Ninth Circuit Rallies in Defense of a Parody Dog Toy--Bad Spaniels v. Jack Daniel's

Ninth Circuit Rallies in Defense of a Parody Dog Toy–Bad Spaniels v. Jack Daniel’s

So we are back to litigation over dog chew toys. The case involves the “Bad Spaniels” dog toy, part of a “Silly Squeakers” line from the smartly-branded enterprise “VIP Products.” The dog toy intentionally riffs on the Jack Daniel’s brand…

Videogame Can Replicate Musician's "Signature Move" (Unless It's a False Endorsement, Which It Isn't)--Pellegrino v. Epic Games

Videogame Can Replicate Musician’s “Signature Move” (Unless It’s a False Endorsement, Which It Isn’t)–Pellegrino v. Epic Games

Pellegrino is a saxophone player with “externally rotatable feet,” which has helped him develop a nifty “signature” dance move while playing. The videogame Fortnite sells “emotes,” optional customizations for players’ digital avatars. Pellegrino alleges that the “Phone It In” emote…

Newspaper Can Talk About "Derby Pies" Without Infringing Trademarks--Rupp v. Courier Journal

Newspaper Can Talk About “Derby Pies” Without Infringing Trademarks–Rupp v. Courier Journal

A “derby” is a dictionary noun for a race of three-year-old horses. The most famous derby in the United States is the Kentucky Derby, but the word traces its roots to a 1780 race in England. In 2017, the (Louisville)…

More Evidence That IP Law Protects Individual Emoji Depictions--Nirvana v. Marc Jacobs

More Evidence That IP Law Protects Individual Emoji Depictions–Nirvana v. Marc Jacobs

This case involves the well-known “Nirvana Happy Face” drawn by Kurt Cobain in 1991 and registered in 1993. Marc Jacobs launched a “Bootleg Redux Grunge” clothing line (really??? who buys this shit?) that included an homage to the Nirvana Happy…

IP/Internet/Antitrust Professor Amicus Brief in 1-800 Contacts v. FTC

IP/Internet/Antitrust Professor Amicus Brief in 1-800 Contacts v. FTC

Prof. Mark Lemley (Stanford Law) and I filed an amicus brief in 1-800 Contacts v. FTC with the Second Circuit on behalf of 29 professors of intellectual property, Internet law, and antitrust. The abstract: The case involves 1-800 Contacts’ settlement…

Domain Name Registrar Isn’t Liable for Counterfeit Goods–InvenTel v. GoDaddy

InvenTel makes security cams for cars. It is trying to crack down on Chinese counterfeiters. It brought a prior lawsuit against a wide range of defendants, including GoDaddy. InvenTel voluntarily dismissed GoDaddy from that suit. It brought a second round…

New Jersey Attorney Ethics Opinion Blesses Competitive Keyword Advertising (…or Does It?)

In 2016, the Texas Bar issued an opinion decisively blessing competitive keyword advertising by lawyers. (Note: I define competitive keyword advertising as buying a rival’s name/brand as the trigger for ads without displaying the name/brand in the ad copy). At…

Another Competitive Keyword Advertising Lawsuit Fails--Dr. Greenberg v. Perfect Body Image

Another Competitive Keyword Advertising Lawsuit Fails–Dr. Greenberg v. Perfect Body Image

Dr. Stephen Greenberg is a plastic surgeon on Long Island. Perfect Body Image provides β€œnon-surgical and non-invasive aesthetic services, including, among other things, laser treatments.” Perfect Body doesn’t have any doctors on staff. In addition to Stephen, at least two…

1H 2019 Quick Links, Part 3 (Trademarks)

* Williams-Sonoma v. Amazon, Case No.18-cv-07548-EDL (N.D. Cal. May 2, 2019): The first theory of infringement – that Amazon set up an unauthorized Williams-Sonoma website – is not plausible. The screenshots included in the complaint and/or attached as exhibits show…

1H 2019 Quick Links, Part 2 (Keyword Advertising)

* Grasshopper House LLC v. Clean & Sober Media LLC, 2019 WL 2762936 (C.D. Cal. July 1, 2019). Prof. Tushnet recaps the case. The passages that stood out to me: Lastly, Passages argues for a third mechanism to estimate Cliffside’s…