I ♡ Trademarks NewsletterIssue #499
Bri Van Til | October 06, 2026
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Sound Strategy
Sony and Universal are suing AI music generator Suno, accusing the platform of “model laundering,” which is a pretty fabulous term.
The latest episode of the TMA Talk Show has dropped. This one covers cultural appropriation vs. appreciation in the trademark space. For more about this topic, check out this session recording and this webinar recording.
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has filed a trademark application to protect her voice against AI deepfakes.
Analysis
This side-by-side comparison of logos for Puma, Kuma, and Shi-Sa helps explain likelihood-of-confusion analysis in Japan. The similarity might make you paws.
Is it a stretch to call this era the “rise of dupe culture,” and if not, what does Lululemon’s suit against Costco and its trademark for LULULEMON DUPE say about that era?
As law firms and legal teams around the world grapple with the role of AI in their legal work, this attorney wants to remind us about the significance of not handing over decision making.
Duo Diligence
Is there likely to be confusion between the iPhone Duo and the Microsoft Surface Duo?
Here’s a quick look at the likelihood of confusion between iPhone’s DUO trademark and the Duolingo app for those who give a hoot (which is almost certainly everyone reading this newsletter).
After roasting the iPhone Duo as “reheated leftovers,” Samsung has hired someone named Tim Cook to promote their foldable phone. Will Apple argue there are too many Cooks?
Professional Concerns
Novagraaf—which in my Midwestern American accent sounds like what we say when people shouldn’t take our pictures—is looking for a trademark paralegal.
Rush over to this site to apply to be senior counsel for Formula 1.
All things considered, this externship for NPR sounds great. It might be a breath of fresh air even.
Deeploy your skills to serve as founding legal counsel for this AI tech company.
You should have no reservations about applying for this senior IP and marketing counsel position at Booking.com.
Have an open role on your team? Email us at [email protected], and we’ll try to get it in our next newsletter!
Odds & Ends
The USPTO has removed 100,000 unused goods and services from trademark registrations. They didn’t specify how many trademarks those descriptions came from. In my head, they might have just cleaned up a few applications from Jony Ive.
President Trump wants to rename AI to SI, for superintelligence. It seems some people don’t think the idea is super at all. Elon Musk is following suit, though: he’s announced he’s renaming SpaceXAI to SpaceXSI.
The UAE is now accepting trademark applications in Class 33. I’ll drink to that.
OpenAI is being sued for infringement again. This time they’re facing claims that their newest AI model, Astra, infringes TradeSun’s existing ASTRA trademark.
Buc-ee’s and Mickey’s have settled their trademark infringement lawsuit.