Alt Legal IP News – Issue #55
Hannah Samendinger | September 20, 2017
Check out our latest Alt Trademarks episode! This episode I spoke with Niki Black (MyCase) about trends in legal tech, cloud computing, and artificial intelligence. Check out the episode here.
Over in Hollywood
– In advance of the release of the second season, a Stranger Things-themed bar popped up in Chicago. Netflix sent the owners a really wonderful cease and desist, promising a fair deal and a warning that “the demogorgon isn’t always as forgiving.”
– Fox, Disney, and Paramount are making bold moves in new IP litigation, attempting to have claims dismissed based on the distinction between human and technological output.
– An off-Broadway parody production of The Grinch Who Stole Christmas, featuring a middle-aged Cindy Lou Who, was found to be fair use. Check out the opinion here.
It’s Fashion
– Samsung won a design patent for a Star Trek-like “wearable communications terminal.”
– Perry Ellis International and Thom Browne are in an intellectual property dispute over… penguins.
– A photographer is suing a designer for reposting a picture of Gigi Hadid during Fashion Week.
I Heard You
– IP Watchdog investigated the importance of obtaining trademark protection for a band name.
– Chance the Rapper is being sued by a New York lawyer and jazz musician, claiming his work was sampled without permission. Take a listen to the two tracks here.
– Spotify is currently involved in 10 different copyright infringement lawsuits, with potential damages of over $1 billion.
Odds and Ends
– The Copyright Office recently released some improvements to Section 108 of the Copyright Act.
– San Diego Comic Con’s battle against Salt Lake City Comic Con is moving towards trial.
– It’s official: Pumpkin Spice, or PSL, season is upon us, bringing a flurry of related trademark activity.
– Jokes, if sufficiently creative, are protectable by copyright, but the protection will be thin, according to a recent decision by the Copyright Office.