Famous Marks

Although not the title to an Eagles’ song like “Hotel California,” Hotel Chicago is in the news as it is at the heart of a trademark dispute.  As I was booking a room at the Fairmont in Chicago for next month, I must admit I thought for a second about changing my reservation to the Hotel Chicago Autograph Collection hotel by Marriott to see what all the fuss is about.

LHO Chicago River, LLC (“LHO”) owns Hotel Chicago, a boutique hotel that is part of Marriott’s Autograph Collection hotels.  Shown below.

LHO is suing Joseph Perillo, Rosemoor Suites, LLC and Portfolio Hotels & Resorts, LLC (collectively “Defendants”) who opened a new “Hotel Chicago” on Jackson Boulevard in Chicago.  It is located near LHO’s Hotel Chicago.

Earlier this year, Defendants filed two intent-to-use applications for the HOTEL CHICAGO mark.  The first intent-to-use application was for the words HOTEL CHICAGO at U.S. Serial No. 86/910,607.Continue Reading Welcome to the Hotel Chicago Dispute

A couple of weeks back, I captured this image from a t-shirt for sale in Starbucks’ backyard — at a shop in the Pike Place Market area of Seattle:

StarbucksCannabisOne of the things it brought to mind for me is the dozen year long trademark dilution case that Starbucks lost, over and over,…

-Wes Anderson, Attorney

As the hustle and bustle of the INTA 2016 Annual Meeting drew to a close yesterday, I reflected on the session “#HASHTAGS #EverythingYouNeedToKnow” from Tuesday. It seems trademark protection may not (yet) fit comfortably into the hashtag world.

DuetsBlog previously provided a helpful tutorial on the nuts and bolts of…

As a kid, I loved candy. But as an adult, who happens to be an intellectual property attorney, I still love candy. So you can bet your sweet tooth that I was feeling a sugar rush when I came across a pending application to register the claimed mark shown below:

Ice cream ring

The application was filed by…

Energizer_BunnyWhen I first heard last week about a trademark infringement lawsuit between Energizer and Duracell over pink bunny icons, my first thought was, Duracell is The Copper Top battery brand, what would motivate Duracell and how could Duracell possibly believe it had the legal right to use a pink bunny character in advertising and…

Earlier this month the Southern District of New York granted the defendant’s Motion for Summary in Louis Vuitton Malletier, S.A. v. My Other Bag , Inc. The fashion giant had brought suit against a California company over its sales of a canvas tote bag that included an image that “evoked” Louis Vuitton’s…

Louis Vuitton is no stranger to trademark disputes. As a a manufacturer of handbags, wallets, and other luxury goods, the company has its hands full just addressing counterfeit products. However, like any other company, there is concern not just with “fakes,” but other products and services that may otherwise infringe or dilute Louis Vuitton’s trademark…