I ♡ Trademarks NewsletterIssue #287
Bri Van Til | May 03, 2022
Punny Titles
The humor of the title of this article about infringing walking shoes will sneak up on you.
In the competition for best puns about trademark infringement of footwear, this article about the Christian Louboutin case in Japan is definitely nipping at its competitors’ heels.
Check out this great and kind of cryptic title about how brands and lawyers must pay attention to IP in the web3 world.
I totally wish I could take credit for the title or summary of this amazing Alt Legal webinar about trademark protection for cannabis brands, but I can’t. It wasn’t even a joint effort. This was all former USPTO trademark examiner Rachael Dickson. Sign up; it’ll be smokin’!
Too Close for Comfort
Is House of Zana too similar to Zara? The retailer thinks so.
Taco John’s is suing Taco Chon’s for trademark infringement. If they win, do you think they’ll leave the courtroom singing, “Once we getcha, then we gotcha”?
Tax prep giant H&R Block sued Square Inc. for changing its name to Block Inc. Is it too obvious to say they wanted to block them from using the name?
Trademarks in Asia
Saudi Arabia has been removed from the US’s watchlist of countries with insufficient IP protections. Read about other countries’ statuses here.
Here’s a handy comparison of trademark frameworks in India, Japan, and Taiwan.
In Taiwan, third parties can file to revoke trademarks that haven’t been used for 3 consecutive years.
There’s a lot of drama about who should have the rights to trademark the name of Blac Chyna’s daughter. But who’s keeping up with it?
Professional Concerns
ESPN—which I feel like should really change its name to Program for Entertainment about Nifty Sports since PENS is an easier name to say—is looking for principal counsel. And I feel like as principal counsel, you can make that happen. Go!
I’d like to tell you about how amazing this patent attorney position is, but I’m not sure I could do it (Department of) Justice.
The Pokémon Company is looking for corporate counsel for business affairs. It’s be a rice position to have, although you might need to tuna up a few of your skills. Oh wait. They don’t sell poke bowls. Nevermind.
Disney has turned on its Searchlight to find legal affairs principal counsel for this film studio.
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
Starting next month, the USPTO will no longer mail paper trademark registration certificates.
The USPTO’s OED has suspended this trademark attorney for (among other things) “sloppy” trademark filings for foreign-domiciled applicants. To learn more about your ethical obligations before the USPTO, make sure to join us for this webinar next week. Free ethics CLE, friends!
The US District Court for the Southern District of New York has found that all ISPs must block access to the illegal streaming services who were defendants in this suit.
Here’s an overview of what US attorneys should know before filing trademark applications for words or phrases in a foreign language.