Facebook Removes ‘Adventists for Life’ Page After Infringement Complaint

Facebook has removed a page for a group calling itself Adventists for Life after the Seventh-Day Adventists claimed trademark infringement. Seventh Day Adventist spokesman Garrett Caldwell told the Washington Post that “Adventist” and “SDA” are trademarked and registered names. “We are working hard to try to protect the name and…

Feb 1, 2011 12:00 PM CST

Lawyer’s Trademarked ‘Court Coach’ Name Is Part of Unbundled Approach

A Connecticut lawyer has a name for her unbundled legal services: Partners-in-Law. Greenwich lawyer Barbara Shea tells NewsTimes.com that Partners-in-Law is a part of her law firm that allows people to represent themselves, with some legal guidance to point them in the right direction. One Norwalk woman, for example, used…

Jan 26, 2011 4:03 PM CST

Manatt Phelps to Pay $25M to Settle Malicious Prosecution Case Over Princess Di Memorabilia

A California law firm found to be too quick on the draw in bringing a big-bucks trademark suit on behalf of the estate of Diana Spencer, Princess of Wales and a memorial fund in her name is now having to pull out its own wallet. With the help of its…

Jan 21, 2011 9:54 PM CST

Artist Claims Bookends Violate His Rights to Balloon Dogs

A lawyer from the Jones Day law firm has dispatched a letter that claims bookends made by a Toronto company too closely resemble a balloon dog sculpture made by artist Jeff Koons. Koons’ balloon dog has been made in two versions; one is 10 feet tall and the other is…

Jan 20, 2011 6:55 PM CST

CAIR’s Suit Accuses Lawyer of Infringement and Vow to ‘Drive the Muslims Crazy’

A Michigan lawyer who sought to incorporate “CAIR Michigan Inc.” is facing a trademark infringement lawsuit that claims she is “stoking Islamophobia” on her website. The suit by the Council on American-Islamic Relations alleges that the articles of incorporation filed by Southland lawyer Debbie Schlussel also registered 17 assumed names,…

Jan 7, 2011 1:31 PM CST

GC’s Inactive Status Doesn’t Nix Attorney-Client Privilege, Judge Says

Gucci America may assert attorney-client privilege for communications with a top in-house lawyer who had taken inactive status, a federal judge had ruled. U.S. District Judge Shira Scheindlin of Manhattan said Gucci was entitled to assert the privilege based on its reasonable belief that Jonathan Moss was in fact a…

Jan 6, 2011 5:22 PM CST

Virtual Worlds, Real Battles: Trademark Holders Take on Use in Games

Jan 1, 2011 7:20 AM CST

Niche Trademark Practice Taps Solo’s Entrepreneurial Genes

Dec 1, 2010 6:45 AM CST

Reports: Facebook Is Close to Trademarking the Generic Word ‘Face’

Corrected: As reported earlier by TechCrunch, the Facebook social networking site is close to getting a trademark on the generic word “face.” To do so, following a notice of allowance by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, however, Facebook must not only pay a fee but file a statement of…

Nov 24, 2010 5:52 PM CST

Teen Imports ‘White Phone’ Parts from Apple Supplier, Earning $130K & Company Scrutiny

A Chinese-speaking high school student in New York hoped to put himself through college with the $130,000 he earned–since August–by selling parts for a do-it-yourself version of Apple’s “white phone” over the Internet. But Fei Lam’s venture to sell a conversion kit to create the coveted white iPhone4 from an…

Nov 17, 2010 5:53 PM CST

Duane Morris Demand Letter Makes Mom & Pop Shop’s Day; ‘Fudgesicle’ Now Known as Trademark Bar

Owners of a small ice cream shop in California were surprised and pleased to receive a cease-and-desist letter from Duane Morris recently, threatening legal action over an item on the Mr. and Mrs. Miscellaneous menu known as the fudgesicle, reports SF Weekly in its SFoodie blog. “Our first reaction was…

Nov 3, 2010 6:08 PM CDT

Hell’s Angels Sue Saks, Say Winged Death-Head on Items in Upscale Store Violates Trademark

Hells Angels Motorcycle Corp. has sued Saks Inc., contending that the upscale retailer and other defendants have misappropriated the winged death-head it has used as a trademark since 1948 by featuring it on clothes and handbags sold to consumers. The trademark-infringement suit, which was filed Monday in federal court in…

Oct 27, 2010 6:25 PM CDT

Trademark Suit Claims ‘Field of Screams’ Name Belongs to Pa. Attraction

A haunted house in Maryland calling itself Field of Screams is facing a trademark suit by an attraction with the same name in Pennsylvania. The Field of Screams in Mountville, Pa., claims in the suit that it had the name first and holds the trademark for a market that includes…

Oct 18, 2010 3:39 PM CDT

Paris Hilton Settles ‘That’s Hot’ Lawsuit

Paris Hilton has settled her lawsuit against Hallmark for using her photograph and her trademarked catchphrase, “That’s hot.” Terms of the settlement are confidential, “but it’s believed Hilton walked away with a favorable package,” Reuters reports. The deal follows a ruling for Hilton last year by the San Francisco-based 9th…

Sep 27, 2010 1:18 PM CDT

Restaurant Trademarks Rooftop Goats and Pursues ‘Cloven-Hooved’ Violations

A Wisconsin restaurant that trademarked its rooftop goats in 1996 doesn’t hesitate to pursue alleged infringers. Al Johnson’s Swedish Restaurant in Sister Bay, Wis., has used rooftop goats to attract business since 1973, when someone gave restaurant founder Al Johnson one of the animals as a gag gift, the Wall…

Sep 17, 2010 1:24 PM CDT