Alt Legal IP News – Issue #245
Bri Van Til | June 23, 2021
At the USPTO
The USPTO is going after a Chinese law firm they say has “engag[ed] in unauthorized practice before the USPTO” and provided “false, fictitious, or fraudulent information in trademark submissions.”
Hot off the presses: The USPTO will be presenting at Alt Legal Connect in September to discuss the implementation of the TMA, answer attendees’ submitted questions, and more. Look for more details here soon! If you haven’t yet signed up for Alt Legal Connect, do so now, and make sure to use the code “newsletter” for a discount.
Curious about IP law in China? The USPTO is planning a quarterly series, and the first segment is this Thursday.
The USPTO is implementing a new set of professional responsibility rules for patent agents and attorneys.
Reversal and Retraction
PTAB has agreed to a rehear a case after determining that it improperly allocated the burden of proof among the parties.
Oops. This textbook was apparently plagiarized from Wikipedia and other sources.
In a splintered and complicated ruling, the Supreme Court has vacated the Arthrex decision, remanding the case back to the acting director of the USPTO. TL;DR: PTAB is here to stay.
Pirates and Trolls
The EU Court of Justice prefers trolls to pirates. I wonder if someone is going to create a Super Smash Bros.-style battle game of trolls vs. pirates.
Record labels are seeking logs of users and downloads from stream-ripping site FLVTO.biz.
WASHINGTON FOOTBALL TEAM was DC’s safe bet after opting to stop using a racial slur as its name; however, a pre-existing trademark has led to a likelihood-of-confusion office action and allegations that the owner is a “trademark hog.”
Professional Concerns
What do you say to a baby who wants to be IP counsel for this luxurious fashion brand? GUCCI GUCCI goo!
Here’s an Uber-exciting opening to work as an IP paralegal for this ride-hailing company.
Sharp Healthcare, which is a healthcare provider, not a manufacturer of needles and scalpels, is looking for senior counsel.
Looking for a place to Chanel all your enthusiasm for IP law?
Dolls Kill—no joke there; that’s the name of the company—is looking for corporate counsel. If you take the job, be careful, friend!
Working as senior assistant corporate counsel for this tech company could be the Genesys of a fantastic time in your life.
Boise Cascade—which produces lumber, not dishwasher soap nor sour beer—is looking for counsel.
Apparently the scarcity of qualified patent attorneys, the demand for them, and the high salaries of tech companies have meant that law firms are struggling to recruit and keep patent lawyers.
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
Need some help perfecting your virtual practice? Merlyne Jean-Louis—the presenter of this great Alt Legal webinar—has put together a course to help.
Are emojis protected by copyright?
What, if any, IP protects the faces of famous people?
If your clients have incredibly sensitive IP to protect, the solution might be air gapping—which is neither an Apple product nor a clothing retailer. For old fogies like me, it doesn’t seem that novel: that’s just what tech was like when we were growing up.