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Parody Free Speech

Dorsey & Whitney LLP

Is the Art of Parody Dead? - Implications of SCOTUS Jack Daniel’s Opinion A Year Later

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It has been a year since the Supreme Court issued its decision in the multiple-year legal battle between VIP Products LLC and Jack Daniel’s. We covered this dispute when it was back at the 9th Circuit....more

Foster Garvey PC

Supreme Court Reinforces Trademark Protections for Brand Owners in Jack Daniel’s Decision

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The recent Supreme Court decision in the Jack Daniel's trademark lawsuit against a dog toy manufacturer has significant implications for both brand owners and those seeking to parody established trademarks....more

Fox Rothschild LLP

Jack Daniel's Wins Supreme Court Battle with Dog Toy Seller Who Mocked Iconic Brand

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In a win for brand owners across the country, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled last week that potential infringers as a threshold matter are not automatically shielded from liability by simply claiming their infringement includes...more

McDonnell Boehnen Hulbert & Berghoff LLP

Parody, trademarks and the courts

Delineating the boundaries between trademark protection and protected speech has been a long-contested legal issue. On one hand, the Lanham Act governs the use of trademarks to protect consumers from a likelihood of confusion...more

Polsinelli

Relax Jack...It’s Only a Joke!

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Jack Daniel’s Properties, Inc. v. VIP Products LLC. (Docket 22-148) On March 22, 2023, VIP Products LLC told the Supreme Court that its parody Bad Spaniels whiskey-bottle-shaped dog toys do not violate the Lanham Act...more

Weintraub Tobin

Area Man Defends the Rights of Satirists: The Onion’s Headline-Grabbing Amicus Brief Defends the Right to Deadpan Parody

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The Onion recently filed a headline-grabbing amicus brief intended to defend the rights of Ohio amateur satirist Anthony Novak. Novak created the “City of Parma Police Department” Facebook account, admittedly to exercise his...more

International Lawyers Network

Just Humor Them: Jests, Jokes, Satire, and Parody In Infringement and Defamation Cases

I thought of that story, and the unique power humor has, literally and legally, to disarm many who might otherwise complain over any number of legal issues and perceived slights. For even though, as one writer noted, some...more

King & Spalding

Trademark Parody and Freedom of Speech in the U.S.

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Food and beverage brands are routinely listed among the most famous and valuable brands in the world. With fame, however, comes the increased chance that a brand will be a target for trademark parodists. A March 2020...more

Jones Day

All's Fair in Whoville: Dr. Seuss Parody is Fair Use

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A play about an adult Cindy Lou Who is a fair use of How the Grinch Stole Christmas ("Grinch"), according to a July 6, 2018, opinion issued by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit. Affirming a declaratory judgment...more

Harris Beach PLLC

Significant Intellectual Property Trademark Decisions

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2017 was a year filled with significant developments in case law for trademarks. The below rulings highlight some successes and obstacles faced by companies in the protection of their trademarks and their brand as a whole. ...more

Jackson Walker

First Amendment Implications of Nomination of Judge Neil Gorsuch for Supreme Court

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While President Trump’s Supreme Court nominee Judge Neil Gorsuch of the Tenth Circuit is expected to face withering scrutiny over the politically incendiary topics of abortion and gun rights, Jackson Walker attorney Shannon...more

Knobbe Martens

Trademark Review | February 2016

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The Federal Circuit Considers Constitutionality of Refusal to Register Scandalous and Immoral Marks - The Lanham Act prohibits registration of marks that are defamatory, scandalous or immoral. Last month, in In re Tam,...more

Jackson Walker

Bob Latham Speaks: Satire and Democracy

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In the past two months, the role of satire in a free society has been front and center, once for tragic reasons and several times for sentimental reasons. The horrifying and outrageous murders at the Charlie Hebdo offices in...more

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