Impact of Mickey Mouse on public domain. The latest artificial intelligence and intellectual property cases - Thaler lost again. Nirvana Nevermind baby gets day in court. Tolkien estate and more.
Podcast: The Briefing by the IP Law Blog - Senator Hawley Targets Disney with So-Called Copyright Reform Bill
The Briefing by the IP Law Blog: Senator Hawley Targets Disney with So-Called Copyright Reform Bill
Podcast: The Briefing by the IP Law Blog - Heirs of Evel Knievel Clearly Do Not Have a Friend in Disney
The Briefing by the IP Law Blog: Heirs of Evel Knievel Clearly Do Not Have a Friend in Disney
Daily Compliance News: October 12, 2020-the Trump Swamp edition
Stealth Lawyer: Lou Mongello, Disney Expert & Historian
The Pennsylvania Supreme Court has granted a limited appeal in Pittsburgh’s challenge to a Pennsylvania court ruling that the city’s tax on visiting athletes and performers is unconstitutional. ...more
The legislature of New York’s Nassau County passed a law on Monday to ban women’s and girls’ sports teams from using sports facilities in the county on Long Island unless they exclude transgender girls and women from playing....more
January 1, 2024, brought numerous hangovers along with an unprecedented amount of media attention to intellectual property law. That is because, as of the new year, one of the most famous cartoon characters in history –...more
Copyrights protect creative works. Trademarks protect indicators of source. Can a creative work also act as a trademark? Yes, and the character of Mickey Mouse as portrayed in Disney’s animated classic Steamboat Willie is a...more
As one of the largest and most iconic entertainment brands in the world, the Walt Disney Company is most readily associated with two things: their main mascot, Mickey Mouse, and the fierce protection of their intellectual...more
In the United States, an original work of authorship fixed in a tangible medium of expression (meaning the work can be communicated in a visual or audio form) is a protectable copyright. This means that the owner has the...more
In this episode of The Briefing by the IP Law Blog, Scott Hervey and Josh Escovedo discuss a dispute between the heirs of Evel Knievel and Disney, over claims of similarities between the late daredevil and the “Toy Story 4”...more
A federal district court judge recently dismissed infringement claims brought against Disney and Pixar over the daredevil character Duke Caboom featured in Toy Story 4. A year ago, Evel Knievel's son filed the case as head of...more
The US Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit affirmed that “lightly sketched anthropomorphized characters representing human emotions” were not copyrightable. Daniels v. Walt Disney Co., Case No. 18-55635 (9th Cir. Mar. 16,...more
In the Winter 2017 edition of the Intellectual Property Bulletin, we reported on IP-related changes expected with the incoming Trump administration and the new Congress. Here we look at two such changes currently underway:...more
In a non-precedential decision in In re Me and the Mouse Travel LLC, Serial 76717725 (April 21 2017), the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board (TTAB) held that a mark combining the word ‘Mouse’ with the depiction of a narrow arm...more
Much like the world of Underland created in Lewis Carroll’s book Alice Through the Looking Glass, the blurring between copyright and trademark rights can create a topsy-turvy universe....more
It is no secret; the Disney Corporation is a marketing and merchandising powerhouse. It has achieved that reputation by capitalizing on almost every marketing and merchandising opportunity that comes its way. If you have...more
In This Issue: • Bottle Design and Bottle Cap Design Are Both Entitled to Trademark Registration • Disney Owns Winnie-the-Pooh Trademarks • Apple Loses Claim Against Amazon for Use of Appstore - Excerpt...more
We here at Law Law Land are big fans of Halloween, the drunkest, sluttiest, most creative and fun-loving holiday of the year. Law Law Land HQ itself is awash in cat ears and warlock coats today, and your editor is looking...more