Monthly Archives: January 2021

Book talk: global mandatory fair use via the Berne quotation right

Posted on January 29, 2021 by rtushnet

Tanya Aplin & Lionel Bently, Global Mandatory Fair Use, AU Book Talk. Based on their new book. Art 10(1) Berne Convention: It shall be permissible to make quotations from a published work; mention shall be made of the source and … Continue reading →

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surveys/expert evidence of deception still not required in consumer protection claims

Posted on January 25, 2021 by rtushnet

Hawkins v. Kroger Co., 2021 WL 210843, No. 15cv2320 JM (AHG) (S.D. Cal. Jan. 11, 2021) Hawkins sued, with the usual California claims, because Kroger breadcrumbs said “0g Trans Fat Per Serving”  on the front and the nutrition label said … Continue reading →

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when is a publisher sufficiently beholden to a manufacturer to engage in commercial speech?

Posted on January 25, 2021 by rtushnet

Ariix, LLC v. NutriSearch Corp., No. 19-55343 (9th Cir. Jan. 22, 2021) Over a dissent, the court reverses the district court’s dismissal of a false advertising claim against a purportedly independent supplement guide that allegedly is linked, behind the scenes, … Continue reading →

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Happy inauguration day to Redbubble in particular: 9th Cir. affirms functionality in Lettuce Turnip the Beet

Posted on January 20, 2021 by rtushnet

LLTB LLC v. Redbubble, Inc., No. 19-16464 (9th Cir. Jan. 20, 2021) LTTB LLC sells t-shirts and other goods bearing its registered trademarks, the words and design, “LETTUCE TURNIP THE BEET.”  LTTB sued Redbubble for infringing by selling products containing … Continue reading →

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Dastardly DoorDash fails to get restaurant complaint dismissed, including under UCL/FAL

Posted on January 19, 2021 by rtushnet

Lona’s Lil Eats, LLC v. DoorDash, Inc., No. 20-cv-06703-TSH, 2021 WL 151978 (N.D. Cal. Jan. 18, 2021) (magistrate) This case addresses a topic that’s received broader media coverage than most advertising issues. The magistrate finds that Lona’s sufficiently alleged false … Continue reading →

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WVa SCt immunizes religious schools and camps for false advertising about services

Posted on January 18, 2021 by rtushnet

State ex rel. Morrisey v. Diocese of Wheeling-Charleston, 851 S.E.2d 755 (W.Va. 2020) In response to a certified question, the West Virginia Supreme Court, over a dissent, held that the AG could not sue the Diocese and a former bishop … Continue reading →

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Rogers v. Grimaldi and the TMA

Posted on January 15, 2021 by rtushnet

The legislative history of the TMA, just enacted into law, includes several paragraphs blessing Rogers v. Grimaldi and saying it’s what Congress understands the Lanham Act to mean. I’d be interested to know how that got in there, and I wonder … Continue reading →

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American Merck and German Merck’s TM battle doesn’t involve covered “advertising injury”

Posted on January 12, 2021 by rtushnet

EMD Millipore Corp. v. HDI-Gerling Am. Ins. Co., 2021 WL 66441, No. 20-cv-10244-ADB (D. Mass. Jan. 7, 2021) Is trademark infringement (or similar) “advertising injury” because a trademark is an advertising idea? I’ve always thought that’s the core of what … Continue reading →

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literal falsity as Q of fact v. law and other important issues in a dueling ladder case

Posted on January 12, 2021 by rtushnet

Wing Enters., Inc. v. Tricam Indus., Inc., No. 17-cv-1769 (ECT/ECW), 2021 WL 63108 (D. Minn. Jan. 7, 2021) After remand because the court of appeals concluded that a materiality survey was wrongly excluded, the court here tries again in this … Continue reading →

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