The war against “fakes” or counterfeit merchandise is getting real and now involves Google. We already blogged about it. On our June 26th piece, we explained how Amazon is blocking third-party counterfeits or fake products from its platform. This action triggered by the passage of a new bill at the US House of Representatives. The name of the bill is the Shop Safe Act. This bill is not the law of the land yet but…
Amazon is protecting itself from intellectual property liability forcing sellers to get proactive on IP law.
Around 500 BCE the government in Sybaris, the ancient city of Magna Graecia, started granting a one-year patent to any citizen for any “new refinement in luxury.” The Greeks, contributors of so many advances in the arts, philosophy, science, and government were the first who thought about and implemented protection for creators, unsuspected initiators of the intellectual property field. This seemed appropriate for the city which was recognized by its refinement and hedonism, to the…
Bad guys are always looking to profit from other people’s properties and intellectual property (such as trademarks) is not the exception. You may be surprised that, yes, people steal businesses names, logos, copyrighted material, and that bad actors are getting more sophisticated in the way they take advantage of the owners. They are going high-tech. Just last week, mid-October 2018, the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) issued an e-mail alerting trademark owners of…
A new Big Brother era may be coming to a store near you and even be part of your work environment soon. This month Walmart was awarded a US patent for a new listening system for its stores that could pick up communications from shoppers and workers alike, raising privacy concerns. According to the filing with the United States Trademark and Patent Office (USTPO), the system would capture sounds in the store, monitoring employees’ performance and…
