I don't know that I'd call this "a lawsuit for the ages," like the New York Times does. But that's mainly because around here that title is reserved for the four-year struggle over a $65 million legal claim that the plaintiff called a…
Would you be confused by these marks? Look closely: Image: Consumerist.com The one on the left is the logo of West Sixth Brewing Company in Lexington, Kentucky. The one on the right belongs to Magic Hat Brewing Company, based in South…
For full coverage of the Prenda Law debacle, let me refer you to Popehat, where Ken has been following it closely for a while now and has written many excellent posts on the saga (with help from, among others, Cathy Gellis). As a…
I know what you're thinking, but this inventor is not just talking about the usual method of swinging on a swing, which he himself notes has been "known for generations." It would be stupid to try to patent that. This…
A reader (Prof. Steve Kass) who was intrigued by yesterday's intellectual-property tale did a little research and uncovered some potentially relevant evidence. First, as you may recall, the plaintiff is seeking a declaratory judgment that it did not infringe on a…
1. A recently filed complaint contains the following statement: "U.S. Pat. D557,478 is a design patent for the ornamental design of a visor with simulated hair." 2. Said patent includes sketches of the proposed visor, to wit: 3. In the…
Me in 2010, on Stayart v. Yahoo: “Like many,” this opinion begins, “Beverly Stayart was curious about what she would find when she put her name into a search engine.” And like many, Beverly Stayart was not happy with what…
There's just something very wrong with this: I guess I'm worried that at some point it'll no longer be optional. Via Eurogamer.net and @Glinner.
Chubby Checker, a.k.a. Ernest Evans, a.k.a. the guy who sang "The Twist," is suing the makers and sellers of a smartphone app for Palm devices known as "The Chubby Checker" for trademark infringement. While possibly the most dramatic revelation resulting…
The inventor continued: The object of my invention is to provide a ball-bat which shall produce a rotary or spinning motion of the ball in its flight to a higher degree than is possible with any present known form of…