Alt Legal IP News – Issue #151
Bri Van Til | August 13, 2019
Tasty Brands
– McDonald’s lost its tradeMc battle with Supermac’s in EUIPO court, which denied the chain the exclusive use of the prefix “Mc.”
– Battles ensue throughout Europe about who owns a trademark for Halloumi and in reference to which foods.
– Israel’s Supreme Court ruled that Espresso Club’s spoof ad with a knock-off George Clooney does not infringe on Nespresso’s copyright. Check out Nespresso’s ad, Espresso Club’s spoof ad, and, for fun, Saturday Night Live’s 2015 parody.
Professional Considerations
– A recent survey by Morrison & Foerster shows that companies’ spending on intellectual-property litigation is higher than ever, despite a significant decrease in the number of litigations proceedings filed.
– Food for thought: where is the boundary between IP rights and rights to health?
– A Tennessee man who fraudulently practiced law without a license for two years pleaded guilty to charges of wire fraud. He also appears to still have a listing on Upwork.
– Last week the USPTO sent out a notice warning of “bad actors” changing or removing correspondent or attorney-of-record information.
PHONEmenal Tech
– Chinese electronics company Xiaomi recently filed a patent for a mobile phone design featuring a solar panel for charging.
– Microsoft filed a patent application for a device to transform a smart phone into a handheld Xbox.
– LG appears to be designing a Z-folding smart phone.
Odds and Ends
– Cyndi Lauper recently settled a copyright infringement suit for music featured in Kinky Boots.
– Plants vs. Zombies: Battle for Neighborville may be coming to a console near you.
– American pastor JianGang “Frank” Lan was arrested after $24 million worth of counterfeit designer bracelets were seized by US Customs and Border Protection.