As promised, here are some further thoughts, lessons learned, and remaining unanswered questions concerning the recent and long-anticipated decision of the Second Circuit Court of Appeals in Christian Louboutin S.A. v. Yves Saint Laurent Am. Holding, Inc. Lessons Learned for Marketing Types: Single color trademarks may be owned, registered, and protected when they are distinctive and… Continue Reading
Tag Archives: Yves Saint Laurent
Louboutin Keeps Its Trademark Registration
Posted in Famous Marks, Infringement, Trademarks–Catlan McCurdy, Attorney The most publicized trademark lawsuit in 2012 has now come to a close, and while Louboutin was denied its motion for a preliminary injunction, the company should be happy it didn’t lose everything. As you might recall, the District Court initially denied Louboutin’s motion in August 2011 and then went one step too… Continue Reading
Louboutin Wins Second Circuit Appeal, Sort Of . . . .
Posted in Branding, Infringement, Law Suits, Marketing, Non-Traditional Trademarks, Sight, Trademarks, USPTOAt long last, here is a pdf link to the decision, and here is the Second Circuit Court of Appeals summary in a nutshell: “We conclude that the District Court’s holding that a single color can never serve as a trademark in the fashion industry, Christian Louboutin S.A. v. Yves Saint Laurent Am., Inc., 778… Continue Reading
Open Wide and Say Ahh: Probing Brand Name & Trademark Pronunciation
Posted in Advertising, Articles, Branding, Marketing, TrademarksThe current series of advertising billboards from Allianz – an international financial services company, with its parent company headquartered in Munich, Germany – are really wonderful, and their creativity inspired this post about brand name pronunciation. Here is one billboard example I recently captured in Minneapolis with my iPad, to the left. How we pronounce words, names, places, and brand names… Continue Reading
Louboutin: Still Waiting on the Second Circuit Court of Appeals
Posted in International, Law Suits, Non-Traditional Trademarks, TrademarksWhen I snapped this photo over a month ago in Las Vegas, I figured it wouldn’t be much longer before we hear from the Second Circuit Court of Appeals in the Christian Louboutin v. Yves Saint Laurent red sole trademark infringement case. Trademark types are anxiously waiting to hear whether the district court’s denial of Louboutin’s… Continue Reading
Louboutin Red-Sole & Surrounding Contrast: An Implied Trademark Limitation
Posted in Articles, Branding, Fair Use, Infringement, International, Law Suits, Marketing, Mixed Bag of Nuts, Non-Traditional Trademarks, Sight, TrademarksThe Louboutin lacquered red sole trademark is the subject of great debate in the trademark world, fashion industry, popular news media, and among law school academics and friends of the court. I’m just not seeing it. I really don’t see a viable trademark claim here for Louboutin. Not for the reasons found by the district court — I… Continue Reading
Louboutin Red: Blending Into the Background
Posted in Branding, Fair Use, Infringement, Law Suits, Non-Traditional Trademarks, Sight, TrademarksA purely hypothetical puzzle, but I’m wondering, would Christian Louboutin have a viable trademark claim if Yves Saint Laurent sold women’s shoes in boxes bearing the above seemingly random grid of letters, each letter having equal type, style, font, color and emphasis? For those of you who answered with a strong “of course not,” I suspect your answer must change if selected… Continue Reading
Duets Blog Authors
Steve Baird
Just so you know, I'm all about brands and the law, both professionally and personally. I regularly annoy family and friends in retail stores by focusing on product labels—not to buy the product, but to read the fine print and ask, "Who owns these brands" and "Did they really register those marks?" More...
Brent Lorentz
Although I wish I could say my path to the law was the result of a lifelong dream or calling, it was more the result mere curiosity and an affinity for leather-bound books. More...
Tiffany Blofield
Although my initial career path was to be one of the Supremes (not the musically talented ones with platform shoes and sequins, but rather, the nine wearing sensible shoes and pressed black robes in DC), I will likely stay in Minnesota as I have never lived anywhere else. More...
Brad Walz
My law career started on the ice…as a defensive hockey player (we’re not talking professionally…and if I were, I probably wouldn’t have gotten into law). More...
Derek Allen
In hindsight, writing about creativity and the law may have always been in the cards for me. I began training for a career in litigation at an early age by finding ways to disagree with pretty much anyone about pretty much anything. In my longest-running “case,” I argued with my middle school math teacher, Mrs. Jabs, for the better part of four years over whether, even if I got the right answer, I had to show my work to get full credit. More...
Martha Engel
Although my interest in gadgetry and my aptitude for math eventually led me to become an engineer, my ad executive father and artistically gifted mother fostered an appreciation for the creative from a young age. More...
Anjali Shankar
When I was in elementary and middle school, I loved writing short stories. Creativity and imagination seem to come naturally to people when they are young. More...
Timothy Sitzmann
I have always considered myself to be a creative person. Full disclosure: I'm not claiming that I've created anything good, merely that I have created things that exist.More...