Is My Guitar Pedal a Klone or a Counterfeit? — No Infringement Intended Podcast
(Podcast) The Briefing: The Wrong Argument – Why Authors Lost Against Meta and What Comes Next
The Briefing: The Wrong Argument – Why Authors Lost Against Meta and What Comes Next
PODCAST: Williams Mullen's Trending Now: An IP Podcast - Cease and Desist Letters: Protecting Your Intellectual Property the Right Way
PODCAST: PODCAST: Williams Mullen's Trending Now: An IP Podcast - Cease and Desist Letters: Protecting Your Intellectual Property the Right Way
The Briefing: Anthropic, Copyright, and the Fair Use Divide
Will I Get Sued if I Create Another Hospital Drama? — No Infringement Intended Podcast
The Briefing: The Supreme Court Dodges the Discovery Rule Question—What That Means for Copyright Enforcement
(Podcast) The Briefing: Who Owns WallStreetBets? Trademark Use in Commerce and the Reddit Battle
The Briefing: Who Owns WallStreetBets? Trademark Use in Commerce and the Reddit Battle
(Podcast) The Briefing: Sinking the Rogers Test? What Pepperdine’s Lawsuit Could Mean for Hollywood
The Briefing: Sinking the Rogers Test? What Pepperdine’s Lawsuit Could Mean for Hollywood
(Podcast) The Briefing: The Ninth Circuit Puts the Brakes on Eleanor’s Copyright Claim
The Briefing: The Ninth Circuit Puts the Brakes on Eleanor’s Copyright Claim
Unexpected Paths to IP Law with Dan Young and Colin White
Why Can't I Clean the Graffiti Off My Walls? — No Infringement Intended Podcast
(Podcast) The Briefing: Who Owns Jack Nicklaus? Lessons for The Creator Economy From a Brand Battle
The Briefing: Who Owns Jack Nicklaus? Lessons for The Creator Economy From a Brand Battle
(Podcast) The Briefing: Trademark Smoked: The Fall of General Cigar’s COHIBA Registration
The Briefing: Trademark Smoked: The Fall of General Cigar’s COHIBA Registration
ACI’s virtual Annual Passport to Proficiency on the Essentials of Hatch-Waxman and BPCIA equips early-career professionals with the legal and regulatory fluency needed to contribute meaningfully to product strategy and...more
In this episode, Austin Padgett and Rusty Close venture into the dynamic world of guitar pedals, focusing on the iconic Klon Centaur and its creator's legal showdown with Behringer's Centaur Overdrive. While many Klon...more
Hubble-Bubble in the Chewing Gum Industry: Big League Chew and Licensee Stretch Arguments in Ongoing Trade Dress Suit - The business relationship between Big League Chew Properties LLC (“Big League Chew”), the owner of...more
IP cases in the cannabis industry are lighting up court dockets more and more. In a new case with potential for serious baggage, Kinzie Advanced Polymers, LLC (“Kinzie”) filed a federal lawsuit against a group of...more
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
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
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
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
On April 15, 2025, after jurors found a line of dolls from the toymaker, MGA Entertainment, Inc. (“MGA”), infringed the trade dress rights of a pop group owned by music artists Clifford "T.I." Harris and Tameka "Tiny" Harris,...more
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
In this episode, Austin Padgett and Rusty Close delve back into the ongoing legal battle known as the "Cooler Wars" between YETI and RTIC. In Part 2, they discuss the various intellectual property strategies YETI employed to...more
Ford is seeking to stop an aftermarket restoration company from the alleged unauthorized use of the Bronco trademark and trade dress in connection with the rebuild of modern Ford Broncos. The case raises questions of whether...more
CERAMTEC GMBH v. COORSTEK BIOCERAMICS LLC - Before Lourie, Taranto, and Stark. Appeal from the United States Patent and Trademark Office, Trademark Trial and Appeal Board. A utility patent may still be considered strong...more
A recent federal court decision highlights the delicate balance between U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) guidance and trade dress protections for drugs administered in a tablet or capsule form. Last month, a district...more
Cardinal Motors, Inc. v. H&H Sports Protection USA Inc., No. 23-cv-7586 (2d Cir. Feb. 6, 2025) - On February 6, 2025, the Second Circuit held that the “articulation requirement” for a trade dress complaint—a pleading...more
The battle over beauty “dupes” just got more interesting. In a major win for e.l.f. Cosmetics, a California federal judge ruled that its Lash ’N Roll mascara doesn’t infringe the trademarks and trade dress of Benefit...more
In the fast-paced and competitive world of furniture and design, where partnerships and innovations flourish, but consumers’ attention is increasingly divided, legal disputes are increasingly common....more
On January 23, 2025, the United States District Court for the District of Arizona issued a final decision ending the intensely disputed, decade-long litigation between Jack Daniel's Properties, Inc. and VIP Products LLC....more
The US Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit vacated and remanded a district court’s dismissal of a complaint for trade dress infringement and unfair competition, finding that the district court erred in requiring the...more
After a decade of litigation and a pivotal Supreme Court ruling from 2023, the legal battle between Jack Daniel’s and VIP Products has taken yet another turn, this time back in favor of Jack Daniel’s. On remand from the...more
Addressing this case for the third time, the US District Court for the District of Arizona found on remand that Jack Daniel’s was entitled to a permanent injunction after finding that VIP Products’ “Bad Spaniels” dog toy...more
On February 6, 2025, the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit issued its decision in Cardinal Motors, Inc. v. H&H Sports Protection USA, Inc., Docket No. 23-7586-cv, wherein the Court clarified a “blurry”...more
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
It’s cold in southeastern Wisconsin, and that can mean only one thing—it’s nearly Girl Scout Cookie season and time to restock my favorites for the year. On learning that the cookie Toast-Yay!® will be retiring, I wondered...more
On 20 January 2025, the Court of Appeal handed down its judgment in the trade mark dispute between Thatchers Cider Company Limited (“Thatchers”), the largest family-run independent cider producer in the UK, and Aldi Stores...more