Alt Legal IP News – Issue # 171
Bri Van Til | January 14, 2020
Watch Out!
– Med tech company Masimo says the Apple Watch infringes on 10 of its patents and that the company stole vital trade secrets when it hired former Masimo employees.
– Meanwhile the USITC is investigating Fitbit and Garmin for allegedly violating Philips’s patents.
– While many companies define counterfeits as products made to look like theirs but produced by other companies, Rolex apparently considers any alterations or modifications of their watches that include non-Rolex parts to also be counterfeit.
– This is a case to watch: both parties involved in the recent Arthrex, Inc. v. Smith & Nephew, Inc. case are asking the US Court of Appeals to rehear the case.
Big Money
– YouTubers are facing $6000 in penalties for alleged copyright violations with their reaction videos.
– Volvo has been awarded over $2 million in a trademark infringement case against dozens of Chinese counterfeiters.
– Wells Fargo has been ordered to pay the United Services Automobile Association (USAA) $102.8 million for patent infringement.
– Internet service provider Cox Communications was ordered to pay a $1 billion fine for its users’ copyright infringement.
The Great Outdoors
– VW’s newest trademark application, “Basecamp,” will apparently protect the name of a rugged SUV for outdoors enthusiasts.
– The controversy over outdoors and sporting goods retailer Backcountry.com’s cease and desist letters offers some valuable lessons for trademark owners.
– An Australian aboriginal group is applying to trademark “Gumby Gumby,” which means “woman woman medicine,” and the group is seeking royalties because members say they invented bungee jumping.
Odds and Ends
– Mastercard has released a new single as part of its branding. Curious about sonic and other nontraditional trademarks? Attend Ed Timberlake’s talk at Alt Legal Connect!
– The New York MTA says a customer who created his own maps of the transit system is violating their copyright by selling the maps.
– If your own caseload isn’t serious enough, you can play this online game where you play the role of an overworked city lawyer.