Chief Justice John Roberts focused his 2023 Year-End Report on the Federal Judiciary on technology and the inevitable disruptive force it will have on lawyers and judges alike. While he stops short of concluding that judges (and lawyers, for that matter) will become...
Intellectual Property & Technology
Threats From a Copyright Troll? Here’s What to Do
It’s a common scenario – you receive a threatening letter, alleging that you have infringed on a third-party’s copyrighted images and demanding you pay a certain amount in order to settle the claim. This undoubtedly raises a number of questions: Is this legitimate or...
How To Protect Your Brand From Competitors This Holiday Season
The holiday season is a pivotal time in the retail sector in both in-store and online forms, presenting retailers with key opportunities to boost revenue. As consumers shop year-end sales, competitors continuously find innovative ways to capitalize on the marketing...
What to Know When Buying or Selling a Cannabis Business
As more states legalize cannabis and the industry experiences ongoing growth, we are witnessing a rising trend of acquisitions and sales within this sector. While buying and selling a business is a complex process for any industry, there are unique considerations to...
Supreme Court to Examine Free Speech Limits in “TRUMP TOO SMALL” Trademark Case
The intersection of free speech and private business branding is once again in front of the Supreme Court of the United States. On June 5th, the Supreme Court decided to hear Vidal v. Elster, Case 22-704, an appeal from the Federal Circuit. At issue in Vidal is the...
Jack Daniels v. Bad Spaniels: Trademarks Triumphant Win Over The First Amendment Satirical Speech
Whether you operate a large e-commerce company on Amazon, a specialized artisan store on Shopify or Etsy, or a local t-shirt company, all brands producing products resembling famous marks should consider the implications of the seminal Supreme Court ruling in Jack...
Supreme Court to Chew on First Amendment Protections in Jack Daniels v. Bad Spaniels: Are Parodies Protected Speech or Trademark Infringement?
Creative expression through the sale of parody-based dog toys has recently caught the attention of the United States Supreme Court. On March 22, 2023, the Supreme Court listened to arguments to decide whether dog toys modeled after well-known alcohol brands should be...
Esports and IP Rights Series 3: Enforcing IP in a Digital World
As an esports, primarily digital, brand you’ve now taken the proper steps to protect the company’s intellectual property (IP) through registering and proper protections around trade secrets. Now, what happens if you still find yourself being affected by IP pirates?...
Esports and IP Rights: Why Should You Protect Your Intellectual Property?
Quickly evolving industries, like gaming and esports, are exciting spaces and foster innovation. However, those innovators could be doing all the heavy lifting only for others to exploit their hard work if they’re not careful with their intellectual property (IP)...
Common Mistakes New Business Owners Make & How to Fix Them
Starting a new business? The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics indicates that 20% of new businesses fail in the first two years, and that 45% fail in the first five years. As daunting as those figures may seem, there are measures you can take to avoid having your new...