Intellectual property law protects copyrights, trademarks, trade secrets, and patents. Copyrights refer to any original work of authorship and cover creative works such as literature, illustrations, films, and songs. Trademarks cover branding such as a business or product name, symbols or slogans associated with a particular entity or person. Trade Secrets cover propriety business information such as recipes, formulas, and processes. Patents are granted as an exclusive right to the inventor for new and novel inventions, such as a device, design, or method.
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When you see a tattoo on someone’s body, you probably wonder what the significance of the tattoo is. Some people use tattoos to honor family members, like Lebron James’ portrait of his son on his forearm. Others get tribal tattoos, like Mike Tyson’s famous face tattoo. You might want to ask a person why they got their tattoo, but you would likely never ask: “Do you own the copyright to that tattoo?”
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Netflix started out 2019 with a fresh Trademark lawsuit filed over their “Black Mirror: Bandersnatch” film. The film has been a big hit as Netflix took advantage of the strong following their original series, Black Mirror, already had. Bandersnatch allows viewers to dictate the story line and ultimately decide the ending. There are several different choices that can be made throughout the film with the main character setting the scene early on in the movie, and coincidently for this lawsuit, by informing his father that a videogame he wants to create is based on a fictional “’Choose Your Own Adventure’ Book.” Unfortunately for Netflix, Choose Your Own Adventure books are very real, and the owners of the book series brought suit against Netflix for trademark infringement and dilution.
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If you own Intellectual Property and find out that someone is using it without your permission, your first instinct would be to send them a cease and desist letter to end the infringing use, right?. But, what happens when that infringing user brings a lawsuit against you in a court far, far away?
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Last year, the Supreme Court's unanimous decision in TC Heartland put a stop to forum shopping in patent infringement suits. This blog post explores what proper venue looks like in a post-TC Heartland landscape.
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To learn how a pioneering Portland company manages its intellectual property, we chatted with Shawn Small, a mechanical engineer and the owner of Ruckus Composites. Ruckus Composites uses science, cutting edge technology, and their own inventive techniques to repair carbon fiber bicycle frames.
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