Alt Legal IP News – Issue # 194
Bri Van Til | June 24, 2020
Black Lives Matter
– A UK university’s student union is in hot water for plagiarizing its Black Lives Matter message from another UK university’s student union.
– Update: the man who filed a UK trademark application for BLACK LIVES MATTER has withdrawn his application in response to the backlash he received.
– George Floyd’s brother, Philonise Floyd, has filed a trademark application for THE GEORGE FLOYD FOUNDATION.
– Read about what Alt Legal is doing to show that Black lives matter.
Stylin’
– Kanye West is apparently expanding his Yeezy fashion line to include cosmetics. Meanwhile, Kim Kardashian is being called out for her fashion line’s cultural appropriation.
– How does this foldable bike design relate to fashion law?
– Customs and Border Patrol officers have seized thousands of counterfeit face masks featuring luxury fashion brand logos.
– If you’re interested in fashion law, here’s a handy guide.
Unauthorized Use
– People have tried smuggling unauthorized Pokémon merchandise across the border, but CBP agents caught ’em all. Or, well, they’ve caught some of ’em, anyway.
– The parents of a toddler featured in a video tweeted by President Trump have gotten the video removed because they alleged the video was manipulated and its use was unauthorized.
– Tom Petty’s estate won’t back down. They sent President Trump’s reelection campaign a cease and desist over the unauthorized use of Petty’s song.
– Jamaican academic Dr. Lenora Stines is suing Jay-Z and Beyonce for allegedly using her vocals without her permission.
Professional Concerns
– Western Union is looking for senior counsel. No word on whether they require resumes via telegram.
– In case you couldn’t Intuit that they were looking for product counsel, now you know.
– It’s time to apply to be product counsel at TikTok, or would you be content to be a distribution attorney for Hulu?
– Venable is looking for a political law staff attorney. I suppose it’s okay for them to talk politics at work.
– The Library of Congress is looking for neither a librarian nor a congressperson but rather an attorney advisor.
– Have an open role on your team? Send a link to your job listing to community@altlegal.com, and we’ll publish it in our next newsletter.
Odds and Ends
– The USPTO is expediting applications for COVID-19-related trademark and patent applications.
– For patents, which jurisdiction should take precedence in determining who was first to file?
– In case you missed Jessica Gonzalez’s webinar about cannabis trademark protection, check out the recording here.
– For information about being a virtual paralegal—including everything from setting up a home office to protecting client confidentiality—come to our webinar this Thursday at 4 ET. And, of course, join us for our weekly virtual happy hour immediately after.