Lawyer Ron Coleman on brands, the Internet & free speech
Government's cert. petition in In re Tam https://t.co/PPoaT0euup @theslants #trademark #freespeech — Ron Coleman (@RonColeman) April 20, 2016 Originally posted 2016-04-20 22:53:13. Republished by Blog... Read more
The NFL’s brief on the issue you’ve read about everywhere, including here, is now out and about (courtesy of John Welch): NFL v Blackhorse – The... Read more
For years I’ve been complaining that so much of the excitement in intellectual property law jurisprudence these days involves policy-making by judges and the PTO. How... Read more
If you haven’t heard, the Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit has ruled and THE SLANTS trademark has won. Section 2(a) has been invalidated with... Read more
And the “popular vote” most certainly counts for nothing. Having said that, here’s the raw tally of amicus merits briefs — pro-, con- and meh-... Read more
Sorry about the pun — but then again, I’m not the PTO; then again, too, my attitude toward “scandalous and offensive” ethnic marks is different... Read more
I thought I covered all the things, all of them!, about trademarks these days in my recent “Trademark Singularity” Part One and Part Two posts... Read more
John Welch reports on an interesting, not quite safe for home viewing case called Boston Red Sox Baseball Club Limited Partnership v. Brad Francis Sherman... Read more
Matal v. Tam was highly influential in the subsequent Supreme Court case Iancu v. Brunetti, which also overturned the provisions of the Lanham Act prohibiting the registration of “immoral” and “scandalous” trademarks on the same grounds. Mr. Coleman will speak about both of these cases, including his experience in the Tam case, and provide his insights regarding the future of registration of these types of controversial trademarks with the USPTO. Read more
Marty Schwimmer chronicles and opines on the latest blip in the controversy regarding registration of a tasteless trademark, answering the musical question, What exactly is... Read more
Marc “Hussein” Randazza — who hardly needs extra stimulants in his life right this second — brings his “A-game” to this very thorough consideration of... Read more
I was speaking to a thoughtful, insightful person last night who asked me, “What if Simon Tam wins in Lee v. Tam and Section 2(a)’s... Read more
We’ve wondered aloud here whether there’s any life left in the “scandalous or immoral” ground for refusal of trademark registration. Looks like there’s plenty. The... Read more
Remember the SLANTS trademark appeal to the TTAB? Here’s the decision (below). For the TTAB, there’s only one answer to the “disparaging” question — well,... Read more