General Counsel at Software Freedom Conservancy. Experienced IP litigator & longtime legal blogger on copyright and trademark issues. Giant GenX nerd.
Nashville, TN
Joined June 2011
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Rick Sanders retweeted
What a day! 🔥 We have four incredible decisions released from the U.S. Supreme Court across intellectual property and internet law.
I’ll help break it down with a quick first pass at what the outcomes have been for four cases.
🧵
#SupremeCourt #SCOTUS
If you're in TN, this blog post about #trademarks is bizarrely timely. (Mr. Sexton is the Speaker of the state House, and he's currently presiding over certain expulsion hearings that have generated significant national coverage)
I started at big law firms, so this doesn't bother me as much as it bothers some others. BUT a culture where you can't admit to not knowing something is one more focused on covering your ass & covering up mistakes, than it is trying to do quality work.
Rick Sanders retweeted
monster energy: we will UNLEASH THE BEAST!
us: ok, what's the beast
monster energy: it's, uhh, our trademark lawyers
us: & what happens when they're unleashed
monster energy: they will send baseless cease & desist letters. to everyone. everyone!!
Monster Energy, the well-known energy drink company, is apparently seeking legal action against a game developer that wants to use the word "monster" in its game title. bit.ly/3U5VRvf
This is sort of interesting:
Amazon targets multiple bad actors in novel lawsuit, further protecting selling partners from fraud aboutamazon.com/news/policy-…
It's a good song, worth a listen
ICYMI, widely loved and recently-reunited @byopband has released "Hand Grenade," their first single since 2008.
nashvillescene.com/music/nas…
And just like that, Adidas withdraws the opposition (w/o prej.)
Here's the docket: ttabvue.uspto.gov/ttabvue/v?…
The applied-for mark is just the three yellow horizontal lines
Is there a word for a mixture of awe, horror & bad flashbacks to law school/bar exam?
The day before Florida lawmakers voted to create a new board overseeing Disney, the Disney-aligned old board passed an agreement basically neutering the new one, to be in effect until 21 years after the death of the last survivor of King Charles (?!?) orlandosentinel.com/news/os-…
Rick Sanders retweeted
When the Lady of Pain requests my presence back in Planescape, how can I refuse?
Here's the docket: ttabvue.uspto.gov/ttabvue/v?…
The applied-for mark is just the three yellow horizontal lines
Adidas has taken court action to block a trademark filed by Black Lives Matter for its "Three-Stripe" logo.
Per the court filings made on March 27th, Adidas claims the Black Lives Matter stripes are too similar to its own.
A thread 🧵
#adidas #BlackLivesMatter
#BLM
Owner of TARI for blockchain protocol gets TRO vs. TARO for same, based on reverse confusion. #trademark business.cch.com/ipld/TariLa… /1
Of note, the ct. excused markholder's several month delay b/c 1) it was engaged in discussions with ∆, and 2) ∆'s announcement that it was soon to release a fuller-featured version was a sufficient prompt to seek immediate relief. #trademark /2
You don't have to be very specific about #TradeSecrets in your complaint if you can point to specific documents where they may be found. It's just notice pleading, after all. business.cch.com/ipld/Beluca…
Exclusive agency arrangements, where #copyright owner grants an agent exclusive right to arrange for exploitation of their works are common. But exclusive right to license ≠ an exclusive §106 right, so no standing to enforce the © business.cch.com/ipld/Creati… /1
IOW, exclusive *agents* are not exclusive *licensees*, even though they have the exclusive right to license the work on the #copyright owner's behalf. /2
Rick Sanders retweeted
Exclusivity for Exactly What? propertyintangible.com/2023/…
