Alt Legal IP News – Issue #12
Hannah Samendinger | November 08, 2016
You can now subscribe to our podcast, Alt Trademarks, on iTunes and Google Play. Our most recent episode featured Ed Timberlake and we discussed his time as an examiner as well as some more unique trademarks.
Can You Gif That?
– Are gifs surrounded by a copyright cloud? The answer to whether gifs are legal isn’t clear.
– In Europe, gifs may be infringing copyrights.
– While the infringement question remains unresolved, Vevo will now let users turn music video clips into gifs.
What a Character
– A Latina comic book character is getting her own comic, which has raised some copyright concerns.
– A writer analyzed the ways the Little Mermaid could have annulled her contract with Ursula.
– A set of abandoned trademarks reveal some Harry Potter content that never saw the light of day.
At the Edge of Innovation
– The General Counsel for Google describes his job as a perpetual law school exam. Read the full and fascinating interview here.
– IP infringement complaints are on the rise.
– Sometimes innovation comes in a much smaller package, like a Coke wrapper. Check out the patent here.
Odds and Ends
– Blind Melon is at the center of an “insane” copyright dispute, which centers on whether their song “No Rain” was properly licensed.
-The Rubik’s cube trademark is at risk of being cancelled.
– Levi’s has taken action to protect their trademark for the signature red tab sewn into the back pocket of their jeans.
– It’s Election Day! We compiled some of the pending “nasty woman” trademark applications, which include some, to say the least, interesting specimens. And in other election news, voters are flocking to Susan B. Anthony’s grave. You can watch on a live stream (which has over 3 million views).