On the list of things that can potentially prevent your trademark infringement lawsuit from going forward, a “trade embargo” probably is not very high. But that is precisely why Cuban company Cubaexport was prevented from suing Bacardi in the U.S. From the outside,...
Trademark
Is the Second Time the Charm for Beyoncé and JayZ to Trademark BLUE IVY CARTER?
Back in 2012, Beyoncé and JayZ attempted to get a trademark for the name of their daughter, Blue Ivy Carter, not long after her birth. Their reason? The Carters did not want people profiting off of their little girl’s name and saw the trademark registration as a means...
Jury Awards Teen Pop Group OMG Girlz $71.5 Million in IP Lawsuit with Toy Maker Over L.O.L. Dolls
MGA Entertainment has been ordered to pay a hefty $71.5 million in damages to Tameka “Tiny” Harris, her husband T.I., and the teen pop group OMG Girlz. The verdict in the IP lawsuit follows a three-week trial that accused the toy makers of stealing the looks, name,...
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...
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...
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...
Domain Name Disputes: How to Protect Your Business From Cybersquatting
One interesting trend in my legal practice in recent years has been the rise of trademark dispute cases over domain names – the catchy, easy-to-remember online address of a business, like “southwest.com.” Perhaps this is not surprising, as much of our commerce these...
After Failing to Protect Their Name in Indian Trial Court, Burger King Is Getting a Second Chance from the High Court
The following case comes with a few IP law reminders. First, where trademarks are concerned, location and timing matter. Second, it is possible for both sides to lose in a trademark lawsuit. And finally, when the battle is between David and Goliath, sometimes David...