Laugh! Or You Can Be 26 Cents Richer
TBS is so convinced that people will laugh at the new Pauly Shore TV show “Minding the Store” that it says: “If his new show doesn’t make you laugh, he’ll send you a dollar!*” Just to make sure we’re clear,…
Click Fraud Lawsuit–Click Defense v. Google
Click Defense Inc. v. Google, Inc., No. 5:05-cv-02579-RMW (N.D. Cal. complaint filed June 24, 2005). This is the second major lawsuit again Google for click fraud, following on the Lane’s Gift case filed a few months ago. I have yet…
Operation Site Down–The Latest Warez Group Bust (vintage 2005)
The FBI conducted another major International bust of warez groups involving 90 searches and four arrests. The DOJ press release. AG Gonzales’ statement. The AP story. This is only the latest of a string of major busts of warez trading…
What Color is Your Protest?
An Arab anti-settlement political party used an orange color to protest Israeli settlements. Then, some Jewish nationalist political groups have adopted the same orange shade to show support for the Israeli settlements. Fortunately, rather than taking more extreme measures, the…
What Happens in Nastygrams…
Steve Middlebrook passed along this story about the slogan “What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas.” Dorothy Tovar liked the phrase so much, she put it on T-shirts and registered a trademark in it. Then, she got the nasty letter…
Symantec Sues Hotbar for Declaratory Judgment That Symantec’s Classifications/Descriptions Do Not Create Liability
Symantec Corp. v. Hotbar.com, Inc., Case No. C05-02309 (N.D. Cal. complaint filed June 7, 2005). This complaint was filed 3 weeks ago, but I was only able to get a copy of the complaint today. Even then, I have not…
Important 2d Circuit Adware Case–1-800 Contacts v. WhenU
1-800 Contacts, Inc. v. WhenU.com, Inc., Docket Nos. 04-0026-cv and 04-0446-cv (2d Cir. June 27, 2005). Overshadowed by yesterday’s Grokster mania, the Second Circuit finally issued an important ruling about WhenU’s liability for trademark infringement. The court found that WhenU…
Guest Blogger–Mark Schultz
I’m pleased to introduce Mark Schultz as a guest blogger. Mark is a law professor at Southern Illinois University, where he teaches intellectual property courses and legal ethics. Prior to becoming a law professor, Mark was an IT and IP…
Grokster Ruling Commentary
In this post, I’ll summarize some of the various blog reactions to Grokster that I’ve come across. You should start with my own, of course! For another good roundup (with some overlap to this post), see Ernest Miller’s The Importance…
Grokster Supreme Court Ruling
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc. v. Grokster, Ltd, Case No. 04-480. (US Supreme Court June 27, 2005). What Happened The Supreme Court unanimously reversed the Ninth Circuit’s upholding of summary judgment for the defendants, sending the case back to the lower courts…