The TTAB has affirmed a refusal to register the trade dress configuration mark (see below) of the popular Timberland boot, a wardrobe staple in hip-hop culture (see The World is Yours by Nas), stating the configuration failed...more
International sportswear company Nike filed a lawsuit against a Los Angeles-based manufacturer alleged to have produced thousands of inauthentic Nike® Dunk®-inspired sneakers.
Interestingly, the lawsuit was filed shortly...more
On November 30, 2020, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo signed into law New York Senate Bill S5959D, an amendment to New York’s right of publicity law to provide the 40 year post-mortem right of estates of deceased celebrities...more
On October 27, 2020, the District Court in the Western District of Texas issued its Final Judgment in L’Oreal USA Creative, Inc. v. Drunk Elephant, LLC, 1:18-cv-00982 (W.D.Tex.), which approved the Joint Stipulation of...more
When they launched “Call Her Daddy” in 2018, Sofia Franklyn and Alexandra Cooper were relatively unknown. They were two New York City friends candidly dishing about dating and sex without any euphemisms on the internet....more
The U.S. Court of Appeals in the Second Circuit found in favor of Costco in the latest chapter of an over seven-year legal battle between Tiffany and Co. (“Tiffany’s”) and Costco Wholesale Corporation (“Costco”). A three...more
10/22/2020
/ Costco ,
Counterclaims ,
Counterfeiting ,
Fair Use ,
Fashion Industry ,
Generic Marks ,
Remand ,
Summary Judgment ,
Tiffany and Company ,
Trademark Infringement ,
Trademark Litigation ,
Trademarks
On June 19, 2020, Kim Kardashian West’s (“Kardashian West”) company KKW Beauty, LLC (“KKW”) was sued in California Superior Court by its business partners Seed Beauty (“Seed”) alleging trade secret infringement. According to...more
8/18/2020
/ Breach of Contract ,
Confidentiality Agreements ,
Cosmetics ,
Fashion Branding ,
Fashion Industry ,
Intellectual Property Protection ,
Irreparable Harm ,
Kardashians ,
Kim Kardashian ,
Misappropriation ,
Non-Disclosure Agreement ,
Proprietary Information ,
Trade Secrets ,
TRO
On May 12, 2020, the United States Patent and Trademark Office issued over 700 new design patents. Fashion-related designs figured prominently among the new patent grants including accessories like eyeglasses (see U.S. Design...more
About 40 years ago, marketing strategists Al Ries and Jack Trout offered the world a way to think about making a brand memorable. The best way to be remembered is to be first into your prospect’s mind representing a clear...more
With social media popularity comes more followers. With more followers comes opportunities to market products online. But as the wellness-company Teami discovered, with online marketing comes increased FTC scrutiny.
The...more
5/27/2020
/ Advertising ,
Celebrity Endorsements ,
Disclosure Requirements ,
Endorsements ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
FTC Act ,
FTC Endorsement Guidelines ,
Influencers ,
Marketing ,
Online Endorsements ,
Public Comment ,
Social Media
On April 10, personal protective equipment (“PPE”) manufacturer 3M filed suit against Performance Supply LLC for trademark infringement, deceptive practices, and false advertising. In its complaint, 3M alleges that...more
In October 2019, professional photographer Michele Eve Sandberg filed a complaint against musical trio Jonas Brothers (both as an entity and as individuals) for unauthorized use of photos Sandberg snapped of the band during...more
In April 2019, outdoor apparel company Patagonia, Inc. sued Anheuser-Busch, LLC in the District Court for the Central District of California. Patagonia brought eight claims against the Anheuser-Busch brand “Patagonia Brewing...more
The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) allows for a trademark application to be filed on an “Intent to Use” basis to establish a priority date before the mark is actually “used in commerce.” However, such use in...more
On January 30, 2019, the luxury jewelry suppliers Van Cleef & Arpels filed suit in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York against Nice Ice Fine Jewelers, LLC (“Defendant”). Van Cleef & Arpels’...more
3/27/2019
/ Attorney's Fees ,
Common Law Claims ,
Damages ,
Dilution ,
Fashion Branding ,
Fashion Design ,
Federal Trademark Register ,
Lanham Act ,
Likelihood of Confusion ,
Permanent Injunctions ,
Trade Dress ,
Trademark Infringement ,
Trademark Litigation ,
Trademark Registration ,
Trademarks ,
Unfair Competition
On December 28, 2018, Nirvana LLC filed a lawsuit against designer Marc Jacobs in the Central District of California, alleging copyright and trademark infringement. Nirvana LLC is the legal entity which controls the band...more
3/2/2019
/ Continuous Use Requirement ,
Copyright ,
Copyright Infringement ,
Fashion Branding ,
Fashion Design ,
IP License ,
Merchandising Rights ,
Music Industry ,
Nirvana ,
Trademark Infringement ,
Trademarks
Under the first sale doctrine, once a trademark owner first authorizes its branded product to be sold to a consumer, the trademark owner’s right to control the further re-sale of that product is generally said to be...more
3/1/2019
/ Attorney's Fees ,
Consumer Confusion ,
Corporate Branding ,
Cosmetics ,
Damages ,
False Advertising ,
False Designation of Origin ,
Fashion Industry ,
FDA Approval ,
First Sale Doctrine ,
Gray Market Goods ,
Imports ,
Injunctive Relief ,
Lanham Act ,
Materiality ,
Product Packaging ,
Quality Control Plan ,
Tariff Act of 1930 ,
Tortious Interference ,
Trademark Exhaustion ,
Trademarks ,
U.S. Customs ,
Unfair Competition
Eliya Inc., known for its BERNIE MEV® shoes, filed a declaratory judgment action against Skechers on January 29, 2019 in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York. Skechers had sent a cease and desist...more
2/23/2019
/ Cease and Desist ,
Declaratory Judgments ,
Design Patent ,
Fashion Design ,
Fashion Industry ,
Functionality ,
Nonobvious ,
Novelty ,
Ornamental Design ,
Patent Infringement ,
Patent Litigation ,
Patent-Eligible Subject Matter ,
Section 101 ,
Section 102 ,
Skechers ,
Substantially Similar
On December 28, 2018, both Calvin Klein and the parent company of the department store Saks Fifth Avenue, were sued by Wongab Corporation in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California. ...more
On November 7, 2018 Louis Vuitton Malletier, S.A. filed a complaint in the Southern District of New York against i-Fe Apparel, Inc., Yongun Jung, and a number of presently unknown entities and individuals (“Defendants”)....more
1/22/2019
/ Corporate Counsel ,
Counterfeiting ,
Dilution ,
False Designation of Origin ,
Fashion Branding ,
Fashion Design ,
Fashion Industry ,
Intellectual Property Protection ,
Louis Vuitton ,
Trademark Infringement ,
Trademark Registration ,
Trademarks ,
Willful Infringement
On October 23, 2018, Rube P. Hoffman, a California textile manufacturer known for their Hawaiian prints and aloha shirts, filed a copyright infringement suit in the Central District of California against Zara USA, Inc., one...more
1/21/2019
/ Affirmative Defenses ,
Burden of Proof ,
Copyright Infringement ,
Copyright Ownership ,
Copyright Registration ,
Fair Use ,
Fashion Industry ,
Lanham Act ,
Manufacturers ,
Textiles ,
Unfair Competition
Knock-offs and ‘copycat’ designs are nothing new to the fashion world. The rising demand for “fast fashion” and bargain hunting alike make knock-offs particularly attractive to the consumer’s insatiable appetite. This trend...more
1/18/2019
/ Copyright ,
Copyright Registration ,
Design Patent ,
Fashion Branding ,
Fashion Design ,
Fashion Industry ,
Functionality ,
Intellectual Property Protection ,
IP Portfolio ,
Jewelry ,
Originality ,
Patent Applications ,
Product Packaging ,
Trade Dress ,
Trademark Registration ,
Trademarks ,
USPTO
Two high-end, off-price fashion brands are duking it out over an employee jumping ship from Century 21 Department Stores, LLC to Rue Gilt Groupe. On November 5, 2018, Century 21 sued Rue Gilt Groupe and Berenice Arcuri in...more
12/13/2018
/ Breach of Contract ,
Choice-of-Law ,
Confidentiality Agreements ,
Fashion Branding ,
Fashion Design ,
Fashion Industry ,
Former Employee ,
Injunctive Relief ,
Intellectual Property Protection ,
Non-Compete Agreements ,
Proprietary Information ,
Restraint of Trade ,
Trade Secrets
On May 3, 2018, Nike filed a lawsuit against Puma in the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts accusing Puma of infringing seven of its utility patents related to footwear. In an earlier post on this blog, we...more
12/6/2018
/ Abstract Ideas ,
Affirmative Defenses ,
CLS Bank v Alice Corp ,
Fashion Design ,
Federal Rule 12(b)(6) ,
Motion to Dismiss ,
Nike ,
Nonobvious ,
Novelty ,
Patent Infringement ,
Patent-Eligible Subject Matter ,
Patents ,
Puma ,
Section 101 ,
Utility Patents
In 2017, New Jersey based biotech startup Modern Meadow launched Zoa, which it considers “[t]he world’s first bioleather materials brand.” Zoa, a name derived from the Greek term for life, zoi, features products created with...more