Trademark Newsflash: Supreme Court Strikes Down Disparagement Clause
Since 1946, when the Lanham Act was enacted, the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) has denied registration of any trademark that “[c]onsists of ……
Virgin America is Dead, Long Live Virgin America’s Marks
[Note: The last paragraph of this post was revised slightly on 4/13/2017, including adding the footnote.] A lot happened in 2016. The first thing that comes…
When States of Mind Collide: USPTO Rejects MARIJUANAVILLE as Confusingly Similar to MARGARITAVILLE
Could you write a legal opinion about Jimmy Buffett, Margaritaville and Marijaunaville without displaying any trace of a sense of humor? The United States Patent and…
The Battle of the Kylies Over the “Kylie” Trademark
In one corner, you have the 19-year-old breakout star of the Kardashian/Jenner clan, Kylie Jenner, who is making a name for herself with her cosmetics and…
We’ve Got the Copyright, How ‘bout You? Supreme Court Protects Cheerleader Uniform Designs
We previously wrote about the copyright battle between two of the largest cheerleader uniform manufacturers. Plaintiff Varsity Brand, Inc. claimed that Star Athletica, LLC had…
IP Basics: What are “Trade Dress” and “Trade Secrets?”
[This post is part 2 of a 3 part IP Basics Series] In the last post, we discussed copyrights, trademarks and the difference between them.…
IP Basics: Copyrights, Trademarks and Trade Secrets, Oh My!
[This post is part 1 of a 3 part IP Basics Series] When discussing intellectual property (IP) it is sometimes easy to confuse the blurred…
