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Consumer Confusion

Seyfarth Shaw LLP

Say Thank You with Chocolate: MERCI and DANKE Not Confusingly Similar, Says the TTAB

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Merci, Danke, and Thank You—different in linguistic origin, yet all express gratitude. Now that we are in the holiday season, you may want to convey appreciation to someone by expressing thanks or giving a gift, perhaps...more

Morgan Lewis

Campbell’s Stipulated Order Reinforces Trademark Protection in Political Speech

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The Campbell’s Company and CSC Brands LP recently resolved a trademark infringement lawsuit against Michigan congressional candidate Shelby Nicole Campbell and her “Campbell for Congress” campaign, which used imagery closely...more

Felicello Law PC

Protecting Your Trademark — Is it always good for business?

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You may have seen the headlines over the summer that lululemon sued Costco for trademark infringement because Costco has been selling clothing that bears a striking resemblance to lululemon clothing. Your first thought might...more

Womble Bond Dickinson

He Has His Heart of Gold... Why Not a Chrome Heart, Too?

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Earlier this month, Chrome Hearts, the luxury goods retailer known for jewelry and apparel sued musician Neil Young and the individual members of the band Young has been touring with for the last year, The Chrome Hearts, for...more

McDermott Will & Schulte

Solidarity: Union’s commercial use may be Lanham Act violation

The US Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit reversed and remanded a district court’s dismissal of a Lanham Act action, finding that this case was not the rare instance where there was no plausible likelihood that a...more

Roetzel & Andress

Baylor University v. Boston University: What the BU Battle Means for Your Brand

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Baylor University filed a trademark infringement lawsuit against Boston University, claiming that Boston’s use of an “interlocking BU” logo is confusingly similar to Baylor’s federally registered trademark, that also features...more

Lewitt Hackman

Franchisee 101: Franchisee’s Milkshake Brings All Claims to the Yard

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A Texas federal court granted American Dairy Queen Corporation’s motion for partial summary judgment against a terminated franchisee, finding no dispute to the material facts establishing the franchisee’s material breach of...more

Gordon Rees Scully Mansukhani

First Sale Doctrine Limitations: Key Trademark Law Considerations for Businesses

Third-party infringers are finding new ways to sell unauthorized products and profit from doing so.  As one example, the third-party seller buys products in bulk from the product owner, receiving a cheaper rate due to bulk...more

McAfee & Taft

Utah Yetis: The road to naming a new NHL team hits trademark snag

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In 2024, Utah made its big debut in the National Hockey League, adding a new team to the league and a new reason for fans to get excited. The challenge for the team owner, Uyte, LLC, wasn’t just about building a roster of...more

Pillsbury - Internet & Social Media Law Blog

Bad Spaniels III: The Paradox of Parody in Trademark Cases Ex-Rogers

After a decade of litigation and a pivotal Supreme Court ruling from 2023, the legal battle between Jack Daniel’s and VIP Products has taken yet another turn, this time back in favor of Jack Daniel’s. On remand from the...more

Lewitt Hackman

Franchisee 101: Muscling Through the Competition

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A Minnesota district court issued a preliminary injunction against a former franchisee who engaged in a competing business during the franchise relationship. Snap Fitness, Inc., a gym franchisor, entered into a franchise...more

Goodwin

Second Circuit Sees Eye to Eye With Warby Parker in Trademark Google Ads Dispute

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While it has become common practice to bid on or purchase a competitor’s trademark to use as a search engine keyword, there remains some confusion about when such practices create liability for trademark infringement....more

Fisher Phillips

Do Dark Patterns Lurk on Your Website? 4 Steps Businesses Should Take as Regulators Focus on How Privacy Rights Are Presented on...

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Businesses with a website beware: California regulators just warned that the law prohibits your website from making website users jump through hoops or otherwise confusing them as they try to exercise their privacy rights,...more

Knobbe Martens

A Certification Mark May Be Famous for Any Reason and May Connote More Than the Product’s Place of Origin

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Before Lourie, Clevenger and Hughes. Appeal from the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board. Summary:  Fame and likelihood of confusion analyses must thoroughly consider all relevant factors and evidence, including the potential...more

Foley Hoag LLP - Making Your Mark

Trailblazers, OutKasts, and Iconic Brands: The INTA Annual Meeting in Atlanta

The INTA Annual Meeting is here! As one of the largest gatherings of trademark professionals from around the world, the INTA Annual Meeting offers opportunities for networking, education, and collaboration. Against the...more

ArentFox Schiff

The Last Dance? The Future of the “Rogers Test” After the Jack Daniel’s Decision

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After enjoying several decades of acceptance across many circuit courts, the future of the so-called “Rogers test” is uncertain. Established in the landmark Second Circuit case Rogers v. Grimaldi, Rogers is a two-step test...more

Sheppard Mullin Richter & Hampton LLP

The USPTO and USCO Delivered a Report to Congress on IP Issues with NFTs – Maintains Existing IP Regime

The United States Patent and Trademark Office (“USPTO”) and the United States Copyright Office (“USCO”) delivered a report to Congress entitled Non-Fungible Tokens and Intellectual Property on March 12, 2024 (“Report”). While...more

Farella Braun + Martel LLP

Court Discounts Confusion Evidence in Trademark Infringement Action: Is the Confusion Actual?

Actual confusion is considered the sine qua non of trademark infringement. The presence of actual confusion can carry the day in proving a likelihood of confusion entitling the claimant to summary judgment. But not all...more

Foley Hoag LLP - Making Your Mark

Upcycling at the Super Bowl

As we approach the Super Bowl, the world of “upcycling” also takes the stage. Upcycling refers to the process where garments or other materials are reused and transformed into a new or unique item....more

Braumiller Law Group, PLLC

Hot Topics in International Trade - February 2024 - Parallel Imports, A Global Phenomenon, And a Very Grey Area Regarding...

At the core of the definition, a Parallel import is a non-counterfeit product imported from another country without the permission of the intellectual property owner. They are also goods that are not authorized for...more

Fox Rothschild LLP

Check your Receipts at Summary Judgment: Court Awards Attorney’s Fees Against Party that Pressed on with “Meritless” Claim After...

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After a “hotly contested” four-year litigation that resulted in mutual, without prejudice dismissals, the plaintiff in Vitaform, Inc. v. Aeroflow, Inc., 2023 NCBC 76, said it would refile and try again. But first, the...more

Levenfeld Pearlstein, LLC

Intellectual Property Primer Series: Trademark Basics

A trademark can be any word, name, symbol, or device (such as a logo, picture, slogan, color, shape, sound, etc.), including combinations of these elements. The key function of a trademark is to identify and distinguish the...more

Verrill

Litigation Update: Jack Daniels V. Bad Spaniels. Is It Parody or Is It Trademark Infringement?

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This week the U.S. Supreme Court will hear argument in the case, Jack Daniel’s Properties Inc. v. VIP Products LLC, U.S. Doc. No. 22-148, to decide the question: Can we do that? ...more

McDermott Will & Schulte

Actual or Potential Consumers in Related Goods Context Doesn’t Require PURE Overlap

The US Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit reminded us that, in the context of related goods, the likelihood of confusion analysis does not require that actual or potential consumers of the goods be the same, but only...more

Jones Day

"MetaBirkins" Bagged: NFT Creator Found Liable for Trademark Infringement

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In a closely watched trademark infringement case involving non-fungible tokens ("NFTs"), a jury found that the sale of digital images of Hermès's Birkin bags as NFTs infringed and diluted Hermès's trademarks....more

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