Fifth Circuit Affirms Lanham Act and Antitrust Judgment for Franchisor
In <i>Schlotzsky's Ltd. v. Sterling Purchasing and National Dist-ribution Co., Inc. ("Sterling")</i>, 502 F.3d 393 (5th Cir. 2008), the Fifth Circuit reinforced the tough standard for proving an antitrust tying claim against a franchisor and clarified the broad scope of the Lanham Act's unfair competition provision. The decision is important for franchisors defending claims of market power.
Features
IFA Legal Symposium Tackles Wide Range of Issues
Rarely has the International Franchise Association ('IFA') Legal Symposium, come at a busier time for the franchise industry, as a wide range of legal and business issues are generating change at a rapid rate. The conference, which was held on May 12-13 in Washington, DC, addressed everything from green business practices to new disclosure regulations, and the protection of marks on the Internet to states' efforts to expand their ability to tax franchise activity.
Limits and Considerations in Control Groups
Control groups have become an almost required element in trademark surveys. Survey methodology, however, derives from the field of sociology and political science where there was no such concept of 'control' groups. The studies were designed to be descriptive of a phenomenon. As such, the surveys contained no 'controls,' but could still none the less offer useful information.
He Who Steals My Trash Pays Cash?
In this rather odd sentencing case, the Eighth Circuit trashed the restitution order that had been imposed by the District Court for the District of North Dakota on janitorial supervisor James A. Chalupnik. <i>United States v. Chalupnik,</i> 2008 WL 268997 (8th Cir. Feb. 1, 2008). Here's a discussion of the case.
Enforcement Issues Raised By Geographically Descriptive Marks
How do famous, but geographically descriptive, trademarks impact the ability of second-comers to trade off the fame of the location? A look at a recent ruling on this issue.
Decisions of Interest
Recent rulings of importance to you and your practice.
Need Help?
- Prefer an IP authenticated environment? Request a transition or call 800-756-8993.
- Need other assistance? email Customer Service or call 1-877-256-2472.
MOST POPULAR STORIES
- The DOJ's New Parameters for Evaluating Corporate Compliance ProgramsThe parameters set forth in the DOJ's memorandum have implications not only for the government's evaluation of compliance programs in the context of criminal charging decisions, but also for how defense counsel structure their conference-room advocacy seeking declinations or lesser sanctions in both criminal and civil investigations.Read More ›
- Strategy vs. Tactics: Two Sides of a Difficult CoinWith each successive large-scale cyber attack, it is slowly becoming clear that ransomware attacks are targeting the critical infrastructure of the most powerful country on the planet. Understanding the strategy, and tactics of our opponents, as well as the strategy and the tactics we implement as a response are vital to victory.Read More ›
- Use of Deferred Prosecution Agreements In White Collar InvestigationsThis article discusses the practical and policy reasons for the use of DPAs and NPAs in white-collar criminal investigations, and considers the NDAA's new reporting provision and its relationship with other efforts to enhance transparency in DOJ decision-making.Read More ›
- The DOJ's Corporate Enforcement Policy: One Year LaterThe DOJ's Criminal Division issued three declinations since the issuance of the revised CEP a year ago. Review of these cases gives insight into DOJ's implementation of the new policy in practice.Read More ›
- When It Comes to Trademark Searches, AI Misses the MarkArtificial intelligence tools powered by large language models have become valuable resources in the trademark process. Despite incredible progress in natural-language reasoning, AI tools still face fundamental limitations when it comes to performing even basic trademark searches. Here are five important reasons why.Read More ›
