Athletica v. Varsity...more
Please join Partner Babak Kusha along with client panelists Shannon King of Williams-Sonoma, Collette Parris of S'well, and Danielle Warner of FIGS as they discuss design patents, the often-overlooked patent right that covers...more
In confirming that the unregistered trade dress of the Chambord French press coffeemaker was nonfunctional, the US Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit affirmed the district court’s determination that plaintiff’s...more
On June 12, 2019, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit decided Bodum USA, Inc. v. A Top New Casting Inc., No. 18-3030, 2019 U.S. App. LEXIS 17555 (7th Cir. June 12, 2019). The case, led by Vedder Price...more
The maker of the Tieks ballet flat Gavrieli Brands walked away with over $2.1 million when a federal jury found Soto Massini’s competing designs infringed on Tieks’ patents and trade dress....more
Manufacturers may assume that protection of their brands can only be achieved through trademark protection of names, logos, and slogans. In fact, a broad arsenal of intellectual property tools is available to ensure that...more
Knock-offs and ‘copycat’ designs are nothing new to the fashion world. The rising demand for “fast fashion” and bargain hunting alike make knock-offs particularly attractive to the consumer’s insatiable appetite. This trend...more
Earlier this month, the Court of Justice of the European Union held that the taste of a food product cannot be classified as a work protectable by copyright. This decision appears to be in line with U.S. Copyright law,...more