IPNews® – Deckers has won a $450,000 trademark infringement award over use of the term “Ugg” on boots.
Australian Leather had unsuccessfully argued that “Ugg” is a generic term which refers to the type of boot. The case is continuing over patent claims and Deckers is also seeking recovery of its attorney’s fees. To continue reading, click: Deckers Gets Major Win in “Ugg” Boots Trademark Lawsuit
IPNews® – Patagonia is suing Anheuser-Busch InBev for trademark infringement over the use of the Patagonia name on beer.
Patagonia claims that the confusion is made worse by the fact that Anheuser-Busch is marketing the beer with Patagonia branded apparel and that the logos look similar. Apparel isn’t the only overlap for the companies since Patagonia the apparel company also sells beer. To continue reading, click: Patagonia Sues Anheuser-Busch Over Patagonia Beer Trademark
IPNews® – Gigi Hadid, a 23 year old supermodel, is fighting a copyright lawsuit filed against her for posting a photo of herself on Instagram.
The case was brought by Xclusive-Lee, Inc. and the picture was taken by the paparazzi. The case may help define the rights that celebrities have to use photos taken of them in public. To continue reading, click: Gigi Hadid Sued for Posting a Photoon Instagram
IPNews® – The copyright infringement case involving the Star Trek and Dr. Seuss mashup Oh, the Places You’ll Boldly Go! has come to a conclusion on summary judgment.
Last year the Dr. Seuss enterprise lost trademark claims. Now the copyright claims are also out after the court found the mashup to be highly creative and found no harm to Dr. Seuss’s market position. To continue reading, click: Star Trek and Dr. Seuss Mashup Ruled Copyright Fair Use
IPNews® – The U.S. Supreme Court recently issued a copyright decision that requires copyright owners to obtain a copyright registration before filing a copyright infringement lawsuit.
The process to obtain a copyright registration can take more than a year in some cases. So, copyright owners may be stuck waiting for a copyright registration while their works are actively being infringed. To continue reading, click: U.S. Supreme Court Requires Copyright Registration to File Lawsuit
IPNews® – Alfonso Ribeiro has recently sued video game creators over use of the Carlton Dance from the popular show “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air.”
As part of the lawsuit Ribeiro filed three copyright applications and two out of the three applications have now been denied. If the decisions refusing the applications stand, it will likely end the lawsuits. To continue reading, click: Fortnite Copyright Lawsuits Hurt by Copyright Office Denial
IPNews® – McDonald’s has lost its Big Mac trademark registration in Europe.
The decision came after a competitor called Supermac’s challeged McDonalds’ trademark registration due to a lack of use. In response to the decision, Burger King has changed its menu to poke fun at its top competitor. To continue reading, click: McDonald’s Loses the Big Mac Trademark in Europe
IPNews® – The Supreme Court recently decided to hear a case regarding federal protection of trademarks that are denied protection based on vulgarity.
The case Iancu v. Brunetti concerns a trademark for the word FUCT and whether it deserves federal trademark protection. This case follows Matal v. Tam which was a landmark case involving a trademark for the term “The Slants”. To continue reading, click: Supreme Court Faces Decision on Trademark Protection of ‘Scandalous’ Brands
IPNews® – In what appears to be an increasing trend, the U.S. Supreme Court has its hands full lately with Intellectual Property related cases.
The October 2018 term is slated for five intellectual property related cases. One of the cases relates primarily to trademarks, with two copyright related cases and two patent related cases. To continue reading, click: U.S. Supreme Court Increases Review of Intellectual Property Cases
IPNews® – A viral photo of President Donald Trump at a wedding in New Jersey turned into a case of copyright infringement.
The photo was taken by a wedding guest and after being published to social media ultimately ended up being used by multiple news outlets. Hearst Communications was recently held liable for using the photo without any right to do so. To continue reading, click: Donald Trump, Wedding Crasher, Becomes Copyright Infringement Case.