When a business applies to register a trademark, other businesses may oppose the registration of that trademark for various reasons. One motivation for trademark opposition that sticks out in recent news: false suggestion of a connection. NPG Records, LLC and Paisley...
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A Lesson in Delayed Trademark Infringement Claims from Gibson Guitars
As we have discussed in previous posts, it is a business’s responsibility to pursue claims of infringement against its copyrights and trademarks – the TTAB will not do it for you. The reasonable hope is that this encourages businesses to make claims that are pragmatic...
Trademark Salad: Unintended Consequences of the Amazon Brand Registry
Have you ever bought something on Amazon with a brand name that seemed unpronounceable? Perhaps the name’s language of origin was difficult to trace – almost like a string of random letters. That seems crazy, right? Well, this may in fact be the case for some brands...
Why is Disney So Placid About Mickey Mouse Entering the Public Domain in 2024?
Who has two ears, two gloves, and lives in the happiest place on earth? Mickey Mouse is one of the most recognizable figures on the planet, and his likeness is owned by Disney. He is a valuable creative and commercial symbol indeed. Since the passage of the Copyright...
New Platform Should Make Copyright Ownership Transfers Faster
Copyright ownership transfers is not something that most people immediately think about where copyright is concerned. They want to know how they get copyright on something they have created. What kinds of protections they have. How to fight back if someone violates...
Did Better Call Saul Infringe Upon Liberty Tax Trademarks?
What does it mean to infringe upon a business's trademarks? Better Call Saul is an AMC series about how a down-on-his-luck lawyer goes from “ethically challenged” to downright, well, breaking bad, like Walter White in its titular sister series. In its six-year run,...
Are You Eligible for the 60-Day Grace Period?
Fact pattern: Our top candidate is on H-1B status and his prior job was terminated. He is on his 60-day grace period and anxious to start working for us. How does the H-1B 60-day grace period work? What do we need to know to hire this candidate? Here are some...
TTAB Dismisses Claim Pitting HUNGR against HUNGRY Due to False Evidence and Spoliation
What happens when rival food ordering application software uses similar names? In the case of Rapid, Inc. and Hungry Marketplace, Inc., the former sues the latter over using a mark they argued would cause a “likelihood of confusion” with their existing mark. With...