Trenam Law IP

  • Tiger King Loses “Zoo” in Trademark Infringement Lawsuit

    A few months ago, we wrote about Netflix’s Tiger King capturing a quarantined country’s collective attention. Specifically, we wrote about how trademark infringement brought down the Tiger King. After all, Carole Baskin’s intellectual property infringement allegations ultimately caused Joe Exotic’s finances to spiral into ruin. While Exotic remains behind bars for ordering a hit on… Read full article

  • Taylor Made’s golf ball design patent

    Taylor Made Golf Company’s new golf ball design Read full article

  • DJI invalidates Autel’s drone patent

    On March 2, 2020, the US International Trade Commission (ITC) issued a decision finding that DJI, the world’s largest consumer drone company, infringed US Patent No. 9,260,184 owned by Autel Robotics. The judge’s initial determination recommended a cease and desist order banning DJI from importing into the US its most popular drones–Mavic Pro, Mavic Pro… Read full article

  • Real Resistance For ‘Real Michigan’

    The St. Julian Wine company headquartered in Paw Paw, Michigan, was recently denied registration of its REAL MICHIGAN trademark due to several certification marks that certify apples grown in Michigan. Certification marks are any word, name, symbol, device, or combination that is used to certify a particular quality or feature of the goods or services.… Read full article

  • Seinfeld Wins Copyright Dispute

    The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit issued a Summary Order affirming a District Court dismissal of a copyright infringement action against comedian Jerry Seinfeld. The Court found that the Appellant’s claims were time-barred.   Background In 2011, Christian Charles and his production company helped develop the pilot episode of the television series… Read full article

  • The Trademark Risks of Selling on Etsy

    With the COVID-19 pandemic sweeping through the United States, traditional shopping experiences have become few and far between. Instead, consumers tend to choose online shopping platforms that offer shopping experiences from the safety of a house. In addition, it’s tempting while working from home or working fewer hours, to make and sell items on the… Read full article

  • Taco Tuesday Part III–Incontestable Trademark Registrations

    Last week we wrote a post about LeBron James’s failed attempt to register Taco Tuesday trademark. The USPTO rejected LeBron’s application based on a finding that “Taco Tuesday” is a “commonplace message.” Despite this rejection, a spokesman for Mr. James described this stint as a win. ESPN reported that the spokesman said that “finding ‘Taco… Read full article

  • Fraudulent COVID-19 domain name

    On April 24, 2020, the Department of Justice (DOJ) seized a fraudulent COVID-19 domain name. The domain name, coronaprevention.org, was allegedly offered for sale on a hackers forum. These forums provide an effective option to sell highly marked up goods in response to the pandemic. The domain name owner also allegedly informed an undercover agent… Read full article