Suit says Trader Joe’s ‘Crispy Cookies’ are too much like the iconic ‘Milano’ brand

One cookie is oval. The other is rectangular, with rounded edges. Both are filled with chocolate sandwiched between two thin white wafers, and come in packages with some similar design features. That’s no coincidence, contends Pepperidge Farm in a federal lawsuit against Trader Joe’s Co. It says the grocery chain…

Dec 9, 2015 12:35 PM CST

Judge tosses suit claiming David Axelrod wrongly took credit for ‘ballsy’ consultant’s idea

A federal judge in Philadelphia has tossed a suit that claims Democratic political consultant David Axelrod took credit for another consultant’s idea. In a Dec. 1 opinion, U.S. District Judge Mitchell Goldberg said the suit by Philadelphia-area media and political consultant Frank Keel had failed to make a plausible claim…

Dec 4, 2015 5:45 AM CST

Is Reese Witherspoon’s name entitled to trademark protection? Judge weighs claims in actress’ suit

A Los Angeles judge considering a trademark suit by actress Reese Witherspoon has released a tentative opinion rejecting her claims against a company using her name to market jewelry. Judge Gerald Rosenberg of Los Angeles superior court said Witherspoon’s name “is not a protectable slogan,” according to the Hollywood Reporter.…

Nov 25, 2015 8:35 AM CST

Our hamster toy looks nothing like Fox News anchor, says Hasbro in response to lawsuit

A hamster toy manufactured by Hasbro Inc. shares a Fox News anchorwoman’s name. But it looks nothing like Harris Faulkner, the award-winning anchor of Fox Report Weekend, and hence her lawsuit against the toymaker must fail, the company argues in a motion to dismiss (PDF) filed last week. Citing the…

Nov 2, 2015 7:05 AM CST

Amazon’s display of competitor brands doesn’t violate trademark, 9th Circuit says in reversal

Amazon.com doesn’t infringe trademark rights when it displays competing brands of wristwatches in response to a query for a brand it doesn’t carry, a federal appeals court has ruled. The decision (PDF) on Wednesday by a panel of the San Francisco-based 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals reverses its earlier…

Oct 22, 2015 10:08 AM CDT

Hospitality contractor claims it owns Yosemite trademarks

A contractor that lost its hospitality contract with the National Park Service says it owns trademarks to “Yosemite National Park” and the names of places within the park. In a suit filed in the Court of Federal Claims, Delaware North Parks & Resorts Inc. is seeking compensation for the new…

Oct 5, 2015 5:45 AM CDT

LegalForce is looking for a few good apprentices

Raj Abhyanker's Trademarkia search engine has become a popular spot for inventors and entrepreneurs to learn whether their ideas have already been trademarked. Abhyanker estimates that Trademarkia draws 2 million visitors a month, 60,000 visitors a day or "one person every couple of seconds."

Oct 1, 2015 7:40 AM CDT

EU court invalidates Louis Vuitton’s trademark on checkerboard pattern

Sep 1, 2015 3:50 AM CDT

Federal magistrate awards nearly $46M in legal fees in NCAA athlete-pay case

After a federal district court’s ruling last year that a ban on paying college athletes for using their names and images violates antitrust law, a magistrate judge has awarded nearly $46 million in attorney fees and costs to the lawyers for the plaintiffs. The NCAA had argued that the lawyers…

Jul 14, 2015 3:00 PM CDT

NFL team’s First Amendment rights weren’t violated by loss of disparaging trademarks, judge rules

A federal judge has rejected constitutional claims by Washington’s NFL team in a suit challenging cancellation of six trademarks for its name. The Trademark Trial and Appeal Board had canceled the trademark registration in June 2014 because the trademarks were disparaging to Native Americans. In a decision on Wednesday, U.S.…

Jul 8, 2015 11:26 AM CDT

Hall and Oates sue food company over Haulin’ Oats granola

When a small-batch granola company from Brooklyn unveiled its newest product this spring, it caught the attention of '80s rockers Daryl Hall and John Oates. That's because the granola maker named it Haulin' Oats, and the musicians were not amused.

Jul 1, 2015 6:20 AM CDT

Prosecutors seek forfeiture of motorcycle gang’s logo in racketeering case

The federal government has accused a motorcycle gang of a racketeering conspiracy and is seeking forfeiture of its trademarked logo. The government is attempting to seize the logo of the Mongols Motorcycle Club, which “depicts a muscled, ponytailed warrior with a Fu Manchu mustache speeding on a chopper,” the Wall…

Jun 2, 2015 1:50 PM CDT

First Amendment protects anti-abortion activist’s satirical use of NAACP name, 4th Circuit rules

A federal appeals court has ruled that the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People can’t use trademark law to stop an anti-abortion activist from substituting “abortion” for “advancement” in the NAACP name. The Richmond, Virginia-based 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled Tuesday on behalf of the Radiance…

May 21, 2015 11:44 AM CDT

Rock band gets First Amendment rehearing in its quest for a trademark deemed disparaging

An Asian American rock band denied a trademark for its name, “the Slants,” is getting an en banc rehearing by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit. The appeals court granted the rehearing on Monday without a request by the band, just a week after a Federal Circuit…

Apr 29, 2015 5:45 AM CDT

Band can’t trademark disparaging name, Federal Circuit says; judge raises First Amendment concerns

A band that describes its music as “Chinatown dance rock” cannot trademark its name because it is disparaging to Asians, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit has ruled. Band front man Simon Shiao Tam had sought to trademark the name “the Slants,” saying he wanted to “own”…

Apr 21, 2015 3:45 PM CDT