• A License to Embed (See What I’m Doing Here?)

    by  • April 15, 2020 • 0 Comments

    I was going to blog Sinclair v. Ziff Davis, LLC, but @MarkJKings explained everything you need to know in a Twitter thread. So, by virtue of the license granted to me by Twitter, I present Sinclair. Plaintiff Sinclair is a professional photographer. Mashable approached her about including one of her photographs in an article...

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    Foreign Manufacturer Continues to Own Its Mark

    by  • April 13, 2020 • 0 Comments

    Liger6, LLC v. Sarto is right in my wheelhouse, two claimants to the same mark. I passed on it at the district court level, though, because it wasn’t particularly remarkable. However, there is a decision on appeal now, and it’s a slow news week for non-Covid news. The district court opinion is marked “Not...

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    The Implied Sublicense

    by  • March 23, 2020 • 0 Comments

    Plaintiff Photographic Illustrators Corp. (PIC) did beauty shots of lightbulbs for Osram Sylvania. The parties had a falling out and in 2006 entered into a settlement agreement. The agreement settled all past claims and set forth the terms of the parties’ future relationship. Relevant to the case, Sylvania had a broad license to use...

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    Waiving Ownership of the Registration

    by  • February 10, 2020 • 0 Comments

    Do you need to own a trademark to succeed in an infringement claim? Not necessarily. The plaintiff, I&I Hair Corporation, now owns the registration for the trademark EZBRAID. Except that it originally didn’t; the registration was owned by Eunja Son, a principal of the plaintiff. I&I Hair sued the defendant, Beauty Plus Trading Co.,...

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    “Concerning the Subject Matter Hereof”

    by  • January 27, 2020 • 0 Comments

    You’ve seen “integration” clauses (also called “merger” clauses) like this: Entire Agreement. This Agreement is an integrated Agreement and constitutes the entire agreement and understanding between and among the Parties with regard to the matters set forth herein and shall be binding upon and inure to the benefit of the administrators, agents, personal representatives,...

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    There’s The Episcopal Church and Then There Are Episcopal Churches

    by  • September 23, 2019 • 0 Comments

    In 2012, the South Carolina Diocese of The Episcopal Church declared that it disassociated from parent The Episcopal Church, a hierarchical church. The common understanding is that it was because of the ordination of gay clergy and acceptance of same-sex unions, although the disassociating diocese differs with that characterization. As a result there are...

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    Think of the Name

    by  • September 16, 2019 • 1 Comment

    In transactional work, don’t think just about what you’re getting, but also what you don’t want the target to do in the future. Three family members with the surname Traeger had a business in wood pellet grills. They sold the business to plaintiff Traeger Pellet Grills. At least one of the Traeger family later...

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