New Illinois Law Bans Third Parties From Using Merchant Marks Without PermissionBy Jonathan LA PhillipsIntellectual Property, February 2023With enactment of Illinois’ Fair Food and Retail Delivery Act, the General Assembly barred third parties from using restaurants’ and bars’ trademarks and other intellectual property without their permission. How the defense of nominative fair use will apply under this law, meant to curb food delivery app misbehavior, is unclear.
Ways to Avoid Having to Pay USPTO’s $400 Non-DOCX PenaltyBy Carl OppedahlIntellectual Property, February 2023There are two ways a patent applicant or practitioner might be able to avoid the profound malpractice risk of filing in Microsoft Word format when filing a patent application.
Copyright Damages and the Statute of LimitationsBy Beverly A. BernemanIntellectual Property, December 2022The Copyright Act limitations to file suit for infringement is three years. Some plaintiffs aren’t quickly aware of the infringement, so some districts apply a “discovery rule” to extend the permitted filing time. Whether a plaintiff is entitled to damages for the gap between the initial infringement date and the complaint filing is neither clear nor consistent.
Counseling Businesses Trademarking Digital AssetsBy Ahad SyedIntellectual Property, December 2022Intellectual property recognizes intangible property, expanding from books and words to include software, architectural works, name-image-likeness, and now non-fungible tokens, and more. Guidelines for applying to register trademarks for digital assets are give, especially whether the asset if within trademark Class 9 services or Class 42 services.
Intellectual Improbabilities™By Daniel KeganIntellectual Property, December 2022An eclectic gathering of recent intellectual property developments.
Taped Banana as Art: Morford v. Cattelan (SD FL 2022)By Lizzie ScottIntellectual Property, December 2022Can a banana duct-taped to a rectangular green board be art? Registered with the U.S. over $390,000, would the registration support a federal suit for copyright infringement? Judge Scola denied the motion to dismiss. Artist Lizzie Scott offers an artist’s perspective.
U.S. Trademark Office Halves Response TimesBy Margo Lynn HablutzelIntellectual Property, December 2022Effective Dec. 3, 2022, the current standard six months due date to respond to a trademark office action is halved to three; for post-registration matters the cleavage is effective Oct. 7, 2023. A three-month extensions to the initial three-month due date may be available for $125. <www.federalregister.gov/d/2022-22217>
Does Your U.S.-Based Client’s Website Need a Cookie Consent Banner?By Aaron W. BrooksIntellectual Property, September 2022The internet has become afflicted with a scourge of bothersome popup windows and dialogue boxes purporting to give us more control over how we’re tracked online. These mechanisms seem to have done little more than clutter up our screens and create a global click-through-loophole around regulations. The European Commission itself has acknowledged that cookie laws have “resulted in an overload of consent requests for internet users” and is currently considering sweeping changes to these laws. Lawyers who advise US-based clients on their online presence should carefully consider their use of cookies. This article provides a basic analysis of cookie-related regulations and offers practical suggestions.
Intellectual Improbabilities™By Daniel KeganIntellectual Property, September 2022An eclectic gathering of recent intellectual property developments.
.KIDS: Participating in the Sunrise Period Is a Moral DutyBy Emmanuel GilletIntellectual Property, September 2022The DotKids Foundation registry aims to create and promote a digital universe adapted to the well-being of children. The Foundation registry aims to create and promote a digital universe adapted to the well-being of children—a world population of 2.4 billion under 18, about one-third the world’s population. To this end, the registry has adopted guiding principles based on the 1989 Convention on the Rights of the Child, <ohchr.org>. The new Global Top Level Domain (gTLD) differs from most other gTLDs; it is dedicate to a population of vulnerable Internet users. Brand owners are urged to file their trademarks with the Trademark ClearingHouse (TMCH), <www.trademark-clearinghouse.com>, and register the corresponding domain name as early feasible. One must fight against .KIDS cybersquatting.
Quick Look Intellectual Property AuditBy David C BrezinaIntellectual Property, September 2022A guide to reviewing company documentation and procedures, especially where there have been significant management and/or ownership changes. The purpose is not to find errors, but rather to find out what is “there” and what might help develop the business, particularly where a bit of a different direction might be indicated. There can be many valid business reasons for not taking action in the past—most decisions weigh risk and expense—that might provide opportunities for future growth.
USPTO Oddball Fun FactBy Sam Castree, IIIIntellectual Property, September 2022Using the PTO’s Trademark ID Manual, <idm-tmng.uspto.gov/id-master-list-public.html>, can ease examiner acceptance of an application’s goods and services description. And if the exact description you want to use isn’t in the current online manual, you can suggest an addition, usually decided within days, <TmIdSuggest@USPTO.gov>. Too general a description may encroach on prior registrations; too narrow may unnecessarily limit an applicant’s registration rights. Every wonder how oddly specific a trademark goods or services description can get?
Getting to Know Judge Jackson: Quotes and a Trademark CaseBy Catherine M. GoeIntellectual Property, June 2022During her Supreme Court confirmation hearing, Sen. Diane Feinstein asked Judge Jackson to talk briefly about one or two cases that “have made a deep impression on you and have really enabled you to progress as you have.” Judge Jackson discussed Yah Kai World Wide Enterprises, Inc. et al, v. Geoffrey Napper, 292 F.Supp.3d 337 (D.D.C. 2018).
Intellectual Improbabilities™By Daniel KeganIntellectual Property, June 2022An eclectic gathering of recent intellectual property developments.
Seventh Circuit Opinion Correctly Decides the Wrong Law?By Phillip R. Van NessIntellectual Property, June 2022The K.F.C. v Snap, Inc., No. 21-2247 (7th Cir. March 24, 2022), court made the correct decision, although with puzzling implications. When and how should arbitration contract formation be evaluated?
The Status of Interactions With RospatentBy Margo Lynn Hablutzel, J.D.Intellectual Property, June 2022Russia invaded Ukraine. The United States, the EU, and other nations sanctioned Russia. On March 22, 2022, the USPTO terminated engagement with Rospatent, Belarus IP Office, and the Eurasian Patent Organization.
Respecting Powerful Words—Names and PronounsBy Daniel KeganElder Law, April 2022We have a long tradition of respecting the power of words. Trademark law has long prohibited calling your product or service a name confusingly similar to that of another. But there is little law against calling someone a name they dislike. Just as US census forms have broadened from dichotomous White and Black to multiple categories, the differences between sex and gender and the non-binary nature of both are increasingly recognized. Terminology with the health care field and transgender and gender nonconforming communities is constantly evolving. The existence of transgender individuals is recognized by mainstream organizations. Suggestions for internal firm procedures are presented. The Golden Rule is insufficient.
Copyright Derivative Works and Section 203: A Tale of Two PhanaticsBy Margo Lynn HablutzelIntellectual Property, March 2022Is a baseball mascot merely a costume, a work of art, or something else? If the artist wants to reclaim the copyright, can the team use a derivative version of the original design after the termination of its license in the original, and how does when the new mascot was created interact with the Copyright Act’s termination provision?
Copyright Small Claims Court: It’s Almost ReadyBy Beverly A. BernemanIntellectual Property, March 2022On December 27, 2020, Congress enacted the Copyright Alternative in Small Claims Enforcement Act (CASE Act). The CASE Act establishes a small claims court for copyright infringement cases. The law requires the Copyright Office to establish a Copyright Claims Board within one year to hear the claims.
Intellectual Improbabilities™By Daniel KeganIntellectual Property, March 2022An eclectic gathering of recent intellectual property developments.
IP Rights Enforcement in CanadaBy Adam Haller, Caroline Henrie, & Kristin WallIntellectual Property, March 2022This article discusses venues and jurisdiction for enforcement; discovery and obtaining evidence of infringement; trial decision-maker; structure of the trial; infringement and defenses for patents, trademarks, copyrights; time to first-level decision; remedies pre-trial and post-trial; appellate review; alternatives to litigation.
The New Trademark Modernization Act: Its Impact on Foreign Trademark OwnersBy Stacey C. KalamarasIntellectual Property, March 2022The Trademark Modernization Act ("TMA") was signed into law on December 27, 2020, to address the increase in fraudulent trademark filings by foreign trademark owners, many of which reside in China. The TMA amends the Trademark Act and became mostly effective at the USPTO on December 18, 2021. These changes will have a tremendous impact on the integrity of the US trademark registry. The TMA’s sweeping changes will have the greatest impact on foreign trademark owners, who are allowed to apply to register trademarks in the US without first demonstrating use in commerce.
Expedited Changes Coming to the Canadian Trademark Office: A Comparative Overview With the U.S. SystemBy Alice DenenbergInternational and Immigration Law, December 2021In summer 2019 Canada updated its trademark laws, adopted the Nice Classification System, and joined the Madrid Protocol, enabling Canada to be designated in an international registration. However, even before these changes, the Canadian Intellectual Property Office was plagued with examination delays exasperating both attorneys and IP owners.
Intellectual Improbabilities™By Daniel KeganIntellectual Property, December 2021An eclectic gathering of recent intellectual property developments.
Respecting Powerful Words—Names and PronounsBy Daniel KeganIntellectual Property, December 2021We have a long tradition of respecting the power of words. Trademark law has long prohibited calling your product or service a name confusingly similar to that of another. But there is little law against calling someone a name they dislike. Just as US census forms have broadened from dichotomous White and Black to multiple categories, the differences between sex and gender and the non-binary nature of both are increasingly recognized. Terminology with the health care field and transgender and gender nonconforming communities is constantly evolving. The existence of transgender individuals is recognized by mainstream organizations. Suggestions for internal firm procedures are presented. The Golden Rule is insufficient.
SAG-AFTRA Welcomes InfluencersBy Beverly A. BernemanIntellectual Property, December 2021“Influencers” are a growing group of performers who use social media to affect purchasing decisions of others through their knowledge, position, or relationship with their audience. Influencers often create content that is unique and attention-grabbing. SAG-AFTRA is the union for movie, television and radio performers. Membership in SAG-AFTRA comes with attractive benefits for performers. SAG-AFTRA is now allowing influencers to become members of the union. An influencer’s on-camera (audio and/or video) performances in the content they create for an advertiser will now be considered union-covered services and allow union pension and health contributions to be made.
Vietnam: Evidence on Ownership & Damage in Copyright & Related Rights LitigationBy Yen Vu & Trung TranInternational and Immigration Law, December 2021For many years, questions have been asked on the role of the court in IP disputes in Vietnam. Although setting up an IP court is still a long-term plan, an increasing number of copyright and related rights lawsuits have initiated in Vietnam. Vietnam (Economic) Courts have gradually gained more experience in handling IP disputes, with their resolution of complicated cases that may be beyond the capacity of administrative authorities. Two recent notable court rulings on the proof of ownership and damages are discussed.
Expedited Changes Coming to the Canadian Trademark Office: A Comparative Overview With the U.S. SystemBy Alice DenenbergIntellectual Property, September 2021In summer 2019 Canada updated its trademark laws, adopted the Nice Classification System, and joined the Madrid Protocol, enabling Canada to be designated in an international registration. However, even before these changes, the Canadian Intellectual Property Office was plagued with examination delays exasperating both attorneys and IP owners.
Google v. Oracle: U.S. Supreme Court Whiffs on a Chance to Declare Code’s StatusBy Phillip R. Van NessIntellectual Property, September 2021In its April 5, 2021 decision in Google LLC v. Oracle America Inc., the Supreme Court overwhelmingly sided with Google in its long-running copyright dispute with Oracle. The decision generally pleased tech companies but upset the movie and recording industries as well as publishers and authors, not to mention the Trump administration, which sided with Oracle in this battle of heavyweights, although Google is obviously the larger of the two combatants. After the extended process inflicted on the litigants, some issues remain unresolved.
