2018 Intellectual Property Legal News Archives

March 2018

Former Student Sues over "Disaster Artist"

Saturday, 10 March, 2018

A former UCLA student is suing the production companies of James Franco and Seth Rogen, claiming that they breached a contract involving his script for The Disaster Artist. The film is based on the true story of the making of what's considered one of the worst movies ever:  The Room, written … continue reading

Can Red Soles be Trademarked? EU Court Say No

Thursday, 1 March, 2018

Most people can identify dozens or hundreds of trademarks at a glance. "Apple," when used in connection with MacBooks and iPhones, is a trademark — as is the Apple logo. The name "Nike" is a trademark, as is the famous Nike "swoosh" symbol. But not only names and symbols can be trademarks. Sound Marks A … continue reading

February 2018

Uber and Waymo Settle Trade Secret Dispute

Sunday, 18 February, 2018

As I blogged about last year, a Google spin-off company sued Uber, accusing it of stealing intellectual property developed by Google'. Waymo (the spin-off) claimed that Anthony Levandowski, who ran Uber's self-driving car division, downloaded 14,000 files from Google shortly before leaving the company to start his own self-driving truck  business. The … continue reading

Broadway Producers Sue over Casting "Cartel"

Tuesday, 13 February, 2018

A group of Broadway producers have sued casting companies, claiming that they formed an illegal "cartel" to raise prices. As the New York Times reports,  the casting directors have been trying to organize a labor union. The producers have opposed this effort. The Broadway League, a trade association that represents producers and … continue reading

US Companies Must Comply with European Data Privacy Laws

Monday, 5 February, 2018

US companies usually don't need to concern themselves much with foreign laws, if they don’t have offices in foreign countries. That's about to change. As the New York Times reports, companies in the US and around the world are preparing to  comply a new  set of European Union (EU) regulations called the General … continue reading

January 2018

Is Your T-Shirt Protected by the First Amendment?

Wednesday, 31 January, 2018

Clothing can be protected by the First Amendment right to free speech. For example, in the 1969 case of Tinker v. Des Moines Independent School District, the US Supreme Court ruled that students were allowed to wear black armbands to protest the US involvement in Vietnam because the act was "akin … continue reading

Fox TV Wins "Empire" Trademark Dispute

Thursday, 18 January, 2018

The 9th Circuit Court of Appeals has ruled in favor of Fox Television in the dispute involving the Fox TV series "Empire." The dispute involved both a fictional and a real record company. Empire Distribution is a record label founded in 2010. It releases "urban" music including rap, hip hop, and R&B. In … continue reading

Is Graffiti Protected by Federal Law?

Saturday, 6 January, 2018

I previously wrote about a group of graffiti artists in New York who sued a building owner for painting over their work. The work appeared on a Long Island building complex called “5Pointz.” For more than ten years, the site was a mecca for graffiti artists to showcase their work. It … continue reading