Intellectual Property News from FreeAdvice.com

Singer Alicia Keys Sued for Copyright Infringement

Wednesday, 19 December, 2012

Alicia Keys, known for her hit songs, If I Ain’t Got You, No One and her most recent single, Girl On Fire, has found herself on the receiving end of a copyright infringement lawsuit. Veteran songwriter Earl Shuman is suing Keys over Girl On Fire, saying it sounds too similar … continue reading

Latest Facebook Copyright Scare - True or False?

Wednesday, 28 November, 2012

If you’re on Facebook, you’ve likely seen this post pop up on your homepage sometime in the past few weeks, claiming that by posting the notice, you are protecting copyrights to your status updates: “In response to the new Facebook guidelines I hereby declare that my copyright is attached to all … continue reading

Oatmeal Studios Sues The Oatmeal Webcomic Over Name

Friday, 23 November, 2012

Greeting card company Oatmeal Studios is bringing suit against the highly visited webcomic site The Oatmeal and a chain of gift shops featuring the website’s cartoons. Recycled Greetings, the parent company of the Papyrus gift shop chain, recently struck a deal with The Oatmeal creator Matthew Inman to feature his work on … continue reading

Judge Throws Out Apple Patent Lawsuit Against Google

Thursday, 8 November, 2012

In 2011, Apple filed a lawsuit against Motorola Mobility claiming that Motorola was demanding too much in license fees from Apple for patented wireless technology devices including the iPhone and iPod Touch. Then in May 2012, Google bought Motorola, and a bitter legal battle over intellectual property between the two … continue reading

Eminem Settles Download Sales Landmark Lawsuit with Universal

Saturday, 3 November, 2012

Well-known rapper, Eminem’s, production company has recently settled a long-running legal battle with the artist's music label over digital download sales. A String of Legal Actions The legal undertaking began in 2007 when Eminem’s production company, FBT, filed a lawsuit against his label, Aftermath Records, and parent company, Universal Music Group, according … continue reading

PTO Rejects Jay-Z's and Beyonce's Trademark Bid for Blue Ivy

Tuesday, 23 October, 2012

Jay-Z and Beyonce have lost their bid to trademark the name of their daughter, Blue Ivy. It’s a great name, right? The celebrity couple filed for the trademark shortly after their daughter’s birth, hoping to use the name to market a line of children’s clothing and baby supplies at some … continue reading

Stan Lee Media Sues Disney for Billions Over Comic Book Rights

Thursday, 11 October, 2012

Stan Lee Media Inc., a company founded by but since unconnected to Stan Lee, is bringing a copyright lawsuit against Disney over such household Marvel comic book names as Iron Man, The Incredible Hulk, Spider-Man, The X-Men, and The Fantastic Four. While Stan Lee Media Inc. (SLMI) is no longer in … continue reading

Innocence of Muslims Actress Adds Copyright Infringement to Legal Claims

Thursday, 27 September, 2012

Cindy Lee Garcia, an actress who appeared in the highly controversial anti-Muslim film, Innocence of Muslims, has filed new legal claims in federal court. The actress says she was duped into partaking in a film she didn’t know was radically anti-Muslim; and after receiving death threats and ongoing harassment she … continue reading

TiVo Patent Lawsuit against Verizon Ends in $250.4 Million Settlement

Wednesday, 26 September, 2012

Digital recording company, TiVo, maker of the original DVR, settled their pending patent infringement lawsuit against Verizon Communications this week for $250 million, in an effort to protect its intellectual property. Both TiVo and interactive television company, ActiveVideo Network, have recently brought suit against Verizon claiming that Verizon's FiOS DVR … continue reading

The Sims Maker Electronic Arts Sues Zynga for Copyright Infringement; Zynga Countersues

Monday, 17 September, 2012

Popular life simulation video game The Sims hit stores in 2001. Facebook interactive life game The Ville came out in 2012. So, which was the original virtual life simulator? ... Neither. According to The Ville maker, Zynga, Activision’s Little Computer People was the original. After The Sims creator, Electronic Arts (EA), … continue reading

Apple Patents Technology That Can Restrict Wireless Recording

Tuesday, 11 September, 2012

Apple has been granted a patent for technology that enables the company to remotely disable recording capabilities on smartphones and other wireless devices in certain locations. The patent, US Patent No 8,254,902, was published on August, 28th 2012 and it reads: Apparatus and methods for changing one or more functional or … continue reading

Hershey's Novel Design Protected Under Trademark Law

Thursday, 30 August, 2012

Riddle me this: It’s a brown rectangle that can be broken, but can’t be copied. What is it? The iconic Hershey chocolate bar design - rectangular, scored, with raised edges and the Hershey name embossed on each piece - has finally achieved protected status under trademark law. The US Patent and … continue reading

2012 Intellectual Property Legal News Archives

December 2012