Alt Legal IP News – Issue #60
Hannah Samendinger | October 26, 2017
Check out our latest episode of Alt Trademarks. I spoke with Erik Pelton about his unique practice, being an examiner, and mentoring young attorneys. Check out the episode here (be sure to check out his new website too).
What a Character
– A judge affirmed his initial ruling against Lions Gate in a case over a parody of the signature move from Dirty Dancing, answering the question of whether the material was protected by copyright or trademark.
– What are you going to be for Halloween? Maybe a Female Libertarian or Casual Jeb Bush, which look awfully similar to some popular characters?
– The Wolf of Wall Street producers are fighting a libel in fiction case over their portrayal of a particular character in the movie.
Tech Updates
– Meet the judge who taught himself how to code and who has ruled on some of the most important tech cases.
– Eight studios have filed suit against a streaming service called TickBox, claiming the device enables copyright infringement.
– A company called Emonster is suing Apple over their Animojis.
Colorful Claims
– Eight Brooklyn jurors will soon get to decide whether graffiti can be protected art.
– John Deere won an injunction against a company using a yellow and green color combination in their branding.
– A YouTuber was shocked to learn that you can be sued for copyright infringement for using images from a Google search without permission.
Odds and Ends
– What’s happening with plant patents these days? There exists a “Blueberry plant called Norman,” and an interesting article about how apple plant patents “liberated the American palate.”
– I spent a lot of time yesterday following this Twitter thread hunting for the song with the most mentions of registered marks. Here’s a great article about some of the hottest brands in pop music and a video about why rappers love Grey Poupon (yes, the mustard).
– For those who attended USPTO day and saw the live arguments, TTAB has published their decision in the Hokie case.
– A Swiss brand just won a 12-year trademark battle in China.
– In New York? We are hosting a meetup on November 9th and would love to see you there! Find more details here.