Trademarkology
Brands, Trademarks, and Registration
John Wayne's Gotta Do What John Wayne's Gotta Do: John Wayne Heirs Sue Duke University
John Wayne Enterprises and Duke University are duking it out over use and registration of the marks "DUKE" and "DUKE JOHN WAYNE". John Wayne Enterprises (we'll refer to it as JWE) has filed an application...
Guest Blog Post! ISIS and Knowing When to Fold ‘Em
It's not easy choosing a name for your new product. You brainstorm, collect possibilities, consider the pros and cons, sweat it out, and finally pick a mark. Then you open the paper and find that...
Guest Post- A Welcome Message from J Mac and Dr. K
We (J Mac and Dr. K) have finally gotten settled, and we are so pleased with the intellectual property team Stites has assembled in Tennessee. We miss our old friends and the great attorneys at...
Trademark Week in Review: July 11, 2014
Here's your weekly roundup of stories in the world of trademarks: Mari-Elise applied her fashion expertise to the Skechers GO WALK and the Fila AMAZEN MEMORY MOC; Medea defeated Poprah to win "What Would Jesus...
Summer Sports Spectacular: Vanderbilt Baseball, USA Soccer, and Tour de France
As a sports fan, the last few weeks have been epic. First, my alma mater, Vanderbilt, won its first NCAA baseball championship in dramatic fashion: Then the United States had a successful run at the...
World Cup in Review: I Believe that San Diego State Will Win
I Believe That We Will Win . . . someday. No. The USMNT did not win the World Cup. But it is not all doom and gloom. For example: (1) Tim Howard saved a bunch...
Poprah v. Madea- "What Would Jesus Do?"
This could easily be a piece about how odd it is that someone just used a portion of the zillions of dollars they made cross-dressing as an elderly woman to get federal trademark protection for...
Skechers Sues Fila for "Mocking" the Go Walks
Last week, tired of being walked all over by Fila, Skechers slammed Fila with a lawsuit for unfair competition, trade dress infringement, design patent infringement, and diution. The suit claims that the design of the...