This week, we will venture into a niche corner of intellectual property: real estate trademarks. Although the general perception of real estate agents may be that they are individuals acting in a solo commercial capacity, like a freelancer, the intellectual property...
Crystal Broughan, Intellectual Property Attorney
Possible Rule Change: Should Authors of 2D Artwork Be Able to Register Pieces in Groups?
Creators of two-dimensional art tend not to register their work for copyright protection. According to surveys by the Coalition of Visual Artists and the Graphic Artists Guild, somewhere between 50-60 percent of artists haven’t registered any of their work. For a...
Unanimous TTAB Decision Regarding SPLIT DECISION
If you register your band's service mark, could someone else who has worked with your band oppose that registration? It is possible, as we see in this week’s blog post about the mark for the band Split Decision – opposition does not equal success in winning a service...
Design Gaps, Inc. v Former Employee
Have you ever walked into someone’s home and realized that it was exactly the same layout as yours? That might come across as a funny coincidence to you, or you might attribute it to certain industry standards. Now, to raise the stakes: what if your business built...
Single Letter Trademarks: a Challenge of Distinctiveness
Though it is far from a new issue, the emergence of the company X (formerly known as Twitter) has refocused the spotlight on single letter trademarks. X Corp, Elon Musk’s company, was sued by X Social Media in December 2023 for trademark infringement based on consumer...
More Than Mickey – What Is Entering the Public Domain in 2024?
If you pay any attention at all to copyright and public domain, you have probably heard the big public domain news happening this year – the original Mickey Mouse, Steamboat Willie is becoming public property. (Except, as we previously covered, it is not quite as big...
Remembering Sandra Day O’Connor, the First Female Supreme Court Justice
On December 1st of last year, Sandra Day O’Connor passed away at the age of 93. She was the first female U.S. Supreme Court Justice, serving for 25 years. Because of her impact on women in the legal landscape, we are devoting some space to her on the blog this week. ...
Can Taylor Swift’s Boyfriend Register a Trademark for His Own Name?
If you are an NFL fan, chances are good that you have known the name “Travis Kelce” for a while. The Kansas City tight end is a two-time Super Bowl winner, and he has been instrumental in the rise of quarterback Patrick Mahomes to become, arguably, the best...