Perspectives on Trademark

TTAB cancelled six Washington Redskins registrations after finding they violated Section 2(a) of the Federal Lanham Act.

Keds filed suit against Vans in 2014 for trademark infringement, unfair competition, trademark dilution, and breach of contract.

Arent Fox Intellectual Property partner Pamela M. Deese is quoted by Bloomberg News in an article that illustrates the prospect of earning royalties from popular trademarked sports phrases.

The Supreme Court held that “factual allegations must be enough to raise a right to relief above the speculative level,” and “labels and conclusions or a formulaic recitation of the elements of a cause of action will not do.”

A federal judge in the Eastern District of Virginia recently ruled that Reynolds had not abandoned its federal trademark registrations for its distinctive packaging designs, despite making several alterations to its packaging since obtaining the registrations in 1977.

According to a recent ruling in the US District Court for the Northern District of California, CrossFit may have violated the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) by submitting a DMCA takedown request to Facebook based on trademark rights instead of copyrights.

The US District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia recently awarded the United States Patent and Trademark Office (PTO) $36,320.49 in legal expenses, including its attorneys’ fees, in a case brought by an applicant appealing the PTO’s refusal to register a mark on the basis.

Some companies are crying foul on keyword advertisements– arguing that the keyword ads are so close to consumer searches that they violate the companies’ intellectual property rights.

The Beastie Boys don’t play games when it comes to copyright infringement. The legendary hip hop band is waging an aggressive legal battle against a company called GoldieBlox that makes engineering toys for girls over what the band claims is copyright and trademark infringement related to its 1987 h

Intellectual Property partner Pamela Deese was quoted by Bloomberg News after an Alabama Crimson Tide football fan applied to trademark the phrase “Famous Jameis,” a nickname attached to Florida State quarterback Jameis Winston, considered by many the favorite to win this year’s Heisman Trophy.

Plaintiffs Cartier International, Montblanc-Simplo GmbH, Alfred Dunhill Ltd., Chloe SAS, Officine Panerai AG and Lange Uhren GmbH scored a win against e-commerce counterfeiting.

Bottega Veneta, one of the world’s premier fashion companies, recently won an important ruling regarding the scope of its trade dress rights at the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board of the US Patent and Trademark Office.

As you may have heard, we are on the verge of a vast expansion of the Internet.

AirWair International Ltd., maker of Dr. Martens® footwear, has filed a lawsuit in the US District Court for the Northern District of California alleging that CELS Enterprises, Inc. dba Chinese Laundry has infringed AirWair’s trade dress rights.

On September 11, 2013, Tommy Hilfiger U.S.A., Inc. and Tommy Hilfiger Licensing LLC filed an action for declaratory judgment against Jumbo Bright Trading Limited (Jumbo Bright) in the US District Court for the Southern District of New York.

Converse Inc. recently sued a competitor, Autonomie Project, Inc., for willfully infringing Converse’s famous Chuck Taylor All Star shoes.

On August 20, 2013, Marc Joseph NY, Inc. filed an action before the US District Court for the Eastern District of New York against C. & J. Clark America, Inc. for trademark infringement and unfair competition of its “Cypress Hill” moccasin design.

Arent Fox Intellectual Property partner Anthony V. Lupo was interviewed by Bloomberg News about the legal battle between Aereo, which relays broadcast TV to subscribers over the Internet, and cable broadcasters, who argue they are fighting to preserve the business model that generates revenue to pro

Arent Fox LLP successfully represented The DIRECTV Group Inc. in its Legal Rights Objection.

AirWair alleged that Vans’ Gibson line of footwear infringes AirWair’s trademark and trade dress rights in its Dr. Martens line, causing a likelihood of confusion among US consumers.