I ♡ Trademarks NewsletterIssue #269
Bri Van Til | December 21, 2021
It’s So Meta
An Instagram user had the Metaverse handle for close to a decade, but her account was recently blocked for impersonation.
Handbag manufacturer Hermès is accusing an NFT creator of (digital) purse snatching.
And the best name for cryptocurrency? JRR Token. Too bad a judge ruled that the name was infringing.
Nike has acquired RTFKT as part of its effort to expand into the metaverse, and Stephen Curry and Under Armour are taking steps to enter the arena as well.
Meta doesn’t want to face(book) any more competition: they’ve spent over $60 million to secure the rights to the name.
Out with the Old, In with the New Year
Don’t miss this list of resources about the top IP and trademark topics for 2021.
How have clients’ demands for IP practices changed in the last decade?
This has been a big year in trademark law. Here’s a recount of the most important decisions of the year.
From NFTs to the TMA, check out Alt Legal’s top 10 blog posts of the year.
Delicious IP
Papa cork on a bottle of champagne: this burger joint naming feud is finally over.
There’s a lot of debate about whether and how recipes can be protected by copyright, but when the accompanying stories are also copied, the issue seems clearer.
Coca Nasa—a beer company formed by indigenous Colombians—is facing trademark infringement claims for its Coca Pola beer.
Professional Concerns
Starting to Wonder if you’re in the right place with your career? Consider serving as corporate counsel for this food-tech startup.
Is there a Starkey contrast between where you want your career to be and where it is? Consider serving as patent counsel for this hearing aid company.
If things aren’t going Vail at your current job, consider applying to be counsel for this resort instead.
I like to imagine that your conversation when you applied to be senior counsel at this software company would be something like this: “I like you.” “I like Q2. Let’s work together!”
Univision—is that what you see when you cross your eyes?—is looking for a VP of legal affairs.
Shoot for the moon; even if you miss, you can land among the Starz as VP of legal affairs.
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
New Zealand is warning IP owners about fraudulent renewal notices.
Jeep’s patent suggests that the auto company may manufacture “donut doors,” but I see a hole in that plan.
Where is the intersection between trademark infringement, standing, likelihood of confusion, and harm?
If a company that doesn’t have a registered trademark for its name fails to renew its domain registration, it may struggle to regain it through UDRP. For more about the overlap between trademarks and domain names, join us for this webinar in February.
Why is there so much controversy about Michael B. Jordan’s trademark application for J’Ouvert?
There will be no newsletter next week because of the holidays. We wish you the very best holiday season!