Alt Legal IP News – Issue #222
Bri Van Til | January 13, 2021
Aargh! Pirates Abound
Japan has a new anti-piracy law; here’s Hello Kitty explaining how it will work.
The CASE Act is now in effect, but this author argues that is that tech companies should be held responsible for the piracy that takes place on their platforms.
SoundCloud made an agreement with Universal Music that would allow the company to unilaterally take down allegedly infringing content, rather than file DMCA takedown requests. Here’s a case study about the agreement.
Nintendo wants a pirate site to cough up $15 million.
While it may be a bittersweet victory, Mandalorian became the most pirated television series in 2020, a title long held by Game of Thrones.
You Can’t Have TMI about the TMA
As you’ve probably heard multiple times, the stimulus bill that was signed into law late last month included the Trademark Modernization Act (in addition to copyright law changes).
As part of the TMA, the USPTO has created a trademark committee to help identify necessary changes.
Here is an overview of the TMA, including its most important provisions.
But the best way to thoroughly understand the new TMA would be to join Alt Legal and Rukayatu Tijani for our webinar next month, “Modernize Your Approach to Trademarks: Understanding the Trademark Modernization Act.”
Copyright and Copywrong
There is a disconnect between copyright and conceptual art: sometimes what you own when you buy conceptual art is “legal nothingness.”
Should copyright prevent jail standards from being distributed and reviewed?
Professional Concerns
Nationwide is looking for a senior trial attorney in Sacramento (so maybe not nationwide).
Shopping for a new job? Instacart is looking for senior product counsel.
K&L Gates are open for an IP litigation associate.
I don’t know if Coca-Cola is always looking for patent counsel, but they are right now.
Kickstarter must’ve reached their stretch goal since they’re hiring for general counsel.
If you were Hopin‘ to have a new job as associate general counsel, you might be in luck.
Have an open role on your team? Send a link to your job listing to [email protected], and we’ll publish it in our next newsletter.
Odds and Ends
Fake specimens cause a lot of issues on the trademark register, including clutter and depletion. We interviewed NYU Law professor Jeanne Fromer about her research on the subject.
In case you’re looking for some light reading, the USPTO has released its annual performance and accountability report.
Inventors in the US are still largely white males, which is a huge hurdle for diversity and inclusion.
If you’re looking to up your ops game, here’s a handy “Ops in a Box” kit. If you’re looking to up your business development game, though, make sure to join us for our webinar on Thursday!