25 October

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GTL Trademark Lawsuit by The Situation

Posted by Michael

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

Posted by Michael

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

Posted by Michael

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!

Posted by Michael

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

Posted by Michael

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 of cybersquatting. 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...

26 August

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Hells Angels Trademark Infringement

Posted by Michael

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

Posted by Michael

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

Posted by Michael

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...

27 July

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Chinese Apple Counterfeits Stores Popping Up

Posted by Michael

in Trademark

Local officials from Kunming, the capitol city of the province of Yunnan, China, have begun to crack down on the much-publicized “fake” apple stores that came to light last week. Two of the five stores have been shut down by the local industry and commerce administration. According to China Daily’s U.S. edition, the remaining 3 stores are awaiting a response from Apple as to whether or not they may continue operating. Apparently, so far the products sold in the store have not been alleged to be counterfeit products. But the store itself is unauthorized, thus selling gray marketing goods.This is...

21 July

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Lamborghini Trademark Infringement Lawsuit

Posted by Michael

in Litigation, Trademark

The Italian car maker Lamborghini wasted little time in filing a lawsuit (US District Court, State of Nevada, Case No. 2:11-cv-01154-ECR –RJJ) against the Palazzo resort in Las Vegas. The Palazzo recently opened an exotic car showroom, an Italian restaurant, and a merchandise gallery called Dal Toro. The Dal Toro logo bears an all-too-similar resemblance to Lamborghini’s classic raging bull logo. According to the Las Vegas Sun, the suit claims that the logos are “studied imitations of the Lamborghini trademarks.”The owner of these businesses, Lorenzo Barracco, seemed unconcerned with the trademark infringement suit, and called it frivolous. But the fact...

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