DC Comics and Trademark Parody

DC has registered a trademark for the shield design for products including “adults’ and children’s clothing, including t-shirts.” DC has also licensed the shield trademark for use on t-shirts, including a “Super Dad” shirt.

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Anne Frank Foundation Extends Copyright on Diary

Anne Frank became posthumously famous worldwide for the journal she kept while she and her family and friends were hiding from the Nazis in a “secret annex” in an office building. The foundation that owns the copyright to Ann’s famous diary and collects royalties on its sales was started by her father, Otto Frank, and is now seeking to extend the copyright for the diary, which could end in just two short weeks.

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Game Mods and Car Hacks Now Legal Under Copyright Law

The US Copyright Office (which is part of the Library of Congress) recently adopted new guidelines on types of activities that won’t be considered illegal under US copyright law. Find out about the game hacks and car hacks that are now allowed under copyright law.

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Should It Be Legal to Sell Used Print Cartridges?

What if you could get sued for selling your used technology — your old cell phone, your flat-screen TV, or even your empty print cartridges? That possibility is being considered by the United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit in a case involving Lexmark toner cartridges and the company’s attempt to control what the consumer can do with the cartridges after they are bought.

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How Brands Like Google Try to Avoid Trademark Genericide

Google had a potential trademark embarrassment recently when it turned out the mark ALPHABET is already in use by carmaker BMW. Some have suggested that Google adopted the Alphabet name with a view toward the day when “Google” loses its status as a trademark through a process called “genericide,” when a former brand name loses its trademark status because consumers come to identify the name of the product or service with the product or service itself. rn

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