When Hasbro introduced a hamster named “Harris Faulkner” to its “Littlest Pet Shop” line of animal character toys, it drew a multi-million dollar lawsuit from real-life television journalist Harris Faulkner. The complaint, filed in New Jersey, included claims for violation of the right of publicity under New Jersey common law and false advertising and false […]
Category: General IP
Brexit Intellectual Property Issues (Part 1)
On June 23, 2016, in a referendum dubbed “Brexit” voters in the United Kingdom (UK) opted to leave the European Union (EU), sending economic and political shockwaves around the globe. Obviously, the actual Brexit process will not be taking place immediately. The UK must first formally notify the EU of its intention to leave the […]
U.S. Supreme Court Supports Punishing Patent Pirates with Enhanced Damages Awards
Much like Congress, legal pundits, and IP stakeholders, in the last few years, the U.S. Supreme Court has shown great interest in tinkering with the balance of power, litigation costs, and risks associated with the current intellectual property system in an effort to find ways to better support their underlying policies. This term, the Supreme […]
3D IP Series: Now We’re Printing Fast Sports Cars?
I remember the dot matrix printer I used in college. It weighed about 50 pounds, and I almost broke my back every time I moved it. Plus, every document I printed on that monster was basically illegible. In light of that experience, I must confess that I welcomed the news of California-based Divergent Microfactories’ 3D-printed […]
How to Use Non-Disclosure Agreements to Protect Your IP
Popular culture is full of stories about people and companies who lost their intellectual property (IP) to others and forfeited lucrative opportunities because of it. The common refrain in all of those stories: “I trusted him!” But you can’t take misplaced trust to the bank. How trusting are you? Let’s find out – raise your […]