The Briefing: The Supreme Court Limits the Reach of The Lanham Act [PODCAST]
Emerging Strategies for Protecting Global IP Rights
Patent Series: Protecting inventions
Video Game Lawsuit Highlights Intellectual Property Issues with Internet Memes
Harlem Shake's Copyright Issues
Apple Loses First 'Big' Case to MobileMedia, Lawyer Says
Copyright Safe Harbors: Establishing Protection Against Infringement Claims
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
I. Trade Dress Is Either a Trademark or Service Mark. “Trade dress” functions as either a trademark or service mark. A “trademark” is any word, term, phase, symbol, logo, design, shape, tag line, background, color, scent,...more
A key challenge for policyholders seeking coverage under commercial general liability, directors and officers and other insurance policies is the presence of the so-called “intellectual property exclusion.” In a typical...more
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
On June 15th, Sugarfina Inc. (“Sugarfina”), a gourmet candy boutique, sued one of its competitors, Sweet Pete’s LLC (“Sweet Pete’s”), accusing Sweet Pete’s of trade dress, copyright, trademark, and patent infringement, as...more
The way in which a product looks or how it is packaged and sold can often be a driving force in the consumer’s purchasing decision. Yet, the intellectual property rights available for product designs and packaging are...more
I often get asked by clients to discuss the differences between design patents and trade dress. Both are intellectual property protections that protect similar aspects of a product—the appearance and aesthetic features. Last...more
In the latest chapter of a year-long battle between an individual inventor and two companies, Lisa Duer (“Duer”), a resident of Woodstock, Georgia, filed her Third Amended Complaint alleging patent infringement, trademark...more
Diageo Enforces Trade Dress Rights in its CROWN ROYAL Drawstring Bag - Diageo owns a registration for the mark CROWN ROYAL for whiskey. Diageo has sold its CROWN ROYAL whiskey in a purple drawstring bag for many...more
Last week, Judge William Quarles of the District of Maryland issued an injunction preventing Maryland Republican State Senator Steve Hershey from using his own campaign literature. The case was brought by the Hershey...more
Earlier this week, the Fourth Circuit reversed the dismissal of a Lanham Act claim for trade dress infringement involving a pixel pattern embossed on an absorbent textile-like product used in medical supplies, hygiene...more
On April 1, 2014, Select Management Resources, LLC of Alpharetta, Georgia (“Select”) filed a complaint against Title Credit Acceptance, LLC of Duluth, Georgia (“Title”) alleging state and federal trademark and trade dress...more
Last year a California porn studio, Caballero Video, paid dubious homage to Ben & Jerry’s® (“B&J”) when it launched a “Ben & Cherry’s” film series. Even the less explicit titles in the series, such as BOSTON CREAM THIGH...more
Somewhere between a well-recognized website design like Google’s home page and a fledgling e-commerce venture built with free web building software lives most other websites. Depending on the investment in the development and...more
A recent $8.1 million verdict in a trademark and trade dress infringement action is an emphatic reminder that businesses of all sizes should protect their trade dress as well as their trademarks. Although smaller or startup...more
The red hot dispute continues between Christian Louboutin and Yves Saint Laurent (“YSL”) over Louboutin’s red sole shoe trademark. On January 16, 2013, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office rejected Louboutin’s request to...more
In This Issue: • Bottle Design and Bottle Cap Design Are Both Entitled to Trademark Registration • Disney Owns Winnie-the-Pooh Trademarks • Apple Loses Claim Against Amazon for Use of Appstore - Excerpt...more
In 2007, the Supreme Court in MedImmune v. Genentech broadened the scope of declaratory judgment jurisdiction, making it easier for parties fearing IP claims to bring defensive lawsuits. Last week, the Court made it easier...more