Most Wanted Holiday Gifts for IP and Trademark Lawyers and Professionals
Alt Legal Team | December 11, 2020
Finding the perfect holiday gift for IP and Trademark lawyers and professionals can be a challenge! We’ve compiled a list of our favorite IP- and trademark-related gifts that will surely be a hit!
All Things Alt Legal
Alt Legal Connect 2021 Tickets – Buy discounted tickets to our virtual trademark conference at the lowest price we’ll be offering. Take advantage of our “friendly” offer and buy a ticket for yourself and a friend at $108 per ticket. Your friends will thank you! Order here and use promo code: friend-blog
Alt Legal Trademarket Trademark Swag – Show the world your love for trademarks, puns, or both by shopping at the Alt Legal Trademarket. We’re passing on all net proceeds from the Trademarket to The Playing Field Project, a nonprofit focused on diversifying the legal profession. Visit Alt Legal’s Trademarket to get great trademark swag and support a wonderful cause!
Cool Patent and Trademark Art
IP lawyers live and breathe invention, creation, and innovation. Help them see the beauty in the process with these great patent and trademark art pieces.
Video Game Patent Art – Get it here
Patent Art: Get it here
Registered TM Book – Get it here
Registered TM Symbol Art – Get it here
Non-traditional Trademarks Starter Pack
Assemble a gift basket with items representing trademark lawyers’ favorite non-traditional trademarks:
Play-Doh – The smell of Play-Doh is a registered trademark described as “a sweet, slightly musky, vanilla-like fragrance, with slight overtones of cherry, and the natural smell of a salted, wheat-based dough.”
Post-it Notes – Did you know the classic Canary Yellow color of a Post-it Note is trademarked?
Owens Corning Fiberglass Insulation – The Pink Panther may be borrowed from MGM, but the color pink is fully owned by Owens Corning as a trademark.
Tarzan – Tarzan’s famous call is described in approximately ten sounds and was accepted as a sound trademark. Give the gift of this classic movie remake (and Alexander Skarsgard).
Generic Trademarks Starter Pack
Assemble a gift basket with items with brands that have fallen victim to genericide and others that are fighting it off:
VELCRO® Brand Sticky Back Tape – Whatever you do, don’t say Velcro. It’s hook and loop!
Aspirin – What a headache it must have been to lose this valuable trademark.
Band-Aid – It’s still legally trademarked in the US, but dangerously close to genericide.
ChapStick – Also still legally trademarked but often used as a generic term.
Jeep – Jeep has been working hard on trademark awareness campaigns to protect its brand name.
Coke – People of the United States, can we settle this debate once and for all and prevent genericide? “Coke” does not refer to any and all types of soda! “Coke” is “Coca-Cola” and then you’ve gotta be more specific from there as to what kind of soft drink you want.
Do Good, Donate, and Promote Civil Rights
This year we’ve seen the rise of Black Lives Matter and an enormous movement in the US to promote civil rights and prevent racial discrimination. Help by donating in your friends’ names to these worthy organizations that support Black attorneys, encourage diversity in the legal profession, and promote justice.
BESLA Scholarship Program – For over 30 years, the Black Entertainment and Sports Law Association has supported law students through mentoring, volunteer, and internship opportunities.
The Innocence Project – The Innocence Project exonerates the wrongly convicted through DNA testing and reforms the criminal justice system to prevent future injustice. The Innocence Project’s mission is to free the staggering number of innocent people who remain incarcerated, and to bring reform to the system responsible for their unjust imprisonment.
NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund Scholarships – LDF is America’s premier legal organization fighting for racial justice. Through litigation, advocacy, and public education, LDF seeks structural changes to expand democracy, eliminate disparities, and achieve racial justice in a society that fulfills the promise of equality for all Americans.
National Urban League – The League is a historic civil rights organization dedicated to economic empowerment, equality, and social justice. The League promotes economic empowerment through program areas that include education and job training, housing and community development, workforce development, entrepreneurship, health and quality of life.
Famous 2020 IP Cases
These important trademark cases made headlines in 2020. Pay tribute to these cases that your trademark lawyer friends read about time and again throughout the year.
Booking.com – In this case, SCOTUS held that a generic term combined with a top-level-domain can be eligible for trademark protection if consumers perceive the mark as a brand name. Celebrate this historic victory by gifting a flight, hotel, or experience on Booking.com. Just book far in advance so that it’ll be safe to travel again. Also, tell your friends to check out our webinar where Foley & Lardner partner Jonathan Moskin spoke about his work on the Booking.com case and its future implications.
Tiffany & Co. v. Costco – In this case, the Second Circuit vacated Tiffany’s $21 million judgment against Costco after Tiffany sued over Costco’s “Tiffany” style diamond engagement ring. The court found that Tiffany failed to establish actual consumer confusion, that Costco did not intend to mislead its customers, and that Costco customers are discriminating enough to discern that Tiffany is unrelated to Costco’s rings. Stockpile your cart with gift cards to Tiffany and Costco, along with toilet paper and disinfecting wipes if you can find them. Your friends will be sparkling clean!
Classic Law School IP Cases
Take a trip down memory lane and revisit these classic law school IP cases with these fun gifts.
Two Pesos v. Taco Cabana – Who doesn’t love this epic duel over fast-casual Mexican food and trade dress? For friends lucky enough to live near a Taco Cabana in Texas or New Mexico, get them a Taco Cabana gift card. For friends in other states, go for a Taco Cabana t-shirt.
Campbell v. Acuff Rose – It’s always a good time when your law school prof starts talking about 2 Live Crew, Roy Orbison, Pretty Woman, and copyright infringement. Send your IP friends a copy of Roy Orbison’s The Ultimate Collection and 2 Live Crew’s As Clean as They Wanna Be. A lay person would receive this pairing and be totally confused, but your IP friends will be delighted!
Support Innovation and Invention
Did you know there’s a USPTO museum? Well, it’s the National Inventors Hall of Fame, and there’s a gift shop that is undoubtedly epic. Unfortunately, the museum is closed now due to COVID-19. But a great gift idea is to make a donation to the museum on behalf of your IP-lawyer friends. Donations help to make STEM education accessible to students, teachers, and aspiring inventors throughout the US.
Top Counterfeited Fashion Brands
While these brands are the most knocked-off brands, treat your IP friends to the real-deal items from these fashion brand powerhouses:
Supreme – Because who doesn’t want Supreme name labels for their legal files?
Nike – Timeless Air Jordan hi tops will make even the stuffiest lawyer look fly.
Ray-Ban – It doesn’t get any more classic than Wayfarer sunglasses, as immortalized by Don Henley in “Boys of Summer.”
Rolex – Be a really, really good friend. Or be an ok friend.
Louis Vuitton – Again, be a really, really good friend. Or be an ok friend.
Build an IP Library
Help your friends feel really important by building a library to display in their Zoom backgrounds. Or they can actually open these books and gain some useful knowledge.
Nimmer on Copyright – This uniquely comprehensive casebook, first published in 1971, covers areas of law fundamental to the practice of copyright and entertainment litigation, including the right of privacy, defamation, right of publicity, and unfair competition.
McCarthy on Trademarks – This resource provides the authoritative information and analysis needed to successfully represent clients in formulating, registering, licensing, protecting, and litigating trademarks and related rights.
A History of Intellectual Property in 50 Objects – The 50 objects described in this book not only demonstrate the significance of the IP system, but they also show how IP has developed and influenced history. Each object is
at the core of a story that will be appreciated by anyone interested in how great innovations offer a unique window into our past, present, and future.
American Trademarks: A Compendium – Taken from the original 3-volume series with logo design by the decade, this compendium includes over 1,000 iconic trademarks with essays and samples from graphic designers.
The Client-Centered Law Firm: How to Succeed in an Experience-Driven World – Clio CEO and Founder Jack Newton penned this excellent book about how to both provide a client-centered experience and run an efficient, profitable law firm. This book discusses the what, why, and how of running a client-centered practice, with practical strategies for implementation and examples from law firms leading this revolution.
All About Trademarks: Everything You Need to Know About Trademarks From a Former USPTO Trademark Examining Attorney – Andrea Hence Evans uses her extensive experience and expertise in trademark law to provide you with the tools needed to understand how to protect your trademark at the USPTO and how to avoid common mistakes. This book is sure to help anyone looking to register a trademark.
Trademark Like a Boss: The Ultimate Step-By-Step Guide to Protecting Your Brand – Radiance Harris’s excellent guide teaches you what a trademark is and how it protects your business She details how to conduct a trademark search and prepare and file an application with the USPTO and explains common pitfalls in the U.S. trademark registration process. You’ll also find interactive charts, templates, and more to guide you through the process.
Registered Trademark: The Business Owners’ Essential Guide to Brand Protection – IP attorney Cheryl Hodgson shares three proven steps to help insure you create a strong and legally protected brand- select, secure, and sustain. By following these steps, you can safeguard your online brands in Amazon Brand Registry, social media, domain registrations, and increase business value.
Download and Stream Music and Movies Legally
Ensure that your lawyer friends are enjoying entertainment legally and provide them with a gift card to buy or stream music without violating anyone’s copyrights.