Archive for the ‘Intellectual Property’ Category
Pinterest Clarifies Terms to Remove Right to Sell Uploaded Images
Over last weekend, Pinterest quietly updated its terms of service to make clear that the social media phenomenon is not interested in selling member content. The email to current users and accompanying blog post explained unequivocally: Our original Terms stated that by posting content to Pinterest you grant Pinterest the right for to sell your [...]
Righthaven Forced to Sell Copyrights to Satisfy Debts
In a twist of legal fate, a federal judge has ordered Righthaven, a company that made a business out of suing online outlets on alleged copyright violations, to sell off its intellectual property to pay off its debts. In 2010, Righthaven began entering partnerships with newspapers, securing the right to sue on their behalf websites [...]
ISPs Move Forward on Policing Copyright Infringers
CNET is reporting that Internet service providers (ISPs) are moving forward with a plan to police online copyright infringement. Although Verizon, Comcast, Time Warner Cable, and others had announced the intention to band together to fight piracy a year ago, there had been no further mention of an actual policy until recently — and it [...]
Dr. Dre Threatens Legal Action Over DiamondDRE Trademark
Rapper and producer Dr. Dre has asked music producer Drew Reyes, also known as “DiamondDRE,” to cease and desist using “Dre” because of potential confusion. Reyes has registered the stage name with the United States Patent & Trademark Office (USPTO). If Reyes does not stop, Dre has stated that he will not hesitate to have [...]
USPTO Seeks 2012 National Trademark Expo Exhibitor Applicants
The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) has announced the 2012 National Trademark Expo, which will take place on Friday, October 19 and Saturday, October 20 at the USPTO offices in Alexandria, Virginia. Every year, the USPTO holds the Expo “to educate the public about trademarks and their importance in the global marketplace.” To [...]
Linsanity Trademark Battle: The China Edition
Last week we talked about the race to the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office to register the word “Linsanity” in reference to Jeremy Lin, the NBA’s latest breakout superstar. But who could have imagined that a similar race in China has already seemingly been won by a sports ball manufacturer? Reuters reports that in July [...]
Class Action Against Monsanto Dismissed
A federal court judge has dismissed a class action suit that sought to have agricultural biotechnology company Monsanto’s patents for genetically modified seeds cancelled. As the named plaintiffs, the Organic Seed Growers and Trade Association claimed that they feared lawsuits from Monsanto if the member farmers planted crops for which Monsanto holds patents, such as [...]
Artist Pleads Guilty to Contempt Charge Over Obama ‘Hope’ Image
Last January, we discussed the agreement reached by the Associated Press and artist Shepard Fairey over the President Barack Obama “Hope” image, but the copyright case is back in the news again — this time because the artist has plead guilty to a federal charge of criminal contempt over the destruction and concealing of evidence. [...]
MLB Contests Sir Peter Blake Trust’s Red Socks Day Trademark
Major League Baseball (MLB) is contesting the New Zealand trademark registration of Sir Peter Blake Trust’s annual fundraising drive called Red Socks Day because it claims “Red Socks” is too close to the Boston Red Sox franchise and would infringe on MLB’s intellectual property rights. Red Socks Day is held in honor of Sir Peter [...]
“Linsanity” Reaches the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office
Jeremy Lin, the basketball player who has breathed life into the New York Knicks lately, has moved to trademark “Linsanity,” the word that has come to symbolize his emergence onto the NBA scene. Lin’s lawyer filed a trademark application on February 13, but that still wasn’t before two other people attempted to capitalize on the [...]
