Is That Enforceable?

UPDATE 1
On 22 October, a federal judge in Los Angeles granted an injunction prohibiting gang members, relatives and associates from wearing, licensing, selling or distributing patches with the Mongols logo.  The case is believed to be the first in which the government has sought to take control of a gang’s identity.  
Under an indictment issued last [...]

Post vs. Post

Deutsche Post AG, Europe’s largest mail carrier, won a ruling from Germany’s highest civil court that may allow it to keep its trademark for POST.   The Federal Court of Justice reversed a ruling by the German Patent Court that had ordered cancellation of the registration.
Deutsche Post has been involved in various lawsuits over the term [...]

Crazy Copyrights

With a nod to Mr. Coleman, this crazy story.  Independent label Quote Unquote Records’ (which operates with donations) web site was recently shut down by its own hosting provider.  The host had originally written telling the label that it was hosting copyrighted materials and, unless the label could prove ownership, the site would be shut [...]

Sarkozy & Free Speech

Apparently, the hot-selling product at Amazon.fr is a Nicholas Sarkozy voodoo doll. And French President Sarkozy doesn’t like it.  So much so, in fact, that he has sued the manufacturer to have the dolls taken off the market.  
Sarkozy’s lawyer is arguing that the president — like any French person — owns the right to [...]

I’m Ready for My Close-up, Your Honor

The non-profit, run by  journalist Bill Kurtis and his sister, Jean Schodorf, that operates the “Little House on the Prairie” museum in Kansas said it is being sued by the makers of the former TV show with the same name.
The twist?  The museum is located on the homestead where it is believed Laura Ingalls Wilder, the author of the “Little [...]

Long Island Man Charged with Counterfeiting

A Bay Shore, New York man, Rajesh Kapoor, 38, has been arrested and charged with counterfeiting.  Kapoor operates a kiosk at the Sunrise Mall in Massapequa.  He was arrested and charged with trademark counterfeiting after he offered to sell undercover officers fake brand-name wallets, jewelry, handbags and other items, according to Nassau police. 
The counterfeit items represent an [...]

Nike Sues Wal-Mart for Patent Infringement

Shoe giant, Nike, Inc. has sued discount retailer Wal-Mart for patent infringement.  The lawsuit, filed Monday in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, claims that the Wal-Mart shoes too closely resemble its Nike Shox footwear.

India Rejects WHO’s Definition of “Counterfeit”

India’s Health Ministry has rejected  the new definition of counterfeit drugs proposed by an agency backed by the World Health Organization.  In so doing, “[t]he government is concerned about certain words being used in the new definition of counterfeits proposed by IMPACT. We are afraid developed countries may use such a definition to stifle the growth of our generic [...]

Google Hints it Will Protect Chrome Trademark

Google is not allowing third parties to use the now-famous Chrome comic book, the Chrome Logo, etc.  On Sept. 24, site proprietor Troy Carly blogged that he had received an e-mail from Google Senior Trademark Counsel Terri Chen telling him he couldn’t use the snapshot of the Google Chrome comic, the Google Chrome icon and [...]

Online Marketing Discussion

This article discusses the dilemma that many online marketers face. Here’s a snippet:
Marketers first need to understand the rules, which the engines spell out quite clearly. Each of the leading search engines allows marketers to bid on competitors’ trademarked terms but prohibit the use of these terms in the actual ad [...]

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