Vain reaction
Ron ColemanThe first two-thirds of this video is a story about a fundamental misunderstanding about what intellectual property is, in the sense of intellectual property that can legally “protected” (i.e., monopolized).…
The more things change…
The more they stay the same. This could be a story from 15 years ago, or any of a number of posts on this blog from its earliest days: Their…
Trademarks: Famous is as famous does
My latest paper offers a simple idea to get trademark owners to stop suing parodists, satirists, and other expressive users: make evidence of such independent referential uses of a mark…
The super bowl of SUPER BOWL®s
I used to have the Super Bowl® trademark gig all to myself. The last post I did was in 2015, when I chided Consumer Reports for (rather irresponsibly, considering it’s…
Not the swiftest
It is so tiring. But that, to some extent, is what they’re counting on. Taylor Swift abusing trademark, again, of course. And everyone else not understanding that the nature of…
Bentley gets stuck in reverse
I hardly ever write about trademark things from other countries, including the Mother Country. But this UK story seemed like a good trademarks / brand equity / life-comes-at-you-fast object lesson…
The stupid Berns
IP overreaching, like politics and intellectual property, makes strange bedfellows. Thus the email from my comrade in litigation against IP overreach, but at the same time my political antithesis, and…
We’ve got a bigger problem now
Orwell Estate Sends Copyright Takedown Over the Number “1984” – TorrentFreak https://t.co/eKgwHmhXmf — TrademarkBlog (@TrademarkBlog) October 27, 2015 It’s like something out of 1984! Where to start? Where to begin?…
Best of 2005: Culture Killers or Pains in the Neck?
First posted on February 17, 2005. Wired reports on a new book whose thrust, evidently, aligns decently well with my own little personal views (and not just mine): Brand Name…
Best of 2014: IP’s Ancien Régime
First posted on April 2, 2014. Instapundit linked to an abstract of a law journal article called “IP in a World Without Scarcity” by Mark Lemley at Stanford. Fun fact…
Is PRIDE property? (UPDATED)
Group claims trademark rights in NYC PRIDE, sues competing promoters for using the phrase during NYC’s “Pride Month.” Plaintiff’s complaint and moving papers at this link. Defendants’ response here: UPDATE:…
Hacker Scouts? Yeah, Hacker Scouts! – UPDATED
It’s like, this, see: The Hacker Scouts is an organization “that focuses on STEAM (science, technology, engineering, art, and math) education, skill building and community engagement with the aspiration to…
One I lost: Guggenheim Capital vs. Little Old Man
It’s an appeal that I lost, the one on behalf of David Birnbaum, who was ordered by a court not to use his family name, Guggenheim … Yes, it’s complicated,…
Lacklihood of Confusion.
Matthew David BrozikEvery so often, someone or other submits papers to a court that are a pleasure to read, often because the papers show such a firm grasp on both facts and…