Alt Legal IP News – Issue # 162
Bri Van Til | October 29, 2019
Luxury Brands
– While many car manufacturers have moved to electric engines or hybrids, Ferrari has patented a more efficient V12 engine.
– Chanel failed in its attempt to block MadameCoco’s trademark application in the UK.
– A Polish court overturned the Polish Patent Office’s invalidation of Louis Vuitton’s “chessboard” trademark.
– In case you’re worried your self-driving Porsche won’t be comfortable, worry not; they just filed a patent application for a multimodal seat, including a full-recline “relaxation” mode.
OMG Shoes!
– Kylie Jenner filed a trademark application for “RIIISE AND SHIIINNEE” for clothing and footwear.
– Shoe companies are treading on one another’s IP in an effort to get a foothold on the market.
– The U.S. International Trade Commission found that Skechers did not infringe on Converse’s trademark.
Clarifying and Changing IP Law
– The Federal Court has ruled that style names are not trademarks, and are therefore not subject to trademark infringement claims.
– The USPTO has published clarification on its Patent Eligibility Guidance issued earlier this year.
– China has passed legislation to protect foreign applicants’ intellectual property.
– A bipartisan coalition in the House has introduced The Biologic Patent Transparency Act, which aims to increase transparency in the drug market and allow for biosimilars to enter the market and promote competition.
Odds and Ends
– Tire company Goodyear is suing punk band Good Year Pimps for trademark infringement.
– Huawei topped the list of patent applications in 2018, but an independent research company claims, “only 21% of the patents filed by Huawei can be classified as ‘highly innovative.’”
– What are the implications of copyrighting the law?