Alt Legal IP News – Issue #75
Hannah Samendinger | February 14, 2018
Check out our latest episode of Alt Trademarks. This episode features Josh Jarvis of Foley Hoag. We discuss his role at the firm and his appearance in the recent “Don’t Say Velcro” video.
Patent Updates
– Instead of traveling to East Texas, patent attorneys are heading to Delaware.
– One of Apple’s latest patent applications is for a stylus you can use to write in mid-air.
– A startup is fighting a company that sent them a letter demanding a $35,000 licensing fee or costly litigation.
– The US patent system was ranked 12th on the US Chamber of Commerce’s Global IP Index.
Big Names
– The CEO of the Motion Picture Association of America recently gave remarks for the launch of CREATE, an international IP index, and discussed the Muppets, which are an intellectual property success story.
– Wondering how celebrity trademark applications are faring? Meryl Streep just submitted several applications and, after several obstacles, Sean Connery registered his name.
– The team behind Black Panther is facing allegations of using artwork without permission in a music video for a Kendrick Lamar song on the film’s soundtrack.
Big Money
– A New York judge awarded $6.7 million to the 5Pointz graffiti artists, whose art was torn down to make way for luxury condos.
– Stone Brewing is suing MillerCoors due to their rebranding of Keystone beer to Stone and Stone Light.
– After only five days at trial, Waymo and Uber reached an unexpected settlement, with Waymo getting equity valued at about $245 million. While some are calling the settlement a surprise, others say it makes sense.
Odds and Ends
– Embracing the if-you-can’t-beat-’em attitude, Diesel has created a fake store (Deisel) to sell real bootlegs.
– Could blockchain solve some of the challenges surrounding copyright attribution in digital works?
– Check out this great video on fashion and IP, summarizing some famous cases.
– Forever 21 and Gucci are fighting over stripes, with Forever 21 winning the first round.
– Leason Ellis secured a settlement against the Patent & Trademark Association (PTMA), which permanently bars PTMA from engaging in IP-related activities in the US.