Updates on Transborder Copyright Enforcement Over “Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer”–Shropshire v. Canning
By Eric Goldman Shropshire v. Canning, 2012 WL 13658 (N.D.Cal. Jan. 4, 2012). Prior blog post. This dispute involves complicated facts, so here’s my understanding of what’s happening: The lawsuit involves the musical composition “Grandma Got Run Over by a…
Trademark Owner Can’t Hold GoDaddy Liable for Domain Name Forwarding — Berhad v. GoDaddy
[Post by Venkat Balasubramani] Berhad v. GoDaddy, C 09-5939 PJH (N.D. Cal.; Jan. 3, 2012) Plaintiff, Petroliam Nasional Berhad (Petronas), a government owned entity, owns the Petronas Towers in Malaysia. It’s trying to enforce its trademark rights against two domain…
Did a Court Eliminate 512(h) Subpoenas?–Maximized Living v. Google
By Eric Goldman with additional comments from David Gingras Maximized Living, Inc. v. Google, Inc., 2011 WL 6749017 (N.D. Cal. Dec. 22, 2011). The initial 512(h) subpoena. The Justia page. 17 USC 512(h) is a relic of a different era….
SOPA/PROTECT-IP/OPEN Linkwrap #2
By Eric Goldman It’s been a busy time for news related to SOPA (the Stop Online Piracy Act, not the Stop Online Privacy Act, although that could be an unintended result!), PROTECT-IP/PIPA, and the OPEN Act. In a bit, I’ll…
Nov.-Dec. 2011 Quick Links, Part 3
By Eric Goldman Marketing and Advertising * Facebook is putting Sponsored Stories in user newsfeeds. Naturally, they will make the ad label almost invisible. Yet another reason to hate Facebook, and what a desperate act of financial overreaching to goose…
Keyword Advertiser Mostly Defeats Trademark Lawsuit–Scooter Store v. SpinLife
By Eric Goldman Scooter Store, Inc. v. SpinLife.com, LLC, 2011 WL 6415516 (S.D. Ohio Dec. 21, 2011). The Justia page. This is a spirited litigation between two retailers of wheelchairs, motorized scooters and related items. Maybe that retailing sector is…
Nov.-Dec. 2011 Quick Links, Part 2 (Extended IP Edition)
By Eric Goldman Copyright * Costco v. Omega (E.D. Cal. Nov. 9, 2011). On remand after the disappointing non-result from the Supreme Court in this case, the district court gives Costco a decisive win, holding that Omega engaged in copyright…
I’m Not a Fan of this Craptastic Trademark Lawsuit–Fancaster v. Comcast
By Eric Goldman Fancaster, Inc. v. Comcast Corp., 2011 WL 6426292 (D.N.J. Dec. 22, 2011). We’ve seen some pathetic trademark lawsuits this year (SUE MOAR KALE, anyone?), but I’ll nominate this long-running litigation money-sink (going over 3.5 years) as the…
Nov.-Dec. 2011 Quick Links, Part 1
By Eric Goldman 47 USC 230 * Wang v. OCZ Technology Group, Inc., 2011 WL 4903190 (N.D. Cal. Oct. 14, 2011). In a false advertising suit, the plaintiff argued that the defendant quoted/linked to third party testimonials on the defendant’s…
UGC Website Hit With Spoliation Sanctions–Io v. GLBT
By Eric Goldman [This is one of those blog posts that got stuck in queue. It’s still pretty interesting, so I’m sharing at this relatively late date. Happy new year!] Io Group Inc. v. GLBT Ltd., 2011 WL 4974337 (N.D….