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
Brexit’s Impact on European Union Trademarks
The Bottom Line Now that Brexit has occurred, companies should review their UK and EU trademark portfolios during the transition period to determine what actions should be taken. The United Kingdom (UK) left the European Union (EU) on January 31, 2020 after mutual ratification of the Continue Reading
Thomson Reuters Practical Law | Trademark Laws: New York
No Longer “FUCT” — Scandalous Mark Provision Struck Down by Supreme Court
6th Edition: Trends in Marketing Communications Law What constitutes a “scandalous” trademark? The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) has been grappling with this question since the enactment of the 1905 Trademark Act, later codified in the 1946 Lanham Act, which forbids Continue Reading
Patent and Trademark Office Clarifies Rules for Cannabis Trademarks
The Bottom Line Now that the USPTO has issued this guidance, its examiners can be expected to issue decisions on pending cannabis-related trademark applications. Companies with applications pre-dating December 20, 2018, or considering filing new applications, should keep the essential elements of Continue Reading
Trademark License Rights Survive Rejection in Bankruptcy
The Bottom Line The Mission Product decision should resolve uncertainty created by the circuit split between the First Circuit and Seventh Circuit decisions. The Supreme Court’s ruling should also reassure trademark licensees that should their licensor end up in bankruptcy, absent contract terms Continue Reading
1-800 Contacts Unlawfully Restricted Competitors’ Trademark Use In Search Engine Marketing
The Bottom Line The FTC has made clear that some common online advertising methods, such as bidding on a competitor’s trademark in search engine marketing, may not always be contracted away, especially when they result in restricting consumers’ access to competitive pricing information. Parties Continue Reading
Street Art, Copyright Infringement, and De Minimis Use
The Bottom Line When considering using graffiti or street art as part of a commercial production, including in advertising, social media or other marketing efforts, the same considerations addressed when clearing the use of other copyrighted or trademarked materials should be taken into account. Continue Reading