We previously posted about a four year legal battle that arose from a refusal by Iowa State University to let its school logos be used on t-shirts by an on-campus pro-cannabis group, and the free speech implications of this refusal. In that case, ISU was…
The United States Patent and Trademark Office rejects trademark applications when it determines that the use of the mark is unlawful under the Controlled Substances Act. See In re Brown, 119 USPQ.2d 1350 (TTAB 2016) In the Weeds Between Federal and State Law: Brand Name for…
Hello loyal TMCA readers – This is the first installment of what we hope to be an informative series of posts called Quirky Questions: TMCA Edition. Our labor and employment colleagues have a great blog, Quirky Questions, where they answer unanticipated questions regarding workforce issues….
The Ninth Circuit breathed new life, for now, into a trademark infringement suit brought by Eat Right Foods Ltd.’s (“ERF”) against Whole Foods Market, Inc. The district court had granted summary judgment for Whole Foods after concluding ERF’s claims were barred by the doctrines of laches…
A recent out-of-court settlement following an 8th Circuit decision in Gerlich v. Leath highlights some of the unique legal issues that surround the branding of products in the cannabis space. In 2012, two students at Iowa State University (ISU), Paul Gerlich and Erin Furleigh, secured…
You’ve heard it before and you’ll hear it again – Stay away from any advertising or promotional ideas that suggest authorization, sponsorship or an official connection to the Olympics. This means not using the Olympic Rings in advertising or even #Olympics on your brand’s social…
In January 2015, Pitney Bowes filed an intent-to-use trademark application for the logo shown here for use with mailing services, including postal delivery, parcel delivery, and delivery of mail to post offices for posting (Serial No. 86502157). Pitney Bowes later filed its specimen of use,…
The Vegas Golden Knights, an expansion team based in Las Vegas that joined the National Hockey League (NHL) earlier this year, have had a surprisingly successful “rookie year,” both on the ice and at the box office. This month, however, the Golden Knights encountered opposition…
Shortly before Christmas 2017, Gibson Brands sued Funko, a maker of pop culture dolls, for trademark infringement relating to several of Funko’s figurines of famous musicians. Among the dolls named in the complaint are Slash (Guns N’ Roses) and Kirk Hammett (Metallica). Gibson’s complaint centers…
In January 2016 and January 2017, we blogged about a trademark and copyright dispute between Louis Vuitton Malletier, S.A. and My Other Bag, Inc. (“MOB”) over a line of canvas tote bags that parodied Louis Vuitton’s iconic designer handbags. In this January 2018 blog edition,…
Jeffrey CadwellJeff advises clients on the availability, registrability, and stre...
Michael KeyesJ. Michael Keyes is an intellectual property attorney with exten...
Kaleb McNeelyAs a partner in the Trial Group, Kaleb practices primarily in the ...
Sarah RobertsonSarah has over fifteen years’ experience helping clients prot...
Fara SunderjiFara assists clients in the development and execution of all type...
Charlene KroghCharlene Krogh is a Partner in Dorsey’s top-ranked Tradem...
Evan EveristEvan is a partner in Dorsey’s Trademark, Copyright and Adverti...