An owner of a trademark or service mark used in commerce may request registration on the principal register by filing an application with United States Patent and Trademark Office. The registration provides certain benefits including prima facie proof of ownership and validity and constructive use throughout the country. While registration is great for brand management
Intellectual Property
Apple Watch Ban Highlights Pros and Cons of Litigating Patents at the International Trade Commission
The big patent news this holiday season involves a purported ban on the new Apple Watch. In October 2023, the International Trade Commission (the “ITC”) ruled that the blood oxygen monitoring features in these devices infringed a patent from Masimo, a medical device company. (Inv. No. 337-TA-1266). In response, Apple has announced that it will…
Thaler v. Shira Perlmutter, et al.: The Intersection of Human Control Over Artificial Intelligence and Human Authorship as a Necessary Requirement of Copyright
This blog is an update to “Legal Issues with Using AI to Create Content – Written with Help from AI” by Devin Ricci on April 28, 2023
On August 18th, the United States District Court for the District of Columbia issued an opinion stating that Artificial Intelligence (AI) generated artwork lacks…
The Supreme Court Limits the Extraterritorial Reach of the Lanham Act
On June 29, 2023, the Supreme Court adopted a restrictive view of the extraterritorial application of the Lanham Act, holding that federal trademark law cannot support a claim for trademark infringement against solely foreign conduct.
The case is Abitron Austria GmbH v. Hetronic International, Inc. Hetronic, an Oklahoma-based corporation, sells a wide range of…
Jack Daniel’s Tames the Pooch – SCOTUS Reverses 9th Circuit in Trademark Infringement Case Over Dog Toys
On June 8, 2023, the United States Supreme Court unanimously ruled in favor of Jack Daniel’s in the case of Jack Daniel’s Properties, Inc. v. VIP Products LLC, 599 U.S. ___ (2023). The case arose from Jack Daniel’s complaint about VIP’s sale of…
No Free Use in the Purple Rain – U.S. Supreme Court Finds License of Andy Warhol’s “Orange Prince” Infringes Photographer’s Copyright
When award-winning photographer Lynn Goldsmith snapped a portrait of the artist formerly known as Prince for Newsweek in 1981, she could not have predicted the cultural and legal impact the pop legend’s portrait would have. In 1984, Vanity Fair sought to license the photograph for an “artist reference” in a story about the musician. Goldsmith…
And Texas Makes Ten? – Texas Legislature Sends Comprehensive Consumer Data Privacy Law to Governor Abbott’s Desk
On May 10, 2023, the Texas State Senate passed H.B. 4, titled the Texas Data Privacy and Security Act (“TDPSA”), sending the bill to Governor Abbott’s desk for final signature. If signed into law, Texas will join a growing contingency of states enforcing comprehensive data privacy laws for their residents.
This alert provides answers…
Legal Issues with Using AI to Create Content – Written with Help from AI
Artificial Intelligence (AI) is a rapidly growing field that has the potential to revolutionize many aspects of our lives. One area where AI has already made significant inroads is in content creation. With the help of AI-powered writing assistants, businesses and individuals can generate high-quality content with minimal effort. However, there are legal concerns associated…
New Allen Toussaint Legacy Act Creates a Right of Publicity in Louisiana
On June 15, 2022, Governor John Bel Edwards signed into law Act No. 425, S.B. 426, named the “Allen Toussaint Legacy Act.”[1] The Act is named after the late Allen Toussaint, a famous New Orleans musician, songwriter, and producer. Toussaint was known for hits such as “Java,” “Fortune Teller,” “Southern Nights,” “Working in the…
Copyright Office Denies Registration of Computer-Generated Art
Steven Thaler filed an application for copyright registration in a two-dimensional image entitled “Creativity Machine”. In his application, Thaler stated that the work “was autonomously created by a computer algorithm running on a machine”. The Review Board of the United States Copyright Office (“Board”) denied the application stating it lacked human authorship necessary to support…