— Jessica Gutierrez Alm, Attorney
Have you ever seen an ad for something and thought to yourself, “Hey, I had that idea years ago!” Some people take that thought a step further. One Florida man claims to have invented the iPhone in 1992, and is suing Apple to the tune of over $10 billion.
– Jason Sprenger – President, Game Changer Communications
Imagine for a moment you’re back in the year 1963…the time of Mad Men, the beginning of Beatlemania, the year of the “I Have a Dream” speech. Who’s the most trusted man in America? You might be surprised that it wasn’t Martin Luther King Jr., or even
-Martha Engel, Attorney
One of the biggest issues facing electric car manufacturers is how quiet they are. So quiet in fact that 60 Minutes edited in an engine roar to its Tesla story. The quiet can have dangerous consequences for pedestrians and others. Riding my bike, I often listen for the sound of an
-Martha Engel, Attorney
It’s rare that we focus on descriptions of goods or services here, but one of the most common reasons that a trademark for a brewery or winery is refused registration at the Trademark Office comes down to the description of services. “Brewery services” and “winery services” are popular descriptions often used by
— Jessica Gutierrez Alm, Attorney
On Wednesday afternoon this week, President Obama signed the Defend Trade Secrets Act (DTSA) into law. The Act passed unanimously in the Senate and nearly so in the House. The President has been a proponent of the Act and was expected to sign it. But despite such otherwise unheard of
-Martha Engel, Attorney
My home state of Minnesota prides itself primarily on three things: our ability to withstand our winters, our 10,000 lakes, and our dearly beloved Prince. While we take a beating when it comes to our sports teams, all of his purple life we had Prince. Just like you might do for your
-Martha Engel, Attorney
Government approval of commercial speech has been a hot topic of discussion by trademark nerds here and elsewhere in light of recent decisions regarding the Redskins and The Slants marks. As those decisions proceed up through the appeal channels to the Supreme Court, attention has been drawn to whether or not a
-Wes Anderson, Attorney
When it comes to a big company’s trademark filings, the publicly available and freely searchable Trademark Office database can provide great fodder for the media. But don’t believe everything you read: an intent-to-use trademark application is far from gospel.
Chipotle Mexican Grill, Inc. stoked the flames of speculation with an application for
Nostalgia is a big seller these days. Hollywood continues to produce remakes (and remakes of remakes), politicians lament the better days of yesterday, and companies capitalize on feelings of nostalgia in order to make money. It’s not new, but it does seem to be more popular than ever. TD Ameritrade jumped on the Nostalgia Express
-Wes Anderson, Attorney
Owners of scandalous, immoral, or disparaging marks are on notice: now is the time to place your $275 bet with the USPTO. And soon, the Trademark Office database may be “NSFW.”
Last Thursday, the USPTO issued Examination Guide 01-16 to address the impact of recent federal court decisions on Section 2(a) of