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Disney Impales Two Copyright Infringement Claims over Frozen
Disney’s Frozen was released in 2013 and has since made over $1 billion internationally, is the 18th highest grossing film of all time, and remained in the top eight films for all fourteen weeks that it was in wide release. While Frozen was a monstrous financial...
Keeping Up with the #HashTag
The best way to get noticed on social media is by using a hashtag. A hashtag, or the pound sign (#), turns any words behind the symbol into a searchable link on social media platforms to organize content based on the key words. Whether on Instagram, Twitter,...
In re Booking.com and Website Domains
In re Booking.com and Website Domains. The Trademark Trial and Appeals Board (TTAB) recently decided that a trademark on ‘booking.com’ should not be extended because it was merely descriptive, and therefore generic.[1] While the TTAB arrived at this conclusion for...
Hoverboards May be a Thing of the Past if Segway Has its Way
The International Trade Commission (“ITC”) has become an increasingly popular venue for intellectual property infringement actions.[1] The ITC, along with U.S. Customs and Border Patrol, allows and prohibit the importation of infringing products into the United...
Empire Battle
Twentieth Century Fox Television has prevailed in a lawsuit over its hit show “Empire.” The series, created by Lee Daniels and starring Terrence Howard and Taraji P. Henson, tells the fictional story of a feuding entertainment industry family and prominently features...
Star Trek Copyright Owners Draw the Line on Fan-Made Feature Film
As famous as the Star Trek shows and films have become since their debut nearly 50 years ago, the legion of fans devoted to the franchise has become almost as famous. Star Trek devotees continuously present themselves in huge numbers for conventions, mobilize...
“Damn Girl” Copyright Suit May Lead Justin Timberlake and Will.I.Am to Cry A River
Perry Kibble, best known as part of the funk band A Taste of Honey (1978 Grammy Award for Best New Artist), passed away back in 1999 and left the copyrights of his 1969 song “A New Day Is Here At Last” to Janis McQuinton, principal of PK Music Performance[1]. This...
Led Zeppelin is Back in the World of Sampling Lawsuits
If you have a modest knowledge of the world of rock ’n’ roll, but are no particular aficionado, the odds are still high that you have heard of Led Zeppelin and their famous 1971 song “Stairway to Heaven.” The chances are far lower that you have heard of the band...
A Football Frenzy: Trademark Battle Over the ’12th Man’
Football fanatics know the ‘12th Man’ as the collective and crazed fan base present at most sporting events. While only eleven players are permitted on the field for each team, the fans serve as the twelfth, an extra piece to stimulate and support the teams. But for...
Rapper M.I.A.’s “Borders” Video Sparks Legal Dispute with Soccer Club Paris Saint-Germaine
In a few shots of her latest video condemning the handling of the global migrant crisis, M.I.A. can be seen wearing a modified version of the iconic Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) jersey[1]. The jersey normally has the name of one of the club’s main sponsors, Fly Emirates,...