Many confidentiality agreements will contain language about customer lists being confidential information. Others will contain broad language about ev...
A Low-Cost Trademark Search Would Have Saved Tens of Thousands in Legal Fees
Longhorn Steakhouse successfully sued Longhorn Wings for trademark infringement. It is hard to understand how the case got so far. First, a trademark ...
Juicy Couture vs. Juicy Girl
A New York federal court used the U.S. trademark law to stop an overseas infringer of the Juicy Couture mark from selling its allegedly infringing clo...
Tommy Lee in a Motley Mess
A trade secret misappropriation lawsuit was filed against rock star drummer Tommy Lee and his band Motley Crue. Howard King claims that in 1991 he dev...
Pizza Franchise Sues Former Franchisee Over Trade Secret
After 20 years of operating a Little Caesars franchise, Sioux Falls Pizza Company, Inc. (“SFPC”) established its own pizza company at the ...
Product Placement
Most of us are aware of an industry called “product placement” where companies pay to get their product featured in a hit movie or television show...
Customer Lists Part 3: Active Policing and Enforcement
No one likes to think Big Brother is watching, but active policing and enforcement of data security measures will have a deferent effect. It is critic...
Customer Lists Part 2: How to Maintain Secrecy and Confidentiality
One of the primary reasons for using a restrictive covenant agreement is to protect a company’s confidential information and trade secrets. By imple...
Customer Lists Part 1: Trade Secret or Not?
When determining whether customer lists qualify as a protectable trade secret, a court’s analysis will consider a number of factor: whether the list...
Using equitable estoppel as infringement defense
Equitable estoppel is a legal doctrine that prevents a party from asserting a legal claim or right under principles of fairness and equity. In the 199...