Alt Legal IP News – Issue #148
Bri Van Til | July 23, 2019
Tech on the Horizon
– Scotland’s space technology industry is booming, with a 12-fold increase in published space tech patents since 1969.
– Facebook was recently issued a patent to enable moderators to more easily censor content posted in groups. The tech includes a feature that would limit questionable content so that only the poster can see it.
– Nintendo’s recent IP filings suggest new features for the Switch.
– Ford Motor Company’s newest trademark suggests the company will soon offer new off-road packages. Check out the trademark application here.
IP Disputes with China
– WIPO Director General Francis Gurry says he is “very optimistic” about China’s recent innovations and its prospects for continuing the trend.
– The US Congress is considering a bill to tighten restrictions on Chinese company Huawei.
– The crackdown on Chinese IP practices is impacting California universities and their students and leaving some concerned about racial profiling of Chinese American scholars.
Oh, So Fashionable!
– Toronto Raptors forward Kawhi Leonard has filed a copyright lawsuit against Nike for using a logo he created and registered with the Copyright office. Nike is countersuing.
– UGG’s parent company Deckers is suing Target for selling lookalike UGG boots.
– The legal battle rages on between Kim Kardashian and Missguided over the company’s use of images of her.
– The EUIPO recently rejected Australian singer Kylie Minogue’s appeal to block a Spanish company’s trademark of “Kylie” for eyewear.
Odds and Ends
– Oh, the Places You’ll Boldly Go!, a Star Trek and Dr. Seuss mashup, was recently cleared of claims of copyright violation.
– This is an interesting take on Amazon’s patent growth.
– TripAdvisor sent the organizers of the “Straight Pride Parade” a colorful Cease-and-Desist. Read the full text of the letter here.
– The USPTO recently released guidelines to reduce counterfeiting and “curb abuses” of US trademarks. Read the full statement here.