Authors Guild v. Google: Judge Chin’s decision in favor of Google Books
Anyone looking for the Author’s Guild v. Google decision on the Southern District of New York website is going to have a hard time: It’s... Read more
Category: Fair Use
Righthaven Agonistes
Is all this copyright jurisprudence lollipops and rainbows? Let us reflect a little on what Righthaven has wrought, so far. Wired weighs in on the... Read more
“We cannot allow our brand to be abused”
Originally posted on November 13, 2008: “We cannot allow our brand to be abused.” What “brand” is that? The Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.... Read more
“DUMB STARBUCKS”: Grasping at laws.
Your blawger, he is conflicted. Part of me does not want to give the—ahem—geniuses behind the DUMB STARBUCKS stunt any more press, but the rest... Read more
Best of 2013: Turning back that Crimson Tide
Originally published January 8, 2013 Trademark law does not trump the right to make and sell artistic depictions of real life after all, it turns... Read more
Best of 2010: Sealed with a fist
First posted August 4, 2010. I kvetch a lot about the mania for dubious “IP enforcement” by government agencies such as New York’s Metropolitan Transit... Read more
Grateful Defendant
The New York Law Journal reports online (registration required) that the Southern District of New York has, thankfully, put a rare brake on the copyright... Read more
Rated R for infRingement
John Welch reports that the TTAB has ruled that the trademark “RATED R SPORTSWEAR” is confusingly similar to the famous “RATED R” movie certification mark.... Read more
“We cannot allow our brand to be abused”
Originally posted on November 13, 2008. What “brand” is that? The Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. brand. The greed of the King “branders” was... Read more
Zombie on zombie action
The Escapist (via Punning Pundit): In a battle that refuses to die, publisher Capcom filed a pre-emptive lawsuit against the Dawn of the Dead film... Read more
Theologically misdescriptive
Talk about “scandalous and offensive” marks!: [P]hrases containing some form of “God” have been trademarked [sic] more than 3,400 times in the United States: “God... Read more
Update on Lady Voldemort
We first wrote about her lawsuit against a fansite operator here. Sam Bayard has the latest. Originally posted 2011-09-09 10:52:08. Republished by Blog Post Promoter Read more
Companies versus their fans
Walter Olson: The famous maker of candies and candy-dispensers is suing the owners of the Burlingame Museum of Pez Memorabilia in Northern California, claiming that... Read more
Best of 2008: The Long and Rocky Road
This was first posted on May 7, 2008. Irvin Robbins, the co-founder of the Baskin-Robbins ice cream chain, died yesterday. Here’s how much time has... Read more