On October 30, 2018, the Federal Circuit weighed in on Converse’s Chuck Taylor trade dress infringement lawsuit. As reported in If the IP Fits, Wear It: IP Protection For Footwear – a U.S. Perspective, Converse filed over 30...more
11/30/2018
/ Appeals ,
Exclusion Orders ,
Imports ,
International Trade Commission (ITC) ,
Remand ,
Reversal ,
Secondary Meaning ,
Trade Dress ,
Trademark Infringement ,
Trademark Invalidity ,
Trademark Registration ,
Wearable Technology
In a recent precedential decision, In re University of Miami, Serial No. 86616382 (T.T.A.B. June 6, 2017), the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board (the “TTAB”) clarified the scope of the doctrine of trademark mutilation....more
On April 4, 2017, the Ninth Circuit ruled that Urban Outfitters and Century 21 (collectively “Urban”) were liable for willful infringement of a copyrighted fabric design owned by Unicolors Inc. Unicolors is a Los Angeles...more
On March 24, 2017, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit ruled that the term “red gold” may not be a generic term for jewelry and watches, and thus, may serve as a trademark. Specifically, the Ninth Circuit found...more
4/12/2017
/ Appeals ,
Declaration ,
Evidence ,
Fashion Branding ,
Fashion Industry ,
Generic ,
Jury Trial ,
Louis Vuitton ,
Remand ,
Trade Associations ,
Trademark Infringement ,
Trademark Registration ,
Trademarks ,
Triable Issue of Fact
In 2011, Apple sued Samsung alleging among other things that various portions of Samsung smartphone products infringed claims of certain design patents owned by Apple (Apple Inc. v. Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.). In 2012,...more
2/11/2017
/ Appeals ,
Apple v Samsung ,
Article of Manufacture ,
Calculation of Damages ,
Cell Phones ,
Component Parts Doctrine ,
Damages ,
Design Patent ,
Fashion Industry ,
Patent Infringement ,
Patents ,
SCOTUS ,
Smartphones
On January 18, 2017, the Supreme Court heard oral arguments regarding whether the Lanham Act’s provision refusing federal trademark registration to disparaging marks is invalid under the Free Speech Clause of the First...more
2/10/2017
/ Appeals ,
Disparagement ,
Fashion Industry ,
First Amendment ,
Free Speech ,
Lanham Act ,
Lee v Tam ,
SCOTUS ,
Trademark Registration ,
Trademarks ,
USPTO
In December 2016, China’s Supreme Court held that a Chinese manufacturer named Qiaodan Sports Company, could not continue to produce athletic shoes, clothing and gear bearing the trademark (see article), which is the Chinese...more