Arizona State University (ASU) and the Arizona Board of Regents (ABOR) cannot sue the owner of an Instagram account over trademark infringement claims. The Ninth Circuit upheld the lower court decision in May 2022, throwing out ABOR-ASU’s lawsuit. The University’s ire was directed at an Instagram content creator. He used the ASU logo and other marks to promote “COVID parties” and other misinformation postings, which risk public health. The reason for the dismissal was implausibility.…
The Metaverse is coming into your life. Brand owners are getting ready to jump at the opportunity to participate in the Metaverse and cash on the virtual world. They are also getting ready to protect their trademarks. Make no mistake about it. For the most part, we are talking about the big firms. Think about Facebook, which changed its corporate name to Meta. Disney, Hyundai, and Nike, to name a few, are also staking a…
Any restaurant, bar owner has to understand some business basics to function and thrive. Among the basic knowledge add an elementary understanding of intellectual property and trademarks. First of all, do not infringe on other’s intellectual creations. Intellectual property and trademark infringement can lead to costly lawsuits that small businesses may not be able to fight. Ultimately, it can destroy the restaurant or bar. Infringing Viacom’s Intellectual Property Here is a recent example. A downtown…
Independently of the size of their business, owners must pay attention to the trademark basics. Many business owners dedicate efforts and money to branding, but without the trademark protection, others can steal the brand. Without careful research, your branding may be infringing on other’s property. Here are the Trademark Basics. Trademarks are identifiers of your company, product, or service. These identifiers can be a logo, a name, or a slogan. For example, when you buy…
Trademark Squatting is a practice that can confront businesses with unexpected cost and hassles. Read about the Washington Redskins re-branding troubles.
