Features
Howard Shire
&
Sean McConnell
On June 29, 2023, the U.S. Supreme Court set new geographic limits for infringement and false designation of origin claims raised under Sections 1114 and 1125(a) of the Lanham Act. Given the global nature of business today, the decision highlights the need for trademark owners to continually reassess and, perhaps, expand their international trademark registration strategy as product lines and brands become more international in scope.
Features
Steven James
&
Hattie Chessher
In April 2021, a food fight broke out between two of the UK's largest supermarkets. Marks and Spencer launched legal action against Aldi over the latter's alleged copy of its signature "Colin the Caterpillar" cake. This article takes a look at the issues surrounding lookalikes, what the English courts have said about them and what can be done by brand owners to protect against the risks they present.
Features
Brad Kutner
In a win for trademark holders, the U.S. Supreme Court offered a narrow ruling in the dispute involving "dog toys and whiskey."
Features
Lauren Gregory Leipold
The U.S. Supreme Court is considering whether the federal Lanham Act should be interpreted so broadly that domestic companies can leverage it to bar trademark infringement by — and seek significant damage awards against — foreign entities operating almost entirely overseas.
Features
Conor Tucker
In March, the Supreme Court heard a blockbuster trademark case with significant implications for trademark law. After argument, reversal seems likely as questioning from the justices suggests that a long-standing precedent is unlikely to survive unscathed. But the Court also indicated concern over the broader implications of this case in the arts, entertainment, and publishing. Here's what you need to know about Jack Daniel's v. VIP Products.
Columns & Departments
Howard Shire
&
Alicia Ginsberg
Proving Damages for Trademark Infringement In the Eleventh Circuit
Features
Todd Larson
&
Yonatan Shefa
Leading the charge in thorny IP issues have been cases addressing whether NFT makers who utilize other parties' trademarks can turn to the First Amendment as a defense to trademark infringement. This article analyzes the summary judgment decision that set the stage for trial in Hermes International, and provides some takeaways concerning the legal landscape for NFTs moving forward.
Features
Todd Larson
&
Yonatan Shefa
Perhaps no other area in the technology sector — save perhaps the recent explosion of generative AI models — has raised as many thorny intellectual property issues as the proliferation of Non-Fungible Tokens, or NFTs. Leading the charge have been cases addressing whether NFT makers who utilize other parties' trademarks can turn to the First Amendment as a defense to trademark infringement.
Columns & Departments
IPS Staff
Listen in on a post-webinar chat on "The Crypto Landscape: Post-FTX," with Blockchain Legal LLP partner Aaron Krowne and counsel Ali Derie, along with veteran entertainment industry lawyer Eric S. Goldman, about cryptocurrency's rocky recent past (and present) as well as its still-promising, if uncertain, future.
Features
Jonathan Moskin
The Ninth Circuit held in VIP Prods. LLC v. Jack Daniel's Properties that VIP's "Bad Spaniels" dog toy mimicking the appearance of a Jack Daniels whisky bottle was protected expression under the First Amendment. The Supreme Court granted cert in November 2022 to consider the principal question whether humorous use of another's mark on a commercial product should be assessed under Rogers or the traditional multipart test of likelihood of confusion.
