Intellectual Property Blog2018-08-17T16:06:15+00:00

Intellectual Property Blog

INTERNATIONAL TRADEMARK UPDATE: New Madrid Union Members

The U.S. is a party to a number of intellectual property (IP) treaties.  These treaties help IP owners in the U.S. protect rights internationally, and help foreign IP owners to protect rights in the U.S. Madrid System One of these treaties is the Madrid System for the International Registration of Marks (Madrid System).  The Madrid System facilitates international trademark protection in numerous countries by providing a system for a trademark owner to obtain an international registration that has effect in each of the designated Contracting Parties who are members of the Madrid Union.  The Madrid System is governed by the [...]

By |July 31st, 2019|Categories: Intellectual Property|Comments Off on INTERNATIONAL TRADEMARK UPDATE: New Madrid Union Members

COPYRIGHT LAW UPDATE: New CASE Act Bills Introduced in Congress To Create Copyright Small Claims Tribunal

On May 1, 2019, two U.S. copyright bills referred to as the “Copyright Alternative in Small-Claims Enforcement Act of 2019” or “CASE Act of 2019” were introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives (H.R. 2426) and the Senate (S. 1273). The CASE Act bills propose to create a voluntary small claims system to adjudicate copyright infringement claims, as an alternative to federal court litigation.  The proposed CASE Act would create a new Copyright Claims Board (CCB) in the United States Copyright Office (USCO).  The proposed CCB would involve a panel of three Copyright Claims Officers with the power to award [...]

By |May 13th, 2019|Categories: Intellectual Property|Comments Off on COPYRIGHT LAW UPDATE: New CASE Act Bills Introduced in Congress To Create Copyright Small Claims Tribunal

BRANDING CONSIDERATIONS: The Importance of a Trademark Search

Imagine being ordered by a court to immediately stop using your name.  How difficult would it be to: (1) choose a new name; (2) notify everyone of your new name without referencing your prior name; and (3) destroy all materials containing your prior name? Now imagine being ordered by a court to immediately stop using a trademark in which you have invested substantial time, money, and effort to build brand recognition and goodwill.  How difficult and expensive would it be to: (1) start over with a new brand; (2) notify customers, vendors, licensees, franchisees, referral sources, and others of your [...]

By |May 2nd, 2019|Categories: Intellectual Property|Comments Off on BRANDING CONSIDERATIONS: The Importance of a Trademark Search

U.S. Supreme Court: Copyright Owners Must Register Works Before Filing Copyright Infringement Lawsuits

The United States Supreme Court has ruled that copyright owners must register their works prior to filing suit against infringers. In Fourth Estate Public Benefit Corporation v. Wall-Street.com, LLC, 586 U.S. ____ (2019), the Court held that registration is a statutory prerequisite to a copyright infringement lawsuit. Faced with a circuit split over whether filing a copyright application would suffice over full registration by the U.S. Copyright Office, the Court relied on the plain language of the Copyright Act to reach its decision. The Copyright Act states that “no civil action for infringement of the copyright in any United States [...]

By |March 7th, 2019|Categories: Intellectual Property|Comments Off on U.S. Supreme Court: Copyright Owners Must Register Works Before Filing Copyright Infringement Lawsuits

Copyright Works Enter Public Domain For First Time In 20 Years

For the first time in 20 years, a massive volume of artwork, books, films, music, and other works of authorship that were first published in the United States in 1923 entered the public domain on January 1, 2019.  A federal copyright law enacted in 1998 postponed the release into the public domain of works whose copyright term would have otherwise expired two decades ago.  This is the largest entry of works into the public domain in the digital age, and will likely have a substantial impact on creativity and culture. Public Domain The term “public domain” generally refers to creative [...]

By |January 28th, 2019|Categories: Intellectual Property|Comments Off on Copyright Works Enter Public Domain For First Time In 20 Years

New Trade Secret and Noncompete Laws

State legislatures have been busy enacting or considering new laws governing trade secrets and noncompete agreements, including Colorado, Idaho, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Utah, Vermont, and Washington.  It may be time to blow the dust off your form agreements and confer with intellectual property (IP) counsel to see if changes are necessary to conform with current state and federal laws, which continue to evolve. Massachusetts Noncompetition Agreement Act (MNAA) In 2018, Massachusetts passed the Massachusetts Noncompetition Agreement Act (MNAA), codified in Section 24L of Chapter 149 of the Massachusetts General Laws.  The MNAA applies to noncompete agreements entered [...]

By |December 17th, 2018|Categories: Intellectual Property|Comments Off on New Trade Secret and Noncompete Laws
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