Alt Legal IP News- Issue #110
Justin Wickersham | October 16, 2018
Tech Giants
– WeWork’s new business line, HQ by WeWork, has resulted in an interesting trademark debate over the term “HQ.”
– The New Yorker put together a comprehensive story about an unanswered question: Did Uber steal Google’s intellectual property?
– The makers of a controversial application that enhances Grindr’s capabilities is backing down after initially fighting back against copyright infringement claims.
It’s a Party!
– What started as an April Fool’s joke may become a real tequila brand.
– The streets of Tokyo briefly resembled a real-life version of Mario Kart, until Nintendo shut it down.
– You may have heard of mortgage burning parties, but should there also be patent burning parties?
Fighting Back
– The USPTO has enlisted the OED to assist with their ongoing fight against altered or fake specimens.
– A university’s student groups are riled up after the school tightened their trademark policy, resulting in most groups needing to change their names.
– A Caribbean organization is alleging that the Brooklyn Arts Council misused their organization’s intellectual property in a recent exhibition.
Odds and Ends
– Microsoft is adding 60,000 patents to the Open Invention Network, where they can be accessed royalty free.
– Alexa may soon be able to diagnose coughs and colds. Walmart shopping carts may soon be able to detect your stress levels.
– A journalist is suing a film studio over the use of his interviews with Gilda Radner in a recently released film.
– A bill seeking to extend the USPTO’s ability to set its own fees has passed in the Senate.