2021 Edition: Most Wanted Holiday Gifts for IP and Trademark Lawyers and Professionals
Alt Legal Team | December 07, 2021
Finding the perfect holiday gift for IP and Trademark lawyers and professionals can be a challenge! We’ve compiled a list of our favorite IP- and trademark-related gifts that will surely be a hit!
All Things Alt Legal
Alt Legal Connect 2023 Tickets
Buy super early bird discounted tickets to our virtual trademark conference for yourself and a friend! Take advantage of our “friendly” offer and buy a ticket for yourself and a friend at $90 per ticket. Your friends will thank you! Order here, select “Super Early-Bird Group Pass” and use promo code: friend-blog. Offer is valid through January 31, 2022.
Alt Legal Trademarket Trademark Swag
Show the world your love for trademarks, puns, or both by shopping at the Alt Legal Trademarket. Check out our new holiday designs! We’re passing on all net proceeds from the Trademarket to The Playing Field Project, a nonprofit focused on diversifying the legal profession. Visit Alt Legal’s Trademarket to get great trademark swag and support a wonderful cause.
2021 IP Hot Topics
MSCHF Gifts
Mischievous Art Collective MSCHF has delighted IP lawyers throughout 2021 with their provocative and sometimes infringing art drops. MSCHF will be releasing several new collections throughout December and January. Snag one for a friend – who knows, it could be a real Andy Warhol drawing, Satan Shoes with Lil Nas X’s DNA, “Birkinstocks” made with an Hermes Birkin bag, or Axe No. 5 – Axe body spray in an elegant Chanel perfume bottle.
NFT Collectibles
NFTs and cryptocurrency have been taking over headlines in 2021. While you might still be scratching your head trying to figure out what the hype is all about, you can get in on the game by giving an NFT as a gift! Take a look at NFT marketplaces including NBA Top Shot, Autograph.io, and OpenSea where you can buy NBA Moments, digital collectibles from sports icons including Simone Biles, Tom Brady, and Derek Jeter, and a variety of digital music and art collectibles.
IP Cases Making Headlines in 2021
Jack Daniels and Bad Spaniels Dog Toy
The Supreme Court ended the legal battle between the whiskey producer and the parody dog toy manufacturer, declining to hear the case and leaving in place the 9th Circuit decision ruling that the chew toy was entitled to free speech protection. In honor of this case, treat your friends to a bottle of Jack Daniels and the famous chew toy.
Netflix Buys Roald Dahl IP Portfolio
Netflix purchased all of Roald Dahl’s IP for $686 million. The parties were already in a 3-year agreement to create animated shows based on the material, but now Netflix plans to create an entire “universe” of projects. To celebrate this massive deal, gift your friends this lovely collection of Roald Dahl books.
Nirvana Wins Case over T-Shirt Design
Nirvana got All Apologies when they won a suit claiming that their 1989 t-shirt design contained an image that was “virtually identical” to a 20th century illustration. For your alt rock-loving IP lawyer friends, gift them this decidedly non-infringing t-shirt in a Heart-Shaped Box. Or don’t. Nevermind.
Allegedly (Il)legal Substances
Prince Estate Tries to Stop “Purple Rain” Wine
Prince’s estate petitioned to cancel Ohio wine producer L’uva Bella’s registered trademark for PURPLE RAIN for wines. Gift your friends a bottle of Purple Rain wine and a Prince t-shirt for good measure. Also, send them the link to our wine trademarks webinar to learn all about trademarks in the wine industry: Alt Legal Webinar: See Your Practice through Rosé-Colored Glasses: Brand Protection for Wine Lawyers
Wrigley Sues Cannabis Candy Makers
Wrigley, producers of such beloved candies as Skittles, Starburst, and Life Savers sued five cannabis companies producing cannabis edibles with very similar packaging and the same brand names. While your IP lawyer friends would likely not appreciate receiving potentially infringing candy gifts, they would certainly appreciate an authentic Skittles and Starburst variety pack and/or a pack of CBD Gummies.
Do Good, Donate, and Promote Civil Rights
Over the past year and a half, we’ve seen the rise of Black Lives Matter and an enormous movement in the US to promote civil rights and prevent racial discrimination. Help by donating in your friends’ names to these worthy organizations that support Black attorneys, encourage diversity in the legal profession, and promote justice.
The Innocence Project exonerates the wrongly convicted through DNA testing and reforms the criminal justice system to prevent future injustice. The Innocence Project’s mission is to free the staggering number of innocent people who remain incarcerated, and to bring reform to the system responsible for their unjust imprisonment.
NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund Scholarships – LDF is America’s premier legal organization fighting for racial justice. Through litigation, advocacy, and public education, LDF seeks structural changes to expand democracy, eliminate disparities, and achieve racial justice in a society that fulfills the promise of equality for all Americans.
National Urban League – The League is a historic civil rights organization dedicated to economic empowerment, equality, and social justice. The League promotes economic empowerment through program areas that include education and job training, housing and community development, workforce development, entrepreneurship, health and quality of life.
IP Fun
Santa Clara University School of Law’s High Tech Law Institute has created a custom deck of Cards Against Humanity – IP Rights Against Humanity, A Party Game for Lawyers with a Modicum of Creativity. The free download contains more than 150 copyright, trademark, trade secret, and patent law-themed cards, perfect for the IP-geek in your life! Along with the free download, consider making a donation in your friend’s honor to Santa Clara University School of Law’s High Tech Law Institute
How well do you know your logos? Test your trademark knowledge with The Logo Game! The game includes 1600 questions and, according to the manufacturer “a few astonishing facts and surprises to entertain everyone!”
Support Innovation and Invention
Did you know there’s a USPTO museum? Well, it’s the National Inventors Hall of Fame, and there’s a gift shop that is undoubtedly epic. Unfortunately, the museum is closed now due to COVID-19. But a great gift idea is to make a donation to the museum on behalf of your IP-lawyer friends. Donations help to make STEM education accessible to students, teachers, and aspiring inventors throughout the US.
Build an IP Library
Help your friends feel really important by building a library to display in their Zoom backgrounds. Or they can actually open these books and gain some useful knowledge.
Nimmer on Copyright – This uniquely comprehensive casebook, first published in 1971, covers areas of law fundamental to the practice of copyright and entertainment litigation, including the right of privacy, defamation, right of publicity, and unfair competition.
McCarthy on Trademarks – This resource provides the authoritative information and analysis needed to successfully represent clients in formulating, registering, licensing, protecting, and litigating trademarks and related rights.
Fritz Garland Lanham — Father of American Trademark Protection – In celebration of the 75th Anniversary of the Lanham Act, the Texas Intellectual Property Law Foundation commissioned a beautiful commemorative limited-edition book about this important milestone in trademark protection with 100% of the sales proceeds funding a diversity scholarship program sponsored by the Foundation in Congressman Lanham’s honor.
A History of Intellectual Property in 50 Objects – The 50 objects described in this book not only demonstrate the significance of the IP system, but they also show how IP has developed and influenced history. Each object is at the core of a story that will be appreciated by anyone interested in how great innovations offer a unique window into our past, present, and future.
American Trademarks: A Compendium – Taken from the original 3-volume series with logo design by the decade, this compendium includes over 1,000 iconic trademarks with essays and samples from graphic designers.
The Client-Centered Law Firm: How to Succeed in an Experience-Driven World – Clio CEO and Founder Jack Newton penned this excellent book about how to both provide a client-centered experience and run an efficient, profitable law firm. This book discusses the what, why, and how of running a client-centered practice, with practical strategies for implementation and examples from law firms leading this revolution.
All About Trademarks: Everything You Need to Know About Trademarks From a Former USPTO Trademark Examining Attorney – Andrea Hence Evans uses her extensive experience and expertise in trademark law to provide you with the tools needed to understand how to protect your trademark at the USPTO and how to avoid common mistakes. This book is sure to help anyone looking to register a trademark.
Trademark Like a Boss: The Ultimate Step-By-Step Guide to Protecting Your Brand – Radiance Harris’s excellent guide teaches you what a trademark is and how it protects your business She details how to conduct a trademark search and prepare and file an application with the USPTO and explains common pitfalls in the U.S. trademark registration process. You’ll also find interactive charts, templates, and more to guide you through the process.
Registered Trademark: The Business Owners’ Essential Guide to Brand Protection – IP attorney Cheryl Hodgson shares three proven steps to help ensure you create a strong and legally protected brand- select, secure, and sustain. By following these steps, you can safeguard your online brands in Amazon Brand Registry, social media, domain registrations, and increase business value.