Trademark Law

Blogger Gears Up for Legal Battle Over Goldman Sachs Critique

A major Wall Street investment bank has apparently retained a well-known New York City-based law firm in an effort to curtail a blogger’s critical posts. But blogger Mike Morgan says he isn’t intimidated by the cease-and-desist letter he recently received from Chadbourne & Parke concerning his blog, Facts about Goldman…

Apr 10, 2009 6:25 PM CDT

Guitar-Wielding Lawyer Rocks Fender

A New Jersey lawyer, who by day practices entertainment law and by night plays guitar and tours the country with one of his two rock bands, has helped win a key trademark case over Fender Musical Instruments. The case began when lawyer Ron Bienstock was doing due diligence for a…

Apr 9, 2009 4:13 PM CDT

Wisconsin Could Face Trademark Fight over Slogan ‘Live Like You Mean It’

Wisconsin is seeking trademark protection for its new slogan, “Live like you mean it,” but some critics are vowing a fight. The phrase has been used by motivational speakers, authors, a real estate developer and Bacardi, the Associated Press reports. Dietician Ellyn Luros-Elson co-wrote a book by that name and…

Mar 17, 2009 2:11 PM CDT

Groundhog Day is a Repeating Theme in Life of Punxsutawney Lawyer

Punxsutawney Phil may be Jeff Lundy’s most high-profile client. The Pennsylvania lawyer is a board member of the Punxsutawney Groundhog Club and the defender of the groundhog’s trademark, obtained in 1995, the Indiana Gazette reports. Each year Lundy sends out three or four cease-and-desist letters and five to 10 follow-up…

Jan 30, 2009 4:32 PM CST

Taco Bell Loses Chihuahua Dispute as it Fights 50 Cent Ad Suit

A federal appeals court has ruled that Taco Bell—and not its ad agency—is responsible for paying $42 million in damages and interest to two cartoonists who claimed the fast-food giant stole their Chihuahua idea. Two Michigan men claimed they were talking to Taco Bell advertising agents about use of their…

Jan 27, 2009 3:42 PM CST

BlockStoppers?

Jones Day has won numerous accolades for client service and litigation prowess, but one of its latest lawsuits has some scratching their heads. After a website that highlights expensive real estate transactions featured the home purchases of two firm attorneys, Jones Day sued the website, claiming trademark infringement and unfair…

Dec 2, 2008 3:20 AM CST

Patterson Belknap: 50 Cent IP Suit Burnishes ‘Gangsta Rapper’ Image

Lawyers for Taco Bell have filed an answer to an infringement lawsuit by 50 Cent that claims he is using the litigation “to burnish his gangsta rapper persona.” The lawyers from Patterson Belknap Webb & Tyler are fighting a suit by 50 Cent that claims the restaurant company infringed his…

Nov 21, 2008 4:34 PM CST

Law Firm Sues Google, Claims Search Results Infringe its Trademark

A San Francisco law firm called Global Law is suing Google because search results for its name linked to a different firm. The suit filed in federal court claims a search for Global Law’s name and zip code produced a top result labeled “Global Law, LLP,” but it linked to…

Nov 19, 2008 1:57 PM CST

Judge Allows Jones Day Suit Over Web Posts About Attorney Home Purchases

A controversial federal trademark infringement suit by the Jones Day law firm against an Internet news site that publicizes home purchases by individual attorneys has survived a motion to dismiss. “But in a partial victory for the local real estate news company, the judge, John Darrah of Chicago, said that…

Nov 14, 2008 6:36 PM CST

Fox Lawyers Tell Movie Studio to Stop Making Knockoffs

The studio 20th Century Fox has sent a cease-and-desist letter to a low-budget competitor that is releasing a movie with a similar name and release date to Fox’s own remake of The Day the Earth Stood Still. Fox is releasing the movie starring Keanu Reaves and Jennifer Connelly in December,…

Nov 12, 2008 6:51 PM CST

Retired NFL Players Get $28.1M, Including $21M in Punitives

Developing: A federal jury in San Francisco today awarded $7.1 million in compensatory damages to a group of retired National Football League players, finding that the NFL Players Association didn’t properly market their images. The plaintiffs also got $21 million in punitive damages, according to a Canadian Press article. “The…

Nov 11, 2008 12:39 AM CST

Nike Sues Wal-Mart, Claiming Cushioned Shoe Design is Copied

Nike claims in a lawsuit filed in federal court in Chicago that Wal-Mart is selling shoes that infringe on its patented design. The suit claims Wal-Mart’s Detra shoes infringe on two patents related to its Shox brand cushioning system, the Wall Street Journal reports (sub. req.). It’s not the first…

Oct 17, 2008 5:47 PM CDT

Dog Breeder Sues Movie Studio Over Famous Canine Name: Rin Tin Tin

A Texas dog breeder whose family has been protecting the legacy of Rin Tin Tin for more than 50 years says in a lawsuit that a new movie has sullied it. Daphne Hereford contends that Finding Rin Tin Tin, a foreign movie that was released on DVD in this country…

Oct 7, 2008 8:38 PM CDT

Pennsylvania Law Firm Claims Websites Free-Ride on Its Name

A Pennsylvania law firm has sued a Canadian domain name registry, claiming that it helped create websites that free-ride on the Hourigan, Kluger & Quinn name. The Kingston personal injury firm, which is also known by its HKQ acronym, alleges in the federal suit that Domain Discreet registered website names…

Sep 26, 2008 3:35 PM CDT

New ABA Magazine Offers IP Articles Written By IP Lawyers

A new bimonthly magazine has been launched by the ABA Section of Intellectual Property. Entitled Landslide,it features articles written by IP lawyers, for IP lawyers, the section reports in an e-mailed press release. The new magazine “is dedicated to the sharing of IP knowledge and experience acquired on the frontlines…

Sep 23, 2008 10:22 PM CDT