AMERICA’S FAVORITE TOY

Source: United States Patent and Trademark Office, www.uspto.gov 58 years ago yesterday, January 28, 1958, the world of children’s toys was changed forever when the first patent was filed in Denmark by Godfredt Kirk Christiansen for the LEGO Brick, initially […]

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ALL

“Happy Birthday to You” (“Happy Birthday”), the catchy tune notoriously sung at birthday parties around the world, received a legal victory on September 22nd. Judge George H. King, of the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California, conclusively […]

“LET’S NOT GO CRAZY” ABOUT LENZ V. UNIVERSAL MUSIC CORP. ET AL.

In a highly anticipated decision, on September 14, 2015, the Ninth Circuit in Lenz v. Universal Music Corp. et al. ruled that copyright holders must consider fair use prior to sending a takedown notice under the DMCA or they may […]

THE NEW COPYRIGHT MORIARTY

This story begins when an author undertook the publication of a collection of new tales, which was tentatively titled In the Company of Sherlock Holmes. The Estate of Sir Conan Doyle (“Estate”) purports to own the copyrights in and to […]

KATE SPADE’S BRIGHT COLORS PAY OFF IN SPADES

Kate Spade LLC (“Kate Spade”) recently weathered an attempt by Saturdays Surf LLC’s (“Saturdays Surf”) to enjoin Kate Spade’s use of the trademark “Kate Spade Saturday” in connection with clothing. Kate Spade filed a declaratory judgment action against Saturdays Surf […]

CLEANING UP COUNTERFEITS BY CUTTING THE CASH FLOW FROM ADS

It looks like IP rights holder’s may now have more recourse against the pirates and counterfeiters than a DMCA notice or the lengthy UDRP Complaint process. This week, just a month after the White House released its 2013 Joint Strategic […]