Los Angeles – Two months ago we wrote this story: http://ow.ly/4DS7D about Matt Drudge, owner of the Drudge Report, reaching an out-of-court settlement with Righthaven LLC in regard to a copyright infringement over the use of a photograph. Righthaven has been referred to as a copyright troll for its practice of acquiring newspaper content
Coca-Cola Opposes “Cocaine” Trademarks in Chile
San Diego – Coca-Cola recently filed an opposition to a trademark application for “Cocaine” for energy drinks filed by Redux Beverages in Chile on grounds of unfair competition and morality. Coca-Cola is also claiming that the trademark will lead to a likelihood of confusion with its famous Coca-Cola brand.
James Kirby, Founder/President of Las Vegas-based Redux Beverages, surmised that
Crayola Won’t Play Nice Over Bubble Patent
Orange County – Crayola, the globally famous manufacturer of crayons, is in a fight over bubbles. It seems that the patent for colored bubbles, owned by competitor C2C Technologies, could very well threaten the existence of Crayola’s own washable colored bubble product released earlier this year.
The Pennsylvania-based crayon giant also known as Binney
Former Florida Governer Charlie Crist apologizes to Talking Heads for Copyright Infringement
San Diego – Former Governor Charlie Crist issued an apology on YouTube on Monday to singer David Byrne for using a Talking Heads song without permission during his unsuccessful 2010 campaign for U.S. Senate. David Byrne, who is the singer of the band The Talking Heads, had sued Crist for $1 million for using
Red-Soled Shoes Trade Dress infringement
Los Angeles – Paris shoe-designer Christian Louboutin has become so synonymous with its shoes having red soles, that it was awarded a red-sole trade dress registration in 2008 by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). So when Yves St. Laurent(YSL) released its “Palais” peep toe pumps with, you guessed it…red soles, Louboutin was
Men At Work Lose Copyright Infringement Case Over a Kookaburra
Los Angeles – Aussie pop band Men At Work and its record company EMI Music have lost their last appeal in a copyright infringement lawsuit filed last year by Music Sales Corporation.
The claim accused the pop band of stealing bars from a 1930’s Australian children’s song for its international chart-topper, “Down Under.” Apparently, Men
Hormel Sues Over “Spam” Trademark
Orange County – Austin-based Hormel Foods Corporation filed a trade dress infringement complaint in U.S. District Court in Minnesota against Zwanenberg Food Group. Zwanenberg has allegedly continued to use packaging that is “confusingly similar” to the “Spam” packaging used by Hormel.
In October 2010, Hormel sent Zwanenberg a cease and desist letter. Zwanenberg responded by saying that it
NBC and The Biggest Loser Win Copyright Infringement Suit
San Diego – The United States District Court in New York recently ruled in Favor of NBC and Reveille Productions, an affiliate of NBC, in a copyright infringement complaint. The complaint, filed by Sonya Latimore, alleged that the idea behind the hit reality show “The Biggest Loser” was taken from her four-page synopsis entitled “Phat Farm/Fat
Recording Industry Seeks $75 Trillion from LimeWire in Copyright Infringement Settlement
Orange County – It seems that there is still some fight in the recording industry.
In an October 2010 court injunction, LimeWire was ordered to stop distributing its downloading software. LimeWire is a free peer-to-peer file sharing (P2P) client program. The ruling was a major victory for the RIAA (Recording Industry Association of America), which has
Is DreamWorks Kung Fu Panda Movie Franchise a copyright infringement?
San Diego – The cuddly kung fu-fighting bear which drew millions to the theatres to see “Kung Fu Panda” is now the subject of a copyright infringement lawsuit.
Jayme Gordon, a Massachusetts animation illustrator, filed a complaint in federal district court in Boston claiming that DreamWorks Animation stole his idea for the panda