The Bottom Line The U.S. Supreme Court recently decided that, when using another’s trademark “as a designation of source for the infringer’s own goods,” one is not entitled to a First Amendment defense even if the use is a parody.While the decision leaves intact existing legal protections for the Continue Reading
Key Influences on the Cannabis Market in 2023
2023 may create the harshest conditions yet for the cannabis industry. The economy was already expected to be a challenge to profitability and now turmoil in the banking sector may further distract Congress from passing meaningful marijuana banking legislation, continuing to limit access to Continue Reading
Jury Awards Six-Figure Damages to Hermès in First Major NFT Decision
The Bottom Line Brands should monitor whether and how their trademarks are being used in new technologies and know that such use is still subject to traditional principals of trademark law.Creators should be aware of the limits of First Amendment protection, particularly when dealing with Continue Reading
Spinning Out of Trademark Protection: Highly Distinctive Marks Versus Generic Terms
See You at the #Oscars: Social Media Guidance for Brands and Advertisers
2023 Update Excited for the 95th Academy Awards? We are too! The Academy released updated brand guidelines with the same rules and restrictions as last year, except that brands are also permitted to use #Oscars95 in their social rollouts. Once again, brands do not need to be affiliated with or Continue Reading
Practical Law | Trademark Laws: New York
LawInSport | Controlling Athletes’ Trademarks: What Can Sports Learn From WWE’s Trademark Ownership?
Bright Ideas | Puff Puff Passing Off: Chronic Trademark Issues in the Growing Industry of Legal Cannabis
Black Lives Matter Movement Sparks Branding Changes
7th Edition: Trends in Marketing Communications Law The tragic killings of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor and Ahmaud Arbery this year, among others, have reinvigorated the Black Lives Matter movement, resulting in powerful nationwide conversations about racial injustice in the United States, with Continue Reading
Supreme Court Unanimously Rules That Willfulness Is Not Required to Recover Profits
The Bottom Line As a result of the Supreme Court’s unanimous decision, a finding of willfulness is not a precondition that must be satisfied for a plaintiff to recover an infringer’s profits as a remedy for trademark infringement, although the infringer’s mental state remains a highly important Continue Reading