If Biden were to carry on with the Obama administration’s approach to intellectual property law, the America Invents Act of 2013 (AIA) would be the best place to start in analyzing how the president-elect might influence IP law over the…
However, current events were not the only factor weighing into the decision. Since the team’s inception, the Washington Redskins’ name has been a topic of debate between both Native American groups and the country as a whole. The Redskins first…
In recent years, the Supreme Court has made clear that the First Amendment applies to trademarks. In Matal v. Tam, the Supreme Court held that the statutory bar on “trademarks that may ‘disparage … or bring … into contemp[t] or…
Increased simplicity of sharing information and rapid dissemination of user-generated content in the digital era has introduced challenges and uncertainty around many aspects of intellectual property law. Just last year, the Federal Trade Commission (“FTC”) updated its guidelines outlining how…
The Supreme Court’s ruling this past summer in Matal v. Tam was more than just a decision on the titles that could be used when registering one’s mark, it was also a vindication to those whom slurs have been used…
After the University of Houston (“UH”) filed suit against South Texas College of Law Houston (formerly South Texas College of Law) for trademark infringement last summer, the two sides have finally made progress in resolving their dispute via mediation.[1] However,…
Lord and Taylor, Warner Brothers, and L’Oreal all have something in common. Each of these companies have employed “social media influencers” to advertise their products and brands to consumers on social media.[1] Social media influencers (“influencers”) tend to be described…
On September 29, 2016, the U.S. Supreme Court decided to revisit a controversial issue surrounding the federal government’s ban on offensive trademarks, specifically whether this ban violates free speech under the First Amendment of the United States Constitution. The Federal…
Introduction Fashion Designers have long been at odds with U.S. Lawmakers in regards to the protections given to their designs.[1] This tension is rising to a head now that a writ for certiorari has been granted in part in the…
Kylie Jenner (pictured above, left), has found herself in a bit of a legal scrape having nothing to do with the actions of her infamous family. Jenner, the youngest of the Keeping Up with the Kardashians clan, has, until this…
Who lives in a pineapple under the sea? SpongeBob SquarePants, of course, in the world of Bikini Bottom. In the popular children’s television show, which will make the move to the Chicago stage later this year, SpongeBob works for Mr.…
In the spirit of Comic-Con and Star Trek conventions, political junkies now have Politicon, a nexus where they can socialize, debate, share obscure knowledge, and hope to catch a glimpse of a famous political figure or two.[1] Politicon seems to…
