When celebrities receive awards or reach professional milestones, businesses often run congratulatory advertisements that both salute the celebrity an...
Whenever Working With Outsiders and Your Proprietary Technology, Don’t Forget About Technology Improvements
Whenever a business (or independent inventor) enters into any type of agreement concerning access to its proprietary, patented, patent pending, or tra...
New Balance v. Karl Lagerfeld
New Balance sells popular sneakers with a large “N” as part of the sneaker “saddle” design. Karl Lagerfeld introduced a sneaker design with ...
Converse Alleges Trademark Infringements by Other Footwear Manufacturers and Retailers
Converse alleges its design is protectable trade dress, specifically its middle design and outsole design. The midsole design has a bumper and a toe...
Defending an Opposition to Your Intent to Use Mark
One basis for opposing intent to use trademark applications is to show lack of a bona fide intent to use the mark at the time the application was file...
Famous Names Can Lead to Trademark Problems
If you share a name with a famous mark, you may be restricted in the use of your own name. It is especially important to refrain from creating assoc...
Graffiti Artist Sues American Eagle for Copyright Infringement
Ahol Sniffs Glue, a graffiti artist, uses his public art to express his social activism message and counter-cultural criticism. His Ocean Grown graf...
Five Questions to Ask When Deciding Whether to Pursue Patent Protection
1. Will you have the ability to detect an infringement and enforce your patent rights? If not, trade secret protection might be considered as an alt...
UGG v. JC Penney, Sears & Walmart
Thanks to Oprah Winfrey’s endorsement in 2000, UGG boots have risen to celebrity status in the shoe world. I can attest to the fact that most teen...
Seven Things Employers Can Do to Protect Their Intellectual Property and Trade Secrets
Employees and key company executives have access to proprietary business information that can be key to the company’s market position. Protecting ...