Alt Legal IP News – Issue #21
Hannah Samendinger | January 17, 2017
You can now subscribe to our podcast, Alt Trademarks, on iTunes and Google Play. Our latest episode features Radiance Harris of Radiance IP Law in Washington DC. We discuss hashtag trademarks and tips for introverted attorneys.
At the Top
– What happens when the President Elect has 45 pending trademark applications in a foreign country? Hint: it might involve a constitutional violation.
– With record levels of filings in 2016, there is much suspense surrounding the appointment of the next USPTO director.
– Arguments in the Slants case will begin at the Supreme Court tomorrow afternoon. Here’s a review of the case, the first in an IP heavy docket for the Supreme Court.
Eat That, Drink This
– A brewery and a government office are in a trademark dispute over two letters.
– Looking to file a trademark for beer or bourbon? So are thousands of others. Cahill IP prepared a wonderful review of trademarks in the industry.
– Open source software is a fairly well-known concept that circumnavigates IP regimes. This concept has now entered the plant world as “open source breeding.”
The Trouble with IP
– Here’s an interesting read on the weakening patent system and the rise of at will infringement.
– The Productivity Commission in Australia determined that individuals are likely breaking their copyright rules over 80 times a day (in mostly harmless ways).
– Etsy is growing and so is its copyright infringement problem.
Odds and Ends
– What can you learn from Spongebob Squarepants? At least a thing or two about trademarks for fictional places. We also discussed trademarks for fictional brands on ourpodcast.
– A woman made a blanket that looks like a mermaid tail, which ended up being wildly popular. Now she’s in an IP battle worth roughly $16 million.
– Marilyn Monroe’s estate has sued an intimate apparel company over the use of her likeness.