Imagine you are an internet provider. You offer a service that lets people stream, browse, and download content. However, some of those users are engaging in illegal activities — like pirating copyrighted music. What do you do? What are you responsible for?...
Crystal Broughan, Intellectual Property Attorney
Court Calls Out Nike for Trademark Infringement
A small Pennsylvania-based company, Lontex, is taking on Nike over a trademark infringement claim. Lontex specializes in compression technology for sportswear, marketed under the Sweat It Out brand. They developed a unique line of clothing featuring “Cool...
Pokémon Company Wins $15M in Damages from Mobile Game Makers Who Used Their Characters – Should Fans Worry They’re Next?
As a media franchise, Pokémon has been around since 1996, and a number of characters are immediately recognizable the world over. Because of this, the Pokémon Company is quite protective of their intellectual property, and there have been a number of Pokémon copyright...
Will Performing Rights Organizations Come Under Closer Inspection?
The U.S. House Judiciary Committee recently sent a letter asking the Copyright Office to look into some issues with performing rights organizations, also known as PROs. PROs are groups that collect specific types of payments – called royalties – on behalf of...
An AI Tool By Any Other Name… Would Have Circumvented This Lawsuit against Google for Trademark Infringement
A long-standing trend of the tech world is “industry disruption,” which often takes the form of taking action first and dealing with legal consequences later, whether that is new regulations to contain Uber and Lyft or judicial rulings reigning in trademark...
A Look Into the US Copyright Office’s Geographic IP Report
The U.S. Copyright Office recently published a report that breaks down where copyright registrations are happening across the country. Spoiler alert: each region has its own creative fingerprint where copyright registrations are concerned, showcasing what makes them...
Why Did Prime Hydration’s New Drink Result in a Lawsuit from the Olympic Committee?
Every time the Olympics come around, they become the focus of the whole world. Literally billions of people watch broadcasts of the games, and people everywhere are excited to show support for their country’s athletes. All of this attention means that businesses...
Judge Tosses George Santos’ Copyright Suit over Jimmy Kimmel Prank Videos
Where is the line between copyright infringement and satire? This is a question that we have been asking – and attempting to answer – for as long as copyright protections have existed, and it is likely one that will continue to be litigated long into the future. The...