Alt Legal IP News – Issue #103
Hannah Samendinger | August 28, 2018
Sneaking Around
– “The Purge” creator is facing allegations of doctoring emails to establish an earlier creation date for his film.
– Sony is pushing back against a recent development in one of pop’s strangest conspiracy theories.
– Despite pledging openness, tech companies are racing to patent artificial intelligence technology.
– Innocent Chinese Americans are being accused of spying, often for stealing intellectual property or trade secrets, which has lasting and costly effects on their families and lives.
Pop Culture
– Disputes over Kardashian fan accounts on Instagram reveal that the sisters and their fans are confused about copyright law.
– Proctor and Gamble are seeking trademark registrations for “LOL,” “WTF,” and other text slang in connection with household cleaning products. Check out the applications, which all have pending office actions: LOL, WTF, NBD, FML.
– Nickelodeon is opposing a 12-year-old’s trademark application for “Slime Princess.” She is already collecting donations for the legal fees to fight back.
Patents for the Future
– Despite conspiracy theory whisperings, the US government’s interest in cannabis patentsmay not be as sinister as some people think.
– The InterContinental Hotels Group just received a patent for their “guestroom of the future.”
– This is a great patent drawing for a coffee delivering drone.
Odds and Ends
– Is this the logo for David Beckham’s new Miami soccer club?
– The organizers of Salt Lake City’s comic convention must pay nearly $4 million in attorney’s fees and costs to San Diego Comic-Con after losing a trademark infringement case.
– Expired internet domains for law firms that have merged, closed, or are winding down pose a significant cyber risk for the legal profession.
– A proposed NAFTA revision has created confusion about the length of the copyright term.
– Major universities are some of the fiercest trademark protectors.