The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) published a proposal to change federal trademark law (our rules of practice) to require foreign-domiciled tradema
A trademark dispute between two drone racing businesses will go forward because there’s a thin but plausible claim of customer confusion, a federal judge ruled Nov. 26.Both the Drone Racing League Inc., and DR1 LLC are “similarly engaged in the business of conducting and promoting drone races,” the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York said. DRL says DR1’s logo is too similar to its own registered trademark and has caused actual marketplace confusion.
Earlier this year in July, Nintendo filed a lawsuit against two ROM and emulator websites at the federal court in the US state of Arizona for trademark and copyright infringement. The latest development is the owners and operators of these now-defunct websites – a married couple – have agreed to a settlement exceeding $12 million in favour of Nintendo.
Chabot and Cuellar should be applauded for their leadership in working to restore a common-sense definition of “employer” and provide franchise businesses the certainty and fair treatment necessary for continued job creation and economic growth.
Trademark Licensing Protection Act is to amend the Trademark Act of 1946 to provide that the licensing of a mark for use by a related company may not be construed as establishing an employment relationship between the owner of the mark, or an authorizing person, and either that related company or the employees of that related company, and for other purposes.
In May, PepsiCo’s Frito-Lay division, which makes Cheetos, accused World Peas Brand’s Peatos, which uses peas and lentils in its version of the traditional crunchy cheese flavored snack, of trademark infringement. In a letter sent to the smaller company that was recently obtained by the Wall Street Journal, PepsiCo alleges that Peatos’ name and paw-print logo are “confusingly similar” to Cheetos and that Peato’s slogan, “tigers live longer than cheetahs,” unfairly denigrates the Cheetos brand.
The similarities of the Nike/UNDEFEATED logo released this week and the USNA Crest are undeniable and we believe their logo is clearly an infringement under trademark law.
Nike and LA-based brand Undefeated were scheduled to release a collaborative collection, but the crest used by the companies was widely criticized for its resemblance to the US Naval Academy’s coat of arms.