Happy Holidays from the Marks Gray IP Team!
Crystal Broughan, Intellectual Property Attorney Dec 22, 2022 in Intellectual Property
Monthly Archives from December 2022
Banksy Defends His Art Against Guess Copyright Infringement
Crystal Broughan, Intellectual Property Attorney Dec 16, 2022 in Copyrights
If an artist’s message revolves around anti-commercialist values, is it hypocritical for them to employ copyright law to protect their own work? A swirl of questions like this surrounds a recent copyright infringement case involving Banksy and Guess. The mysterious, anonymous artist has been fighting the fashion giant to stop using his work on their clothing without his permission. Not Copyright Infringement: Guess Claims They Had “Legal Rights” to Use Banksy’s Work The fashion retailer […]
Continue ReadingTrademark Lawsuit: New vs. Founding Band Members of Autograph
Crystal Broughan, Intellectual Property Attorney Dec 8, 2022 in Trademark
The histories of bands are often fraught with volatile dynamics between members. Sometimes these dynamics rise to the surface in public lawsuits, especially when it comes to band ownership, royalties, and live show profits. This makes sense – a popular band can serve as a very valuable IP asset, bringing in thousands of dollars or more per year as fans buy into shows, recordings, and band merchandise. The situation can become even more complicated when […]
Continue ReadingCase about a Jack Daniel’s Parody Toy May Set New National Standards
Crystal Broughan, Intellectual Property Attorney Dec 1, 2022 in Trademark
“The Old No. 2, on your Tennessee Carpet.” “43% Poo By Vol.” “100% Smelly.” Those are just a few of the quotes employed by Phoenix-based business VIP for their “Bad Spaniels” dog toy. They are meant to evoke and parody Jack Daniel’s famous “Old No. 7” label of whiskey by using similar language to describe a dog that behaves badly. If you saw that language on a dog toy, would you think that it came […]
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