November 19th 2007
1. Posters and Reproductions of Historic French Patents Just in time for the holidays, the French Patent Office suggests giving historic patent illustrations. Presented as posters or copies of original applications, these distinctive prints will stand out as unusual gifts for equally distinctive recipients.
November 14th 2007
In a potentially precedent-setting trial, Tiffany & Co. has sued eBay for contributory trademark infringement, claiming the online auction company allowed the sale of counterfeit Tiffany jewelry on its site. The case is likely to turn on whether, as Tiffany charges, “eBay turns a blind eye to fraud,” or whether eBay’s responsible moves to prevent and aid in […]
November 12th 2007
Northeastern University apparently holds a patent on techniques for parallel data processing, useful in dividing search requests between multiple computers. It exclusively licensed the 1997 patent to a Waltham-based start-up, Jarg Corporation. Lawyers who had seen a presentation on Google’s data search processes tipped off Jarg executives to the possibility of infringement. There are several factors […]
November 11th 2007
Harvard’s Citizen Media Law Project has introduced its newest service, a Legal Threats Database to catalog the growing number of lawsuits, cease and desist letters, and other legal challenges faced globally by those engaging in online speech. It organizes cases using standard forms to make it easy to check their status and trial details. So […]
November 6th 2007
The Case: Domain Magic LLC, a Florida-based company, registered the domain chicagoarchitecturefoundation.org. They developed a website about Chicago-area attractions, then passively generated revenue through Google AdWords. The Chicago Architecture Foundation sued for trademark infringement in Illinois. Domain Magic filed a motion to dismiss the case for lack of personal jurisdiction, noting they had not conducted […]
November 3rd 2007
This week, two diverse publications–The Christian Science Monitor and Wired Magazine–asked the same question: “Are we going overboard in regulating adult content?” I attend at least a dozen online-industry events a year, and listen to podcasts, read blogs and pay for research from countless industry pundits. And in each case, the online adult entertainment industry, […]
November 2nd 2007
Virtually Blind reports a group of leading content creators on Second Life have filed a lawsuit in the Eastern District of New York against Thomas Simon, aka Rase Kenzo. The items in the complaint represent nearly every type of product for sale in Second Life including avatar clothing, skins and shapes, scripted objects, furniture, and […]
October 28th 2007
The case: In November 2006, The New England Patriots sued Ebay’s StubHub claiming they encouraged ticket holders to resell game tickets, contrary to a “ticket holder agreement”. That same month, StubHub countersued claiming that the Patiots were restricting lawful commerce. Last week the Patriots were granted a discovery request forcing StubHub to turn over contact information […]
October 25th 2007
Sports Illustrated reports the Colorado Rockies baseball team filed a trademark application with the USPTO seeking exclusive rights to their fans’ rallying cry “Rocktober.” But there are three fatal problems with this claim.
October 24th 2007
//Though a silly story, how can I pass-up this combination of Fair Use issues, the Simpsons, and our duly elected representatives?// Republican members of the House Energy and Commerce Committee issued a press release on October 12th which insulted political opponents using the copyrighted images of Simpsons characters. The release was so sophomoric and lacking in […]
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