Author Archives: rtushnet

IPSC Panel 15 – Trademark Law II

Posted on August 21, 2020 by rtushnet

Trademark Fame and Corpus Linguistics, Jake Linford, FSU College of Law and Kyra Nelson, Independent Dilution protects famous marks as if they were monosemous: having same source meaning no matter what goods/services applied to. Proposal: use data about TM use … Continue reading →

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suit against laser-bearing baseball hat (for hair regrowth) proceeds

Posted on August 18, 2020 by rtushnet

 Cooper v. Curallux LLC, 2020 WL 4732193, No. 20-cv-02455-PJH (N.D. Cal. Aug. 14, 2020) Curallux makes “baseball-style hats with lasers in them” and advertises them as hair regrowth products that are “without side effects” and “physician recommended.” Cooper brought the … Continue reading →

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using picture of competitor’s product as reverse passing off

Posted on August 18, 2020 by rtushnet

John Bean Tech. Corp. v. B GSE Gp., LLC, 2020 WL 4698984, No. 1:17-cv-142-RJS-DAO (D. Utah Aug. 13, 2020) Plaintiff JBT “is a major player in the aviation industry for ground support equipment,” used to maintain aircraft, including preconditioned air … Continue reading →

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deceptive resort fee case against Marriott survives

Posted on August 18, 2020 by rtushnet

Hall v. Marriott Int’l, Inc., No. 19-CV-1715 JLS (AHG), 2020 WL 4727069 (S.D. Cal. Aug. 14, 2020) A class action against Marriott for deceptive “resort” and other added fees that make the total price of a hotel room impossible to … Continue reading →

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UCL claim against Twitter survives where advertiser allegedly was charged for bot activity

Posted on August 18, 2020 by rtushnet

DotStrategy Co. v. Twitter Inc., 2020 WL 4465966, No. 19-cv-06176-CRB (N.D. Cal. Aug. 3, 2020) Twitter “promises advertisers on its platform that they will only be charged when “people” interact with the accounts or Tweets they are paying to promote.” … Continue reading →

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continued claim, including failure to edit existing YouTube video, leads to contempt finding

Posted on August 17, 2020 by rtushnet

De Simone v. VSL Pharmaceuticals, Inc., 2020 WL 4368103, No. TDC-15-1356 (D. Md. Jul. 30, 2020) Disclosure: I filed an amicus brief in support of De Simone on one legal issue (the proper standard for a Lanham Act literal falsity … Continue reading →

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patent publication privilege mostly protects licensee against licensor’s false advertising claims

Posted on August 17, 2020 by rtushnet

 AU New Haven, LLC v. YKK Corp., No. 15-cv-3411-GHW, 2020 WL 4366394 (S.D.N.Y. Jul. 30, 2020) Summarizing only a few key issues: YKK entered into an exclusive licensing agreement (the ELA) with the owners of a recently issued patent. The … Continue reading →

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9th Cir. revives suit against allegedly deceptive “prescription pet food” marketing

Posted on August 17, 2020 by rtushnet

Moore v. Mars Petcare US, Inc., No. 18-15026, — F.3d —-, 2020 WL 4331765 (9th Cir. Jul. 28, 2020) Over a dissent, the court of appeals reversed the dismissal of plaintiffs’ claims based on allegedly deceptive marketing of “so-called prescription … Continue reading →

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Covid cure “church” can’t avoid false advertising investigation

Posted on August 17, 2020 by rtushnet

 Morningside Church, Inc. v. Rutledge, 2020 WL 4333539, — F.Supp.3d —-, No. 3:20-cv-05050-MDH (W.D. Mo. Jul. 7, 2020) “Plaintiffs are a not-for-profit corporation, which describes itself as a church, a for-profit corporation, wholly owned by the church, and an individual … Continue reading →

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White Kit Kats not misleading, court rules, despite consumer perception

Posted on August 14, 2020 by rtushnet

Rivas v. Hershey Co.,  2020 WL 4287272, 19-CV-3379(KAM)(SJB) (E.D.N.Y. Jul. 27, 2020) Another not-white chocolate case. The Kit Kat White is coated “in a white confection coating.” Plaintiff alleged that Hershey marketed it as an “alternative[ ]” to the dark … Continue reading →

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