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More Copyright, More Infringement
- Any copyright holder can submit a DMCA takedown notice to Google. How many were submitted in the past 12 months? Over a billion.
- A proposed UK law threatens to wreck havoc on the replica design furniture industry.
- Could you "gamify" copyright infringement detection?
Those Things Will Rot Your Teeth
- KitKat lost another battle over the distinctiveness of the shape of their candy bar.
- Splenda is taking Dunkin' Donuts to court over lookalike sweeteners.
- Need to brush that sugar off? Dyson might be developing a new super toothbrush. Check out the patent here.
Take it to the Top
- The UK announced that they will ratify the Unified Patent Court Agreement despite Brexit.
- Frozen food retailer Iceland is set to meet with the Icelandic government about their trademark.
- Two of the top global entertainment and TV providers are licensing their IP to each other.
Odds and Ends
- Instagram is opposing a Microsoft trademark, claiming the rights to "gram" as a suffix. They aren't the first company to claim rights in a prefix or suffix, as some of Facebook's TTAB disputes highlight.
- Remember the Slants case? The ABA has filed an amicus brief seeking to correct principles of trademark law that they believe the court of appeals got wrong.
- The Fashion Law blog poses an interesting question- Are there benefits to the practice of knockoffs?
See you next time!
The Alt Legal Team