The Briefing: The Supreme Court Limits the Reach of The Lanham Act [PODCAST]
Emerging Strategies for Protecting Global IP Rights
Patent Series: Protecting inventions
Video Game Lawsuit Highlights Intellectual Property Issues with Internet Memes
Harlem Shake's Copyright Issues
Apple Loses First 'Big' Case to MobileMedia, Lawyer Says
Copyright Safe Harbors: Establishing Protection Against Infringement Claims
The Federal Circuit Court of Appeals reversed a preliminary injunction granted as to franchisor Urban Air’s patent and trade dress infringement claims against Kangaroo, LLC. UATP IP, LLC v. Kangaroo, LLC, 2024 WL 658205 (Fed....more
Last week we introduced our readers to the imbroglio featuring the burger behemoth In-N-Out, who accused upstart Doll N’ Burgers of infringing In-N-Out’s registered and unregistered trade dress. Typical of these sorts of...more
A burger brouhaha involving the Lanham Act is well underway in the Wolverine state. Plaintiff In-N-Out Burgers operates hundreds of fast food joints in the West. Defendant Doll n’ Burger recently opened two locations in...more
The U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California recently determined that the owner of the iconic Dr. Martens trade dress—a famous design that has been used for more than three decades—was entitled to a...more
I. Trade Dress Is Either a Trademark or Service Mark. “Trade dress” functions as either a trademark or service mark. A “trademark” is any word, term, phase, symbol, logo, design, shape, tag line, background, color, scent,...more
We’ve discussed a number of cases lately where flimsy consumer surveys were tossed out as unreliable under Daubert. This latest installment presents a slightly different twist....more
The Ninth Circuit rules in favor of furniture designer Herman Miller in its trade dress infringement suit against a copycat manufacturer of knockoff Eames and Aeron office chairs. The court affirms a jury finding that the...more
In a recent decision, Ezaki Glico v. Lotte International American Corporation, the Third Circuit rejected a manufacturer’s claims of trade dress infringement regarding Pocky, a chocolate covered cookie stick which Ezaki Glico...more
A key challenge for policyholders seeking coverage under commercial general liability, directors and officers and other insurance policies is the presence of the so-called “intellectual property exclusion.” In a typical...more
The overall look of a product – including the look of a snack or a treat – may be entitled to intellectual property protection as “trade dress.” But the protection of the overall look of a product as trade dress is neither...more
Foreign-made drugs, nutritional supplements and medical devices imported into the United States with false or misleading labeling or designed to look like an established competing product in violation of the Lanham Act could...more
The women’s hosiery powerhouse, Spanx, is being sued for allegedly copying designs of a small shapewear company (R and A Synergy, LLC, v. Spanx, Inc., (C.D. Cal. 2017)). In the Complaint filed on December 21, 2017 in the...more
In 2001, the Supreme Court in TrafFix Devices, Inc. v. Marketing Displays, Inc. refined its test for determining whether a product design is functional—and thus ineligible for trade dress protection. 532 U.S. 23, 58...more
On June 15th, Sugarfina Inc. (“Sugarfina”), a gourmet candy boutique, sued one of its competitors, Sweet Pete’s LLC (“Sweet Pete’s”), accusing Sweet Pete’s of trade dress, copyright, trademark, and patent infringement, as...more
The way in which a product looks or how it is packaged and sold can often be a driving force in the consumer’s purchasing decision. Yet, the intellectual property rights available for product designs and packaging are...more
As the first-filed paper in nearly any litigation, the complaint is typically subject to rigorous scrutiny from the named defendant to identify any flaws that may dispatch the case via a motion to dismiss. A plaintiff in the...more
The US Court of Appeals for the 10th Circuit, in affirming a district court ruling, reaffirmed the availability of trade dress protection for colors, but reiterated that a plaintiff must show that its color trade dress is...more
I often get asked by clients to discuss the differences between design patents and trade dress. Both are intellectual property protections that protect similar aspects of a product—the appearance and aesthetic features. Last...more
In the latest chapter of a year-long battle between an individual inventor and two companies, Lisa Duer (“Duer”), a resident of Woodstock, Georgia, filed her Third Amended Complaint alleging patent infringement, trademark...more
Diageo Enforces Trade Dress Rights in its CROWN ROYAL Drawstring Bag - Diageo owns a registration for the mark CROWN ROYAL for whiskey. Diageo has sold its CROWN ROYAL whiskey in a purple drawstring bag for many...more
On June 18, 2014, Python Safety, Inc. (“Python”), of Woodstock, GA filed a complaint against Ty-Flot, Inc. (“Ty-Flot”), of Manchester, NH, alleging federal trade dress infringement and unfair competition, infringement of US...more
Last week, Judge William Quarles of the District of Maryland issued an injunction preventing Maryland Republican State Senator Steve Hershey from using his own campaign literature. The case was brought by the Hershey...more
Earlier this week, the Fourth Circuit reversed the dismissal of a Lanham Act claim for trade dress infringement involving a pixel pattern embossed on an absorbent textile-like product used in medical supplies, hygiene...more
On April 1, 2014, Select Management Resources, LLC of Alpharetta, Georgia (“Select”) filed a complaint against Title Credit Acceptance, LLC of Duluth, Georgia (“Title”) alleging state and federal trademark and trade dress...more
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit affirmed the vacatur of final default judgment against the Islamic Republic of Iran (Iran) for alleged trade-dress infringement. The unanimous panel agreed with...more