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Alt Legal Blog

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

I ♡ Trademarks NewsletterIssue #278

Bri Van Til | March 01, 2022
2 min read

See You in Court

Reversing the Ninth Circuit’s ruling, the Supreme Court has found that inadvertent mistakes don’t invalidate a copyright registration. The justices determined that legal or factual errors invalidate the registration only if the applicant had actual knowledge that the application was inaccurate.

The Federal Circuit held that the USPTO’s refusal of the TRUMP TOO SMALL trademark application violated the applicant’s First Amendment rights. This calls to mind a previous humorous trademark application mentioned in this newsletter five years ago. For some awesome reading, check out the office action response.

A business owner is alleging that his roommate stole his lash serum formula and sold a confusingly similar product, but the US District Court for the Central District of California ruled that since both marks are weak and  there’s no evidence of actual confusion, there is no likelihood of confusion.

I’ve Got the Power!

President Biden has announced his nominee for the most powerful court in the US.

Read about these electric vehicle battery startups’ patents and their technology. They could teach you about it, but they’d have to charge.

This interesting story of sports history, disorganization, and copyright infringement will not be heard by the Fifth Circuit because the court has ruled that Texas A&M has sovereign immunity.

Drink Up

InBev is opposing a French microbrewer’s application to trademark Leff, citing likelihood of confusion with their Leffe beer.

A Hamburg appeals court has ruled that the word “glen” is a Scotch geographical indicator.

The longstanding Putin Pub in Jerusalem has removed Putin from its name as a result of the invasion of Ukraine.

Austin tequila company 512 alleges that Kendall Jenner’s 818 tequila is confusingly similar to theirs.

Professional Concerns

If a photo editor edits photos, and a copy editor edits copy, what does an associate editor do? Whatever they do, Thomson Reuters is looking for an associate IP editor.

Siemans—I’m sorry, but I’m too immature to make an appropriate joke here—is looking for senior counsel.

If you have Verified Credentials, apply to be general counsel for this screening company. If you don’t, I feel like they’ll discover you.

You can end your job Hunt now if you want to serve as counsel for this affordable housing corporation.

Animal Legal Defense Fund is looking for a managing attorney for their pro bono program. Can we just acquit all the animals?

Has your current gig become a nightmare? Consider being associate counsel for the Dream Exchange.

Have a job that ails ya? This position as commercial transactions counsel might Curia.

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

What is the key driver of economic prosperity? IP, of course!

Don’t miss this great article about international knockout searches.

This Kilpatrick Townsend webinar will address recent USPTO changes from the TMA to the imposition of sanctions.

Would the SECRETS Act protect US tech companies from international patent and trade secret theft?

If you missed our webinar about how IP attorneys can contribute to social justice, check out the recording here.

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