I ♡ Trademarks NewsletterIssue #272
Bri Van Til | January 18, 2022
The USPTO
How are the USPTO’s efforts to optimize trademark quality and timeliness coming along? Find out in this summary of the USPTO’s 2021 accountability report.
The Senate Judiciary Committee is advancing Kathi Vidal’s nomination to head the USPTO.
Check out this free (courtesy of its presenter) recorded workshop from last year’s Alt Legal Connect that provides tips for investigating trademark use. And make sure to sign up for the next Alt Legal Connect so that you don’t miss out on great workshops in the future!
The time has come to verify your identity with the USPTO.
Just Say No
In case you’re curious, you shouldn’t bully opposing counsel; it can land you in ethics hot water.
TTAB just said no to cannabis company POTIFY because of the likelihood of confusion with SPOTIFY.
Because the caselaw around embedding is unsettled, Instagram has released a feature that allows users to choose whether or not to allow their posts to be embedded on third-party sites.
Video Games
Video game Wordle has grown in popularity; read about some of the IP issues surrounding the game.
Scholars argue that copyrights are making it difficult to preserve video games in a way that’s similar to the preservation of other culturally relevant media like film and books.
Sega’s recent trademark applications suggest the video game company is getting into NFTs.
Professional Concerns
The USPTO is looking for a patent attorney.
Drawing a Blank (Rome) about where to work? Apply to be an IP docketing specialist at this firm.
Don’t discount the value of this opening for IP counsel at Groupon.
I bet you’re expecting some Quip about this position for general counsel. Sorry to disappoint!
I’m guessing you can’t apply to be managing counsel at LivePerson if you’re dead. I think that’s true for most jobs, though.
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
Check out this article about how Alt Legal is honoring the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
Katie Markert’s webinar about starting your own firm was super detailed and thorough. If you missed it or just need to rewatch it to gather some more gems from it, check out the recording here.
This fashion designer won’t Lego of his copyright infringement claims: a jacket he designed appeared in an episode of Queer Eye and then later in a Lego set based on the series, so he’s suing the toy manufacturer for copyright infringement.
A US District Court judge has ruled that gruyère cheese need not come from the Gruyères region. If you expected me to make some cheesy puns about this, you’d be holey mistaken.
Need a mentor? Want to be one yourself? Check out the Lawyer Mentor Network.