View my professional biography
An interest in technology and a tendency toward early adoption led me to write a book on the iPhone 3G shortly after graduating from college. I then spent two years in Spain teaching at a public bilingual grade school. While living abroad, I noticed the stark difference in advertising and branding from country to country, more greatly appreciating the importance of the likes and cultural norms of an audience. My interest in technology then steered me towards a job with a web based data management company in Chicago. While there I began to appreciate the how law and technology interact with market forces.
Law school was a natural next step for me and I soon moved up to Minneapolis to attend the University of Minnesota Law School. While there I organized a symposium on how international law has developed to take the internet account. The symposium focused on the data security, privacy, and speech implications of new national and international legal regimes.
In my free time I enjoy cooking, biking, and music. When I’m able to take enough time off, I’m often traveling nationally and internationally, or camping (the Boundary Waters in May before all the crowds is my personal favorite).
Beyoncé recently filed suit against a company for trademark infringement based on their use of the term “Feyoncé” on apparel. They’ve even got this nice mug:
It seems pretty clear what they’re going for here. There are a couple of trademark applications pending for FEYONCE and FEYONCE’. Interestingly enough, both have been issued preliminary
No, this one isn’t about uniforms. The Supreme Court has refused to hear POM Wonderful’s appeal of FTC findings that claims in POM’s advertising were misleading. POM’s ads claimed that its juice could help prevent heart disease, prostate cancer, and erectile dysfunction.
Unsurprisingly, the FTC thought that POM should have some proof of those claims
AdBlock Plus doesn’t seem to think so. Though they apparently also do think so (more on that below). Adblock Plus was successful in registering the ADBLOCK PLUS mark. Now they’re using that registration to issue take down notices to people using Adblock in their name. That left me scratching my head. It all sounds rather
The Trademark Trial and Appeal Board (TTAB) granted a Petition to Cancel based on an abandonment claim involving a parent-subsidiary relationship. Floorco Enterprises applied for and received a registration for the mark NOBLE HOUSE for “furniture.” Noble House Home Furnishings later applied for the NOBLE HOUSE HOME FURNISHINGS mark for “on-line retail store services featuring
It’s that wonderful time of year again, March Madness! When families, friends, and coworkers all get together to casually gamble and all throw $10 into a pool. When 12’s beat 5’s and mess up your bracket. When you lose one game and are sent packing. The few weeks when “Cinderella” is uttered most throughout the
Kylie Minogue has filed an opposition to Kylie Jenner’s attempt to register the KYLIE mark in connection with “Advertising services, namely, promoting the brands, goods and services of others; endorsement services, namely, promoting the goods and services of others,” claiming priority and likelihood of confusion, dilution by blurring, and dilution by tarnishment. The opposition calls
I know today is Thursday, but I am a taco fan. Just be careful what you call your Tuesday evening taco promotion.
A couple of nights ago, I saw what I believe was my first Taco John’s commercial. In it, they were making a big deal about how they loved Taco Tuesday® so much that
I don’t know what the record is for the longest time it has taken for a trademark application to clear the Trademark Office, but I’m pretty sure that Havana Club would medal. The application for the Havana Club mark for rum was filed on September 12, 1994. That’s 21 years ago, old enough to drink
The Detroit Lions have registered the phrase Defend the Den. This is part of what appears to be a growing movement in college and professional sports to trademark common or more particular phrases used at their sporting events.
The Seahawks have been registering just about everything it can that deals with the number 12
Willie Nelson has “Willie’s Reserve“. Snoop Dogg has “Leafs By Snoop“. And rumor has it that Bob Marley’s heir’s will have their own brand out soon. As more states legalize medical and even recreational marijuana, brands and trademarks are starting to make their way into the industry (of course, in the