money-cut.jpgIPNews® – H&R Block Inc. filed a lawsuit against TurboTax maker Intuit for its recent advertising campaign that H&R Block claims is disparaging.

H&R Block alleged in its complaint that Intuit makes unauthorized use of the H&R Block trademark and makes the company out to be incompetent and untrustworthy.  H&R Block claims Intuit is making unauthorized use of its trademark and is engaging in unfair competition and false advertising.

To continue reading, click:  H&R Block Sues Intuit for Trademark Infringement and False Advertising

tv setup.jpgIPNews® – Fox Broadcasting Co. lost the first round of its fight for an injunction against Dish Network Corp.’s over Dish’s AutoHop DVR.

Fox claims that Dish’s DVR services, which allow consumers to record television and then automatically skip over commercials when watching shows, constitutes copyright infringement.  Dish counters that DVRs copy television programs for private use and are therefore protected under fair use.

To continue reading, click: Fox and Dish Network Debate over DVRs and Copyright Infringement

beer-bottle-pouring.jpgIPNews® – Anheuser-Busch InBev secured the rights to the BUD trademark in the EU despite the Czech brewer Budejobicky Budvar NP’s opposition to its registration.

Both companies began brewing beer in the 19th century and both named their brews Budweiser, after the Czech town of Budweis.  Budvar attempted to block Anheuser-Busch’s registration of the trademark BUD by claiming the term is an designation of origin and therefore cannot be trademarked.

To continue reading, click: Anheuser-Busch Wins BUD Trademark Battle in the European Union

perfume_bottle.jpgIPNews® – L’Oreal USA Inc., a maker of fragrances using the Polo Ralph Lauren logo, claims that the U.S. Polo Association infringes the famous trademark by using its logo consisting of two horsemen, on fragrances.

The two companies have been in legal battles for nearly 30 years over conflicting trademarks.  The parties entered into a partial settlement in 2003 that allows the association to use its trademark on clothes, but L’Oreal argues that using the trademark on fragrances goes too far.

To continue reading, click: Polo Ralph Lauren Argues U.S. Polo Association Infringes Its Trademark

seedling.jpgIPNews® – The United States Supreme Court will rule on the doctrine of patent exhaustion as it relates to self-replicating products.

Monsanto sued Vernon Bowman, a farmer who recreated and planted patented Roundup Ready soybean seeds he bought from Monsanto, for patent infringement.  Bowman argues that the patent exhaustion doctrine takes away any power Monsanto has over the seeds when he purchased them, but Monsanto argues that he infringed its patent by recreating the patented product. 

To continue reading, click: Supreme Court to Rule if Planting Patented Seeds Constitutes Infringement

amazon.jpgIPNews® – Amazon and Apple have been ordered by a U. S. magistrate judge into settlement talks for the trademark lawsuit Apple filed against Amazon.

Shortly after Amazon launched an “app store” on its website, Apple filed suit in the Northern District of California claiming that Amazon was infringing its trademark and engaging in unfair competition.  U.S. Magistrate Judge Elizabeth D. Laporte hopes the two companies will be able hash out their differences before the case goes to trial.

To continue reading, click: Apple, Amazon Ordered to Settlement Talks in Trademark Infringement Case

twitter.jpgIPNews® – Agence France Presse and The Washington Post were found to have infringed a photographers copyright when they used photos that were posted to his Twitter account.

Photographer Daniel Morel was on the scene during the Haiti earthquake in January 2010.  Morel posted his photos from the aftermath on Twitter, which Agence France Presse claimed permitted it to use the photo.

To continue reading, click: Twitter Does Not Give News Services License to Lift Photos

cosmetics.jpgIPNews® – The Kardashian sisters are back in court with a $10 million counterclaim against them for trademark infringement.

The counterclaim was brought against the sisters and Boldface Licensing + Branding, a company that created the Khroma cosmetics line for the Kardashian sisters, by a Florida makeup artist who owns the trademark KROMA and uses the trademark on her cosmetics line.  The counterclaim was in response to a lawsuit filed by Boldface asking for a declaratory judgment allowing them to use the Khroma name.

To continue reading, click: Kardashian Sisters Face $10 Million Counterclaim for Trademark Infringement

nike.jpg.jpgIPNews® – The Supreme Court ruled that Nike’s covenant not to sue a competitive shoe maker renders moot the defendant’s counterclaim.

Nike originally filed the lawsuit against Already LLC for trademark infringement, which Already answered with a counterclaim alleging that Nike’s trademark is invalid.  When litigation costs became greater than the potential rewards, Nike attempted to get the case dismissed, but Already did not want to give up so easily.

To continue reading, click: Nike’s No-Sue Covenant Bars Counterclaim

ibm.jpgIPNews® – IBM was crowned the number one assignee of patents in 2012, for the 20th year in a row.

According to a report produced by IFI CLAIMS Patent Services, IBM acquired 6,478 patents in 2012 to top the list.  Surprisingly, tech giants Google and Apple, the two who seemed to make the most noise about their patent portfolios in the last year, only managed spots 21 and 22, respectively. 

To continue reading, click: IBM Tops the Patent Charts, Again