Prepaid cellular phone seller sues over DMCA exception TracFone Wireless, the largest seller of prepaid cellular phone service in the United States, has sued the Librarian of Congress and Register of Copyrights, alleging that one of the DMCA exemptions granted last month is unlawful. Specifically, TracFone is upset about the exemption permitting cellular phone users to "unlock" their phones in order to use […] Continue Reading →
Roundup of media coverage of “KSR v. Teleflex” After last week’s arguments before the Supreme Court in KSR v. Teleflex, the media has begun to offer its perspective on the case. Below is a sampling of the media coverage, which generally appears to think that the teaching-suggestion-motivation (TSM) test will either be scrapped entirely, or at least allow other ways to prove an […] Continue Reading →
Buffett settles with alleged trademark infringer Jimmy Buffett reached a settlement with a man he accused of selling merchandise that infringed his trademarks. The alleged infringer, Robert Akard, was selling Buffett-themed merchandise via his website. The judge in the case ordered Mr. Akard’s website shut down until the conclusion of the case and to disclose how much money he had made […] Continue Reading →
Mattel sues makers of Bratz dolls for trade secret misappropriation Mattel, the manufacturer of Barbie dolls, sued a former employee, Carter Bryant, for trade secret misappropriation in 2004. Now, Mattel is attempting to add MGA Entertainment, makers of the relatively new Bratz dolls, to the case. Mattel alleges that Mr. Bryant conceived of the Bratz doll design while working for Mattel, and therefore Mattel owns […] Continue Reading →
US Copyright office issues new exemptions from DMCA Every three years, the United States Copyright Office seeks proposals for exemptions from the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (“DMCA”). The DMCA was enacted in 1998. As part of the DMCA, it became unlawful to circumvent access control measures copyright holders used to secure their copyrighted works. For example, it is a violation of the DMCA […] Continue Reading →
Washington Apple Commission takes on Chinese trademark office The Washington Apple Commission has filed suit against the Chinese Trademark Review and Adjudication Board over its refusal to register a trademark. The mark at issue is shown below:This mark is registered in the United States, but in China, "well-known" geographical names cannot be used as trademarks unless there is also another meaning. The Apple […] Continue Reading →
Jimmy Buffett sues website owner for trademark infringement Singer Jimmy Buffett has Continue Reading →
University of Alabama sues artist for trademark infringement The University of Alabama has sued Daniel Moore, an artist who paints pictures of various sporting events. Among his work is a picture entitled “The Sack,” depicting a play in a 1986 college football game where Cornelius Bennett of the University of Alabama sacked Notre Dame’s Steve Beuerlein. The university claims that Mr. Moore is […] Continue Reading →