This time, the dispute is over cardigan sweaters. Last time, it was over luxury cars. In both cases, Chadwick McQueen, the son of deceased actor Steve McQueen, objected to companies using his father’s name to sell their products.In August 2018, we shared...
Month: April 2019
Mr. and Mrs. Bieber file for trademarks based on their names
In September, pop star Justin Bieber and model Hailey Baldwin tied the knot. Now, Hailey Bieber is taking serious steps to preserve rights to use her new name for business purposes. TMZ reported that she has filed a trademark application to register "Bieber Beauty"...
Counterfeiting: Trademark infringement on steroids
We often talk in this space about trademark infringement. Trademarks are protected indicators of branding that identify the sources of affiliated products.Perhaps the most extreme kind of trademark infringement is counterfeiting. On March 19, the U.S. District Court...
Happy-little-tree painter’s right of publicity at issue
We recently told readers about a lawsuit filed by Car-Freshner Corporation -- the owner of the trademark for the iconic tree-shaped car air fresheners -- against Bob Ross Inc., called BRI, and its merchandiser for selling air fresheners for vehicles also in the shape...
NCAA has multiple trademarks associated with Final Four tourney
Trademarks are not just important for commercial success. It is also vital for some nonprofit organizations to protect their branding in furtherance of their charitable missions.It may surprise some readers to learn that the National Collegiate Athletic Association,...
To be a trade secret, its owner must take steps to protect it
At , in , we represent a variety of clients in trade secret matters. We regularly talk about trade secret issues in this space and today we take note of a recent Illinois case that provides an interesting analysis of the requirement that to...