COVID-19 VACCINE IP WAIVERS AND PLATFORM PATENTS By Charles P. Romano, Ph.D. The recent announcement by US Trade Representative Katherine Tai that the “US supports the waiver of IP protections on COVID-19 vaccines to help end the pandemic” has led to concern over the potential scope and effect of such waivers. Forced disclosure of trade secrets related to vaccine manufacturing processes has generated the most concern since […] Continue Reading →
Walmart “Tryin’ to Break Me Down”: Retail Giant Opposing Kanye West’s Yeezy Trademark By Nicholas J. Krob As Kanye West once rapped, “We at war with terrorism, racism, but most of all, we at war with ourselves.” Well, now he can add Walmart to that list. Last December, Kanye West’s apparel brand Yeezy, LLC filed a trademark application for a logo “consist[ing] of eight dotted lines . . . arranged at equal […] Continue Reading →
Who is on the IP naughty list this year? Every year the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) releases two lists of countries that have concerns surrounding their intellectual property (IP) laws and enforcement and may provide insight if considering filing an application in a certain country. These two lists are the Special 301 Report and the Notorious Markets List, available here. The […] Continue Reading →
Clearly using “clear” for Non-Transparent Goods is Deceptively Misdescriptive. By Julie L. Spieker Dolce Vita Footware, Inc. sought registration of the mark CLEAR for various bags, purses, wallets, and card cases – excluding transparent goods. The Examiner refused registration on the grounds that it is deceptively misdescriptive and on April 29, 2021 the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board (the “TTAB”) affirmed. In its original registration, Dolce Vita identified […] Continue Reading →