18 November

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Patents and the Stock Market

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Time and again I am reminded what an important asset patents can be to company’s growth or continued existence. For example, I was reading an article in the Motley Fool today and their review of Green Mountain Coffee Roasters, the owners of the “K-Cup” for coffee. The author quoted: “My Foolish colleague Rick Munarriz says he’ll be buying shares of Green Mountain by week’s end because the Keurig machine remains popular, the patent expiration battle is overblown, and the stock is cheap. I think what he’s doing amounts to balancing a steaming cup of coffee in his lap. The K-cup is...

10 November

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Grand Theft Auto 5 Trademark Infringement with Speedo?

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in Trademark

With Grand Theft Auto 5’s release all gamers are excited. But who would of thought that GTA and Speedo would get into a trademark spat? One of the most highly anticipated video games of the year, Grand Theft Auto 5, recently released an online trailer. The trailer spread like wildfire, and one apparent detail of the new game may cause a big headache for Rockstar Games, the maker of the iconic and very popular racing game. That detail is the word “Speedophile” printed on the side of a Jetski, looking something like a logo. The word Speedophile may have a simply descriptive...

25 October

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GTL Trademark Lawsuit by The Situation

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in Trademark

Jersey Shore star Mike Sorrentino (aka The Situation) is making sure he stays on top. Of his trademarks, that is. Has sued, in the Florida Southern District Court, a newcomer who wants to use Sorrentino’s “GTL” brand to market lifestyle products reminiscent of Jersey Shore style and fashion. MyGTLFuel.com is aimed toward viewers and fans of Jersey Shore, selling Energy Shots, Tanning Lotion and the like. So does the owner, Dana Valentino, actually have any trademark rights that are superior to The Situation? Or is he simply trying to cash in on the ‘Guido’ trend? GTL Fuel, LLC which we believe is...

18 October

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Opt Out “.xxx” Domain Name..You Have Until October 28

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in Domain

As part of its list of new “Sponsored Top-Level Domain” names, or sTLD’s the suffix .xxx was created by the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) back in March. This gave adult industry companies the option to get a domain name that ends in .xxx. But what about companies that don’t want a .xxx web site created, using their trademark or name? ICANN is offering a “sunrise period” to companies, that allows them, for a limited time, to opt out of ever having a .xxx version of themselves online. The deadline to opt out is October 28, 2011. After...

11 October

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Trademark Infringement of Youngblood Timepieces

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in Trademark

Fossil Watches was served a trade dress and trademark infringement lawsuit Monday, courtesy of Youngblood Timepieces, a newcomer to the fashion watch industry. Taking it one step further, the suit also named several high profile retailers as co-defendants. Macy’s, Nordstrom, Sears, Urban Outfitters, and Amazon.com were all named. The case is No. 11-cv-8175 in U.S. District Court for the district of Central California. Youngblood Co Founder Patrick Martin said, when asked about the suit: “It is our intention to settle this matter with as little complication to all parties involved as possible. At the same time, we will not allow Fossil Inc. to...

13 September

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USPTO Issues Patent Number 8,000,000!

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in Patent

Bye-bye to the 7 million’s, hello to the 8’s. The United States Patent and Trademark Officejust recently granted registration to US Patent No. 8,000,000 Awarded to Second Sight Medical Products for a “Visual Prosthesis Apparatus” that Enhances Visual Perception for the Sight Impaired. Los Angeles Trademark Lawyer...

12 September

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Twilight Domain Name Cybersquatting

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in Domain, Litigation

It could be argued that twilight.com’s owner Tom Markson simply likes the movies, books, and whole Twilight franchise and has no intention ofcybersquatting. But Summit Entertainment, the very lucrative Twilight Franchise’s owner isn’t buying that argument. Mr. Markson is in no way related to Summit Entertainment, and has owned the twilight.com web site since 1994, far before the rise of the Stephanie Meyer books, and their Hollywood versions. Twilight.com is being sued by Summit Entertainment for copyright and trademark infringement. But Markson’s argument seems a little flimsy considering there are Adsense ads on the page, and he’s probably made at least...

26 August

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Hells Angels Trademark Infringement

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in Litigation, Trademark

A Hollywood clothing manufacturer, Wildfox Couture, LLC is being sued by Hells Angels Motorcycle Corporation, otherwise known as Hells Angels. Although the name Hells Angels may seem generic, or at least non-corporate, they own the registered trademark and aren’t afraid to defend it. According to a story in the L.A. times on Tuesday, this suit is the latest in a long string of Hells Angels trademark cases. It was filed as Hells Angels Motorcycle Corporation v. Wildfox Couture, LLC and Amazon.com, et al 2011-cv-11-4141 PSG, in the U.S. District Court for Northern District of California. According to Hells Angels attorney Fritz...

17 August

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Louboutin’s Trademark Suit Against YSL

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in Litigation, Trademark

Can a color be trademarked? The answer is it could be. Trademark registrations have been granted for colors in the past. (See here for the USPTO’s standard). But it appears, for shoe designer Christian Louboutin, the answer is…no. Louboutin has been making shoes for the last few years with a trademarked “lacquered red sole.” The ubiquitous soles have turned up on many a red carpet, on the feet of many a celebrity. In fact, as CNN.com reports, even Jennifer Lopez has a song that mentions Louboutin’s in the lyrics. But recently, fellow shoemaker and competitor Yves Saint Laurent announced a...

06 August

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Bratz Trade Secret Litigation $309 million

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in Litigation, Trademark

As an update to the Bratz litigation, the Court has ordered Mattel, Inc. to pay MGA Entertainment $309 million. In one of our prior posts which can be read here, Mattel initially sued MGA for trade secret and copyright infringement over the popular Bratz dolls, and received a judgment against MGA in 2008. However, in a reversal, the Court then issued a judgment against Mattel finding them liable for trade secret misappropriation. Now, the Court has finalized its judgment as follows: $85 million, plus another $85 million in punitive damages for trade secrets misappropriation. Plus another whopping $137 million was...

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