In what appears to be a first, the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (“ICANN”), the organization responsible for maintenance of domain names and IP addresses, has sent a notice of non-compliance to a registrar, Visesh Infotecnics Ltd. d/b/a Signdomains.com, for failure to comply…
It turns out that SpongeBob Squarepants is more than just an absorbent, yellow and porous cartoon character who lives in a pineapple under the sea. He can also teach us an important lesson about trademark licensing and liability. Nautical nonsense, you say? Read on about…
In another episode involving the First Amendment and the Lanham Act, Twentieth Century Fox’s “Empire” notched a win for the First Amendment. In Twentieth Century Fox Television, et al. v. Empire Distribution Inc. the United States District Court for the Central District of California held that…
In a recent post, we provided guidance on how an advertiser might execute a Super Bowl-related promotion even if it is not an authorized game sponsor. First, avoid mentioning the trademarked name of the event — instead, refer more generally to the “Big Game” or…
As we kick off “Oscar Week” here at TheTMCA.com, it is particularly apropos to discuss a decision just handed down by the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals involving the critically acclaimed movie, The Hurt Locker. It is a powerful film about a team of U.S….
Love it or hate it, Instagram is coming to dominate the world of advertising. During Super Bowl 50, 38 million people reportedly made 155 million Super Bowl-related interactions on Instagram. And this week at New York Fashion Week, Tommy Hilfiger introduced the first ever “InstaPit,”…
A recent decision in federal court in New York serves both as a cautionary tale to companies looking to defend their trademarks and an important reminder to any company about to launch a new product under threat of an infringement claim. Authored by Judge Jed…
Illinois attorney Ms. Moira Bernstein is the latest advocate to take on Avvo.com, the Seattle-based lawyer information and rating site. On February 4, 2016, Ms. Bernstein filed a class action complaint against Avvo, Inc. (“Avvo”) in Cook County, Illinois. According to the allegations, Ms. Bernstein…
On January 28, 2016, Dorsey & Whitney’s Seattle office hosted a CLE panel discussion regarding In Re Simon Shiao Tam, the Federal Circuit decision holding that the “disparaging” trademark prohibition in Section 2(a) of the Lanham Act violated the First Amendment. The panel featured Simon…
When I opened up a newspaper a few weeks ago and saw an ad by Chobani for its Simply 100 Greek Yogurt, my first thought was, “that’s going to provoke a false advertising dispute.” Here’s what Chobani said about its competitor Yoplait: “there’s potassium sorbate…
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...