Author Archives: mwillee

There is broad philosophical debate, dating back to the dawn of the advent of tools and other implements manipulated by humans, as to freedom and agency as it regards their use. Plenty of tools are designed to be used for the betterment of the species, and are far more frequently used as such, but canContinue reading “RIAA Makes DMCA Claims Against Github Over Video Download Software”

At the risk of sounding glib, has any company fared better during the pandemic relative to its prospects otherwise than Zoom? Amazon has done well, sure, but Amazon will always do well. Zoom, on the other hand, has gone from useful to vital in a period of months, and probably more accurately in a periodContinue reading “Zapier and Zoom In Trademark Scuffle Over Zaps”

If you’ll forgive visiting once more with a frequent topic of this blog, we have to talk yet again about the DMCA. Specifically, about the ability of seemingly any company to use the DMCA for other than what it was ostensibly created, which is to protect copyright on the internet. We’ve seen the fruits ofContinue reading “Online Anti-Cheating Tool Proctorio Uses DMCA TO Silence Critics”

Most people intuit that advertising is some mix of fact and fiction; not lies per se, but perhaps a burnished version of the truth. Rare is the product that actually changes our life (although, fingers crossed) and that knowledge is baked into our reading or viewing of advertisements. We look past the embellishment to tryContinue reading “Oatly Misses Out On Trademark for Obvious Claim”

Many lawsuits, by their nature, come to resemble a back-and-forth or tit-for-tat or whichever colloquialism you may prefer; few are willing to sit idly by and let a case be brought and then built against them without taking some recourse, particularly given that many suits result from an inability to resolve the matter at handContinue reading “Taylor Swift Files Suit Against Evermore Over Unlicensed Songs”

It’s hard to generate much sympathy for megacorporations, particularly at a time when they are bigger and more powerful than they’ve ever been, but there are instances where even they can garner something like sympathy among the broader public (or at least the public that follows intellectual property news.)  These massive companies aren’t necessarily popular,Continue reading “Apple Loses Appeal to Set Aside Patent Infringement Verdict”

A bedrock tenant in intellectual property law is being first to the post when it comes to filing for trademarks; otherwise, you and your business or project are simply out of luck, regardless of the primacy of your creation. That said, there is something to having a history and building brand recognition separate and apartContinue reading “MLS Loses Appeal Over “Inter” Name”

In writing about legal cases, whether they be in the sphere of intellectual property or falling anywhere else outside of it, it’s quite easy to spend your attention on the initial battle, ignoring the ongoing fight or the eventual resolution. Largely that’s a function of the legal system itself and the astonishing amount of timeContinue reading “Minaj, Chapman Settle Copyright Case”

One of the benefits, one might suppose, of being among the most famous people on the planet is that relatively few people are unaware of important facts about you. It’s fair to say that LeBron James ranks among those people, as his mega-stardom has made him known and recognizable the world over, even in placesContinue reading “LeBron James Adds Trademark Blocking to Repertoire”

Few things sever any lingering connections to your childhood like the disillusionment with those things you once held in great esteem at that age. It’s perhaps the root of much cynicism that people and organizations that ostensibly exist to support and nurture young people are eventually discovered to be flawed in ways great and small,Continue reading “Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts Locked In Trademark Conflict”