Alt Legal IP News – Issue #69
Hannah Samendinger | January 04, 2018
Check out our latest episode of Alt Trademarks. This episode features Josh Jarvis of Foley Hoag. We discuss his role at the firm and his appearance in the recent “Don’t Say Velcro” video.
What Are the Neighbors Doing?
– A reverse class action copyright infringement lawsuit in Canada (the first of its kind) could create a “machine” for obtaining cash settlements from those illegally downloading movies online.
– This article takes you on a tour to the center of Chinese counterfeiting.
– Prosciutto di Parma, a prosciutto name far more regulated than you might think, is heading to Canadian grocery stores after a twenty-year trademark dispute.
– A pair of Italian brothers managed to win a dispute with Apple over their company name, “Steve Jobs.”
High Level
– The Southern District of New York held that federal courts are not empowered to cancel or nullify copyright registrations.
– New York became the first city to pass a bill targeting algorithmic discrimination by automated decision systems.
– A recent paper narrowed in on three specific ways the patent process encourages low-quality patents, backed up by empirical evidence.
A New Year
– 2017 was the year of women in legal tech.
– Apple is getting into “business chat” in 2018.
– New year, new Supreme Court In and Out List.
– There are five pending art-related cases before the Supreme Court that may reshape the art world.
Odds and Ends
– Amazon may be in a dispute with YouTube and their recent AmazonTube trademark application probably won’t help smooth things over.
– In an effort to curb counterfeit sales, a German court just ordered Amazon to stop buying Google AdWords for variations on the word Birkenstock.
– In car patent news, Apple is hoping to minimize map usage with self-driving cars and GM wants to protect pedestrians with external airbags.
– Beyonce has lost a bid to keep the logistics of her upcoming deposition in her trademark dispute over “Blue Ivy Carter” confidential.
– A Ninth Circuit decision may provide some guidance for lawyers approving the use of third-party trademarks in film and television.