Alt Legal IP News – Issue #120
Justin Wickersham | January 02, 2019
Reflections & Resolutions
– The new year brought a large number of classic works into the public domain, which may breathe new life into the works as well.
– 2018 was an eventful year for patents.
– Will 2019 be the year of “blanding?”
– The USPTO released their plan to optimize timeliness and quality by 2022.
What Are You Wearing?
– Vans is suing Target, alleging they copied Vans’ signature sneaker.
– Have you heard the story of the itsy-bitsy, teenie-weenie, very litigious bikini?
– Nirvana is suing Marc Jacobs for using one of their signature designs.
The Talent
– Tech companies are fighting expensive legal battles against patent trolls and those fights are helping attract top talent.
– Alfonso Ribeiro is suing the makers of Fortnite over the “Carlton Dance.” How strong is his lawsuit?
– PTAB and the Federal Circuit denied a patent for a casino dice game, stating that the game was an abstract idea and the die represent unpatentable printed matter.
Odds and Ends
– Williams-Sonoma is claiming Amazon stole their West Elm furniture designs.
– MGA Entertainment is asking a Los Angeles court to declare that their toys do not violate Louis Vuitton’s intellectual property.
– Is the term Square Donuts generic for cafe services featuring square-shaped donuts? We may never know.
– Photography organizations are closely watching a lawsuit over Nike’s Jumpman logo.