I ♡ Trademarks NewsletterIssue #372
Bri Van Til | February 13, 2024
Really?
Former President Trump has claimed that he “made [Taylor Swift] so much money” since he was the president who “signed and was responsible for” the 2018 Music Modernization Act.
A resident of Colerain Township in Ohio created a newsletter critical of her local government’s policies. They alleged her newsletter infringed their trademarks, but she’s suing, saying they violated her Constitutional rights.
President Biden’s legal team has a bone to pick with the Justice Department for characterizing him as “a sympathetic, well-meaning, elderly man with a poor memory” when they opted not to prosecute him for mishandling classified documents.
A UK man successfully registered a trademark for TESLA CHICKEN & PIZZA, but a few years later, the car company invalidated his mark by claiming that they’d established “goodwill” in the food and beverage class with a 2018 Musk tweet.
Diversity
The Inventor’s Patent Academy is a free online learning platform that helps inventors from underrepresented groups patent their inventions.
WIPR wants to hear about who you think has affected diversity in the IP space.
The Florida Supreme Court has demanded that the state’s bar association do away with its DEI programs.
The patent world needs—and benefits from—DEI efforts.
If you’re looking for ways you can advance social justice, check out this great recorded session from Alt Legal Connect.
The Morality of the Story
Where is the overlap between IP and moral rights around the globe?
We often see circuit splits, but this is something else entirely. In a brazen rejection of the Supreme Court’s defense of guns, the Hawaii Supreme Court has ruled that “The spirit of Aloha clashes with a federally-mandated lifestyle that lets citizens walk around with deadly weapons during day-to-day activities.” Read the decision here.
Come to Alt Legal and Corsearch Live in New York next month to learn about the ethics and morality of using AI and other emerging technology.
Donna Summer and Ozzy Osbourne are accusing Kanye West of infringing their music in his new album. Osbourne says West asked for permission but that he’d denied the request, in part because he says West has “caused untold heartache to many.”
Professional Concerns
The University of California needs IP counsel. If UC yourself working there, apply now.
If you have any trouble enforcing the contracts you draft as a supervisory attorney for the US Army Cyber Command, you’ll have a snappy response when someone says: “Oh yeah? You and what army?”
Here’s an Amazon opportunity to serve as trademark counsel.
I don’t know what US Channel Counsel is, but you can change the channel of your career if you apply to be that for HP.
If you Foley support DEI initiatives, this might be the position for you!
This senior counsel position might have been Tailored for you.
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
How might globalization affect IP protections?
OpenAI’s trademark application for GPT has been issued a final refusal because the USPTO alleges the mark is merely descriptive. If you’re needing help overcoming §2(e)(1) refusals, check out this article or this presentation.
The USPTO is hosting a webinar series this week about the new trademark search system, a fabulous supplement to this article.