Fashion Industry, Intellectual Property Protection, Appeals

German Birkenstock Decision Shows the Limits of Copyright Protection for Functional Designs

Quarles & Brady LLP on 3/14/2025

“Aber ist es Kunst?” - That question—“But is it art?”—was before the German Bundesgerichtshof (“BGH”), or Federal Court of Justice, in a recent proceeding involving the well-known Birkenstock sandal design. ...more

Lucky Opening Brief on Cert.: Second Circuit’s Novel “Defense Preclusion” Rule Turns a Blind Eye on Bedrock Preclusion Principles

Akerman LLP - Marks, Works & Secrets on 10/29/2019

In June 2019, the United States Supreme Court granted certiorari in Lucky Brand Dungarees Inc., et al. v. Marcel Fashion Group Inc., No. 18-1086. As set forth in our prior blog posts, Lucky Brand Dungarees Inc. and related...more

Federal Circuit revives Converse’s Chuck Taylor trademark and infringement claims

Hogan Lovells on 11/6/2018

In a recent decision that illustrates the relevance of timing in evaluating the question of secondary meaning, the Court of Appeals of the Federal Circuit breathed new life into Converse’s “Chuck Taylor” sneaker design...more

Europe: Well-Known Brand Owners Learn From Puma – Evaluate Your Reputation Right!

Hogan Lovells on 10/8/2018

(Judgment of 26 September 2018 in Case T-62/16 – Puma SE v. EUIPO / Doosan Machine Tools Co. Ltd) - In a case concerning completely dissimilar goods and different public, the General Court (GC) once again confirmed that...more

Tam Extended: Prohibition of “Immoral and Scandalous” Trademarks Unconstitutional

Akerman LLP - Marks, Works & Secrets on 12/28/2017

The Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit recently extended First Amendment protections for trademark applications in In re Brunetti, No. 15-1109 (Fed. Cir. December 15, 2017), ruling that Section 2(a) of the Lanham Act’s...more

Federal Circuit Makes Way For FUCT, Striking Down The Statutory Bar On Immoral Or Scandalous Trademark Registrations As...

Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP on 12/20/2017

On December 15, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit struck down the Lanham Act's ban on registering immoral or scandalous trademarks as unconstitutional on First Amendment grounds in In re Brunetti, --- F.3d...more

Litigation Alert: In Louis Vuitton Trademark Suit, Second Circuit Says Parody Prevails Even if Brand Owner Doesn’t “Get” the Joke

Fenwick & West LLP on 12/28/2016

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit recently affirmed the Southern District of New York’s order on summary judgment that My Other Bag’s canvas tote bags do not dilute or infringe Louis Vuitton’s trademarks for...more

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