On Sept. 3, a judge of the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California refused to dismiss five claims in an April trademark lawsuit brought by Patagonia, the retailer of environmental and outdoor fame, against giant brewer Anheuser-Busch over its beer...
Year: 2019
Sports IP news: from Tom Terrific to Taco Tuesdays
sports fans love the Giants, 49ers, Sharks and Warriors, but we also appreciate stars on other teams. One of the greatest quarterbacks in NFL history is a local guy, in fact. New England Patriots QB Tom Brady was born just a few miles south of in San Mateo.Brady...
Singer sues retailer over allegedly copycat social media posts
Pop star Ariana Grande has filed a federal lawsuit against retailer Forever 21 and an affiliate because of social media and website postings she alleges copied elements of her music videos of the chart-topping song “7 Rings” and of the song “Thank U, Next,” according...
Second Circuit: Songs for Italian movies not works made for hire
An August 21 opinion of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 2nd Circuit illustrates the concept of the work made for hire in U.S. copyright law -- and the similar concept of commissioned works in Italian law. Ennio Morricone Music Inc. v. Bixio Music Group Ltd....
Taco John’s sends cease-and-desist letter for “Taco Tuesday”
Wyoming-based fast-food restaurant Taco John's was issued a federal trademark for TACO TUESDAY back in 1989. Readers may be surprised to hear this, as the phrase sounds pretty, well, generic. Several media sources report that Taco John's sent a...
Songwriter alleges copyright infringement by Lady Gaga
We have written recently in this space about the controversy over whether it is appropriate to allow copyright ownership for very small note combinations in songs. Some argue that a short progression of notes is just a basic, generic element of a musical composition...
Metal band to settle trademark dispute over beer name
According to Reuters, on August 12 the band Guns N' Roses filed notice with the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California that it and Oskar Blues, a Colorado brewery, had agreed on July 31 to settle their trademark infringement dispute over the...
Jury awards $2.7 million in damages in Katy Perry copyright case
On August 1, a federal jury in Los Angeles calculated that Katy Perry, her label Capitol Records and related co-defendants owe rapper Marcus Gray and his co-writer $2.78 million for copyright infringement for Perry’s 2013 megahit “Dark Horse.” Gray,...
Michael Jackson estate objects to KingOfPop.com to sell popcorn
At our law firm, we advocate for our clients who may be on either side of lawsuits over domain name ownership as well as those concerning cybersquatting. These legal proceedings, which often involve trademark infringement, are disputes about rightful ownership and use...
Kawhi Leonard’s copyright fight with Nike over the “Klaw” logo
When we think of branding, we often think of trademarks, but when a logo is based on creative artwork, it can also involve copyright. This is so in a dispute between basketball great Kawhi Leonard and his former sponsor Nike over a logo based on a drawing by Leonard...