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Alt Legal Blog

Your source for news, updates and guidance on all things trademarks and intellectual property.

Alt Legal IP News – Issue #230

Bri Van Til | March 10, 2021
2 min read

Author-ize

When authorship is shared (as it often is in open-source and copyleft projects), what IP can you protect? Join us for our webinar this Thursday, where Hopkins & Carley attorney Mitesh Patel will give you a rundown of the options.

Not familiar with copyleft? Check out this quick primer in advance of our wonderful webinar.

Indian IP blog SpicyIP has released an open IP syllabus with tons of resources.

George Orwell’s widow’s estate filed EU trademark applications for GEORGE ORWELL, 1984, and ANIMAL FARM, but the applications were denied. INTA has filed amicus briefs in support of the applications.

Dr. Seuss’s estate will stop publishing a few of his titles because of their insensitive content and images. Some have decried the move, but this author argues for a different solution: a Creative Commons waiver.

Wear ‘Em Down

Several months ago, New Balance successfully defeated the New Barlun for the “N” logo trademark application in China, but the shoe company failed to invalidate the application for GUANGZHOU NEW BALANCE.

Neiman Marcus has settled with an Alaska Native group for alleged copyright infringement of a design.

After an eight-year legal battle, PTAB has cancelled a Nike patent for a shoe stitching technique.

The United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee has filed a lawsuit against Puma for its trademark applications that include Olympic years and locations.

Rhythm Blues

Will Twitch’s DMCA takedowns discourage musicians from using the platform?

Mobile payment company Square apparently plans to acquire streaming service Tidal, currently owned by Jay-Z, Beyoncé, and Rihanna.

Professional Concerns

Indiegogo to this site if you’re interested in being corporate counsel at this crowdsourcing company.

Do you think it’s all fun and games serving as counsel at Capcom?

Chime in if you want to be IP counsel at this bank.

How do you get to this management consulting firm to apply to be commercial counsel? You take the Korn Ferry. That’s also where I go to get my jokes.

Looking for a perfect match? Consider being commercial counsel for Grindr.

Want to Shake (Shack) things up? Apply to be commercial counsel at this fancy fast food joint.

It is Saper to be a commercial litigation attorney at this firm? Prolly!

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

Surname refusals are common. Check out this video where former USPTO trademark examiner John Miranda explains how to respond to them. That’s also a topic covered in this recorded webinar.

When a bird food company tried to trademark TWEET, Twitter gave them the bird (or at least they filed an opposition to the application).

Mad Dogg Athletics has registered trademarks for SPIN and SPINNING, but Peloton argues the term “spin” is generic, and therefore it does not qualify for trademark protection.

Here’s an interesting list of IP trends.

Microsoft has created a portal for reporting copyright or trademark infringement.

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