Reed Smith can implead other law firms in defense of malpractice suit, appeals court says

Sued by a former client over its handling of a gin trade-name issue, Reed Smith has won a round in the ongoing litigation. The law firm can implead three other law firms that also allegedly provided bad advice to Millennium Import concerning its Belvedere brand, a New York appellate court…

Jan 25, 2013 9:28 PM CST

Supreme Court Rules for Nike, Says Competitor’s Trademark Challenge Is Moot

The U.S. Supreme Court has ruled for Nike in its attempt to head off a competitor’s challenge to a trademark for a Nike shoe line known as Air Force 1s. Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. wrote the unanimous opinion (PDF) holding Nike’s promise not to pursue an infringement claim…

Jan 9, 2013 3:45 PM CST

Around the Blawgosphere: Avoiding ‘Digital Distractions’ While Still Having Quality Time Online

The Double-Edged Touchscreen Writing at her blog, At the Intersection, Edge International general counsel Pam Woldow addresses the “inefficiency disease”–familiar to anyone reading this–of “digital distraction.” While much is written about how technologies that speed up communication increase efficiency in a legal workplace, the constant distraction of email messages and…

Dec 14, 2012 2:30 PM CST

United Sues Over Customer Complaint Website Design; Operator Calls Blog an Obvious Parody

A major airline has sued a Canadian engineering professor in his home country, contending that the 15-year-old website on which he compiles customer and employee complaints violates its intellectual property rights and worker privacy. United Continental Holdings only sued after owner Jeremy Cooperstock reworked his untied.com blog in April to…

Nov 29, 2012 5:20 PM CST

Lawyer Who Pokes Fun at Obvious NYT Stories on Twitter Is Forced to Abandon Distinctive ‘T’

A lawyer who pokes fun at the New York Times on Twitter for covering the obvious has been forced to abandon his avatar incorporating the distinctive “T” of the newspaper’s masthead. Twitter temporarily suspended the Twitter account of Benjamin Kabak last week after the Times complained that the avatar violated…

Nov 26, 2012 12:00 PM CST

Telecommuters Kept Patent Office at 70% Productivity During Hurricane Sandy

Thanks to a liberal telecommuting policy, the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office remained productive during a two-day government shutdown for Hurricane Sandy. Patent office director David Kappos says patent and trademark teams averaged productivity of more than 70 percent during the storm, the Washington Post reports. The employees “showed an…

Nov 9, 2012 4:13 PM CST

Around the Blawgosphere: ‘Financial Literacy’ at NYU Law; A 10th Law School in Illinois?

Redefining the Basics Last week, New York University Law School announced plans to remake its curriculum. This week at the New York Times’ Dealbook blog, University of Colorado Law School professor Victor Fleischer and Brian Leiter’s Law School Reports took note of NYU’s new mandatory financial literacy course for first-years.…

Oct 26, 2012 1:30 PM CDT

Deli Sues Trademark Office, Claims Apostrophe Makes Its Cheesesteak Special

A Philadelphia deli believes its cheesesteak is special, and the proof is in the apostrophe. Campo’s Deli at Market has filed a lawsuit in its effort to obtain a trademark for the term “Philadelphia’s Cheesesteak,” Courthouse News Service and the TTABlog report. The deli appealed a decision by the Trademark…

Oct 11, 2012 10:30 AM CDT

Telecommuting Is the Norm at the US Patent Office

Patent reviewers and trademark examining attorneys who work for the federal government are likely doing their jobs from home. About 66 percent of employees at the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office are telecommuting, the Washington Post reports. The office is an exception to the norm for federal workers; only about…

Sep 11, 2012 12:34 PM CDT

Ice Cream Maker Ben & Jerry’s Wins Lookalike Porn Movie TRO; Boston Cream Thigh, Other DVDs Nixed

It might seem unlikely that those who enjoy Ben & Jerry’s gourmet ice cream would think the Vermont-based maker of trademarked flavors such as Chocolate Fudge Brownie, Peanut Butter Cup and Boston Cream Pie has anything to do with similar sounding porn flicks such as Chocolate Fudge Babes, Peanut Butter…

Sep 7, 2012 6:30 PM CDT

Around the Blawgosphere: ‘Eastwooding’ in Litigation; In Defense of Strunk & White

Arguing with an Empty Chair in Court Since actor Clint Eastwood’s speech last week at the Republican National Convention in which he talked to an imaginary President Barack Obama in an empty chair on stage, many Internet memes have been born, and the expression “Eastwooding”—to denote the act of arguing…

Sep 7, 2012 1:30 PM CDT

2nd Circuit OKs Trademark Protection for French Designer Christian Louboutin’s Red-Soled Shoes

Disagreeing with a federal district court that earlier denied a preliminary injunction sought by a French designer after another high-fashion industry icon allegedly infringed on his trademarked red-soled shoes, a federal appeals court Wednesday said that Christian Louboutin is entitled to seek a legal remedy except when the shoes in…

Sep 5, 2012 4:14 PM CDT

U of Alabama Apologizes to Baker re Cease-and-Desist Letter; Law School Can Still Get ‘A’ Cookies

The owner of a small bakery near the University of Alabama was elated Thursday evening about an outpouring of support she received following news that she had received a cease-and-desist letter over her use on products of certain images and colors that might arguably be considered part of the Crimson…

Aug 24, 2012 2:02 PM CDT

Putting ‘A’ on Law School Cookies Poses Problem for Alabama Bakery, Cease-and-Desist Letter Says

It isn’t clear that Mary Cesar did anything wrong by filling an order from the University of Alabama School of Law for 10 dozen cookies decorated with the letter A, for consumption at a reception for recent graduates. But after receiving a cease-and-desist letter from an Atlanta, Ga., company that…

Aug 23, 2012 6:36 PM CDT

Wanna Buy Some Boots? Online Counterfeiters Get the Message—Don’t Mess with These Brands

Aug 1, 2012 8:50 AM CDT