Alt Legal IP News – Issue #225
Bri Van Til | February 03, 2021
Practice Tips
The USPTO is hosting a webinar to teach you all about IP protection in China.
The ABA says it’s okay for a lawyer to sit in a different jurisdiction from the one in which they’re licensed.
Trademark applications are a matter of public record, so how can you file them on the sly? Here’s one suggestion.
Need some help managing your firm? Smith.ai has some free instructional courses to help you out!
Sometimes we best learn what to do by seeing bad examples: we wouldn’t recommend publicly shaming your colleagues or posting legal advice about how to get away with shooting an abuser.
Don’t forget to sign up for our webinar next Thursday to hear all about the shiny new TMA and learn how it will impact your practice. And in case you missed David Postolski’s webinar about responding to generic and merely descriptive office actions, watch the recording here.
Geographical Indications
How has Brexit affected Geographical Indications in the UK?
This author argues that GI tags can help tribal peoples in India sell and protect their goods.
The EU is considering changes to the GI scheme and is seeking public comment to inform their decision.
India and Pakistan have been in a long(-grain) battle in the EU over who can claim the GI tag for Basmati rice.
Can I Use That?
When do spoofing, parodying, and comparisons to a competitor’s product constitute trademark infringement?
Remote learning has led to a lot of questions about copyright and fair use. Here’s an overview of the boundaries for digital (unbound?) media.
Have publishers been price gouging ebooks since the pandemic began?
Professional Concerns
iHerb that this company is looking for contracts and privacy counsel.
I wonder if working as IP counsel for Faraday Future would mean that your phone could never get a signal. And, if so, would that make you more productive?
Medtronic—which kind of sounds like a Transformers villain—is looking for both IP counsel and senior IP counsel.
Shark Ninja—an anime villain, perhaps—is looking for global IP counsel.
Cash App is looking for lead product counsel, but they didn’t specify whether you’d need to request money through the app to get paid.
I’d BET this VP of business and legal affairs position is worth looking into!
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
If you were wanting to dress up as one of the villains above and posted to social media or made money from it, a new Japanese law could mean you were guilty of copyright infringement. If you were in Japan, that is.
Sean Combs (a.k.a. P. Diddy, a.k.a. Puff Daddy a.k.a. Diddy a.k.a. Puffy) is suing the current owners of his former brand, Sean Jean, for trademark infringement of “VOTE OR DIE,” which he failed to renew.
Check out this calendar, which celebrates Black patent holders.
WIPR wants to know about how the IP world is doing when it comes to diversity, so take their survey and tell them!
Valentine’s Day is coming up. Get yourself, your friends, or your special someone a t-shirt or sticker that shows you think Trademarks ® Sweet! All proceeds go to The Playing Field Project!