IPNews® – The Trademark Trial and Appeal Board denied a drug company’s application to trademark the peppermint scent and taste of its nitroglycerin spray used to treat chest pain.
The board ruled that because the peppermint oil increases the effectiveness of the nitroglycerin spray, it is a functional aspect of the drug and therefore cannot
IPNews® – Cookware giant Meyer Manufacturing Co. Ltd filed a Motion for Summary Judgment against Telebrands Corp. arguing that the “As Seen On TV” company could not trademark the color green on the inside of pots and pans.
Meyer argued that the color green is a functional indicator of the products eco-friendliness and therefore should
IPNews® – The New York Yankees have rights to the nickname Evil Empire and can prevent other companies from registering the name as a trademark, according to a recent ruling by the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board.
Evil Enterprises filed a trademark application for BASEBALL’S EVIL EMPIRE, which the Yankees opposed. Though the Yankees have
IPNews® – “FarmVille” creator Zynga Inc. filed a lawsuit against Imagenesis Corp. claiming that the company’s soon-to-be released game “MafiaVille” infringes its VILLE trademarks.
Zynga argued that Imagenesis’ use of the name MafiaVille would be confusing to players and cause them to believe the game is made by or associated with Zynga. Zynga also alleged
IPNews® – Tiffany & Co. filed a lawsuit claiming that Costco Wholesalers Corp. infringed its trademarks by marketing and selling unauthorized engagement rings using the Tiffany name.
Though Costco agreed in December to cease all use of the Tiffany’s name, Tiffany is still suing Costco for its profits and treble damages. In addition, Tiffany wants
IPNews® – Mary Kay Inc. has filed a lawsuit against Michael Kors LLC in order to prohibit the company from registering MK as a trademark to be placed on a charm that will be affixed to Estee Lauder makeup bags.
Mary Kay and Michael Kors have battled over the MK trademark before and came to
IPNews® – Viacom International Inc. urged a Los Angeles judge to dismiss a lawsuit brought by Gibson Guitar Corp. for infringing a trademarked “Flying V” electric guitar, claiming that the allegedly infringing ukuleles were never sold in the United States.
Viacom, owner of the Nickelodeon television network, filed a motion to dismiss claiming the v-shaped
IPNews® – Shaw Industries Group Inc., the world’s leading manufacturer of carpet and flooring, filed a lawsuit against Hershey Co. seeking a declaratory judgment that Shaw’s “Chocolate Kiss” carpet color does not infringe Hershey’s KISS related trademarks.
In the complaint, Shaw claims it has been selling “Chocolate Kiss” colored flooring for over 20 years without
IPNews® – A custom car designer asked the California Central District to throw out DC Comics Inc’s lawsuit alleging he infringed on its trademarks and copyrights by selling replica Batmobiles.
Gotham Garage owner Mark Towle argued that DC Comics knew he had been building Batmobiles since 2003 and yet never told him to stop or
IPNews® – 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