Geekview IP Week(ish) in Review
TV One claims BET and MTV stole the essence of the Essence. TV one recently sued BET and MTV for stealing its show. Literally! According to TV One, first BET…
National Grange and Brooklyn Grange Get Grungy over TM Dispute
National Grange is a non-profit organization that was founded in 1867 to advocate for rural America and agriculture. While the full name of the organization is the National Grange of…
Domain Name Switch Costs More Than Banks Bargained For
Back when the internet was still the Wild West, prospectors raced to register domain names comprised of third parties' brands for the purpose of selling the domain name registration to…
CA AG Gets Aggro Over False Claims of Bottle Biodegradability
The good folks at the Huffington Post last week reported that California Attorney General (AG), Kamala Harris, filed a lawsuit on October 26, 2011 against ENSO Plastics, Balance Water and…
Geekview IP Week in Review
Pets sue for (fur) false advertising. Do people have an advantage over pets in litigation? Pamela Carthen hopes to find out, having recently filed a class action lawsuit alleging false…
Geekview IP week in Review — WTF Edition
I always suspected engaging in S&M might expose the participants to litigation. The accomplished photographer, artist and director, David LaChapelle, sued performing artist Rihanna for copyright infringement, trademark infringement, unfair…
Great-Grandma Gets Grumpy, Fights for her Rights (of Publicity)
A friend sent me an article about a great-grandmother who was irked over the use of her image in an ad supporting an Ohio voter referendum, Issue 2. If passed,…
Imported, Indeed. Made in USA Foundation Confronts Automotive False Advertising
Yesterday, The Made in the USA Foundation (Foundation) filed two petitions with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC). The petitions requested that the FTC issue complaints, one against Chrysler (here) and…
Will Wella Whoop Willa? A TM Battle Between Skin Care Makers
Two colleagues sent me messages while I was out of the office last week about the September 28, 2011 New York Times.com article discussing the WILLA v WELLA trademark dispute. …
Geekview IP Week in Review
Traverse City Shorts traverses Traverse City Film Festival. Though its name is longer, the shorts festival features films that are shorter than feature films (films that are 40 minutes…