Trademark registration is not automatic – even if you think your brand name is unique. A recent decision from the United States Trademark Trial and Appeal Board (TTAB) illustrates this point clearly. The TTAB affirmed a refusal to register the mark PYTCHBLACK for...
In early January, a federal court dismissed a high-profile lawsuit filed by legendary hip-hop duo Salt-N-Pepa against Universal Music Group (UMG). The artists had sought to reclaim ownership of their early master recordings under federal copyright law. The judge ruled...
I first discussed this case way back in May of 2024, digging into how it highlighted one of the more esoteric types of intellectual property that receives protection. Everyone knows that things like books, movies, and music can be protected, but slot machines? The...
A few months back, a group of authors filed a class action lawsuit against Salesforce in federal court in the Northern District of California, alleging that the company used pirated copies of copyrighted books to train its large language models and power commercial AI...
In late 2025, Taiwan made an unusual and high-stakes move to protect the proprietary technologies of Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC), one of the world’s most important semiconductor manufacturers. Taiwanese authorities invoked newly strengthened...
This one was so big that you may have already heard about it even if you do not have your ear to the ground for IP news. In December 2025, The Walt Disney Company sent a cease-and-desist letter to Google alleging unauthorized use of Disney’s copyrighted works in...
On December 9, 2025, the United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit issued a precedential decision reversing the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board’s (TTAB) refusal to register the trademark KAHWA for use in connection with cafes and coffee shops. This...
As artificial intelligence continues to reshape commerce, media, and technology, policymakers face a familiar but difficult question: how to encourage innovation without eroding the legal frameworks that made that innovation possible in the first place. A recent...