Tag Archives: #iplaw

Reboot or Not? The Battle Between ER’s Creator and Warner Bros Hits the Court of Appeal



After losing its anti-SLAPP motion, Warner Bros. has appealed in Roadrunner JMTC LLC v. Warner Bros. Television, the lawsuit brought by Michael Crichton’s estate claiming the new series The Pitt is an unauthorized derivative of ER.

In this episode of The Briefing, Weintraub Tobin attorneys Scott Hervey and Tara Sattler discuss:

Continue reading Reboot or Not? The Battle Between ER’s Creator and Warner Bros Hits the Court of Appeal


When Consent Isn’t Enough – The TTAB’s Decision in In re Ye Mystic Krewe of Gasparilla



A consent agreement can be a powerful tool to overcome a USPTO likelihood-of-confusion refusal—but only if it’s done right. In this episode of The Briefing, Weintraub Tobin attorneys Scott Hervey and Richard Buckley discuss the TTAB’s precedential decision in In re Ye Mystic Krewe of Gasparilla, where the Board rejected a one-page consent agreement as a “naked consent” insufficient to overcome a Section 2(d) refusal. Continue reading When Consent Isn’t Enough – The TTAB’s Decision in In re Ye Mystic Krewe of Gasparilla

Protecting Fictional Characters: Copyright and Trademark Strategies



Can a car, a superhero, or even a cartoon sidekick be protected by copyright? In this episode of The Briefing, Scott Hervey and Matt Sugarman break down how fictional characters earn legal protection — and when they don’t.
 
From DC Comics v. Towle (the “Batmobile” case) to Carroll Shelby Licensing v. Halicki (the “Eleanor” case), Scott and Matt explore the three-part test for character copyrightability, how trademark rights can extend protection, and what creators and studios can do to safeguard their most valuable IP assets.

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The Nirvana Baby Lawsuit – A Win for Nirvana



A federal court has granted summary judgment for Nirvana, dismissing Spencer Elden’s claim that the Nevermind album cover — depicting him as a baby — constituted child pornography. In this episode of The Briefing, Scott Hervey and James Kachmar revisit their earlier coverage of the Ninth Circuit’s decision and unpack how the district court’s final ruling turned on artistic intent and context rather than perception.

Continue reading The Nirvana Baby Lawsuit – A Win for Nirvana


Anthropic Settles AI Training Case for $1.5 Billion +



The Anthropic settlement shows just how costly copyright missteps can be in AI development. Anthropic has agreed to a $1.5B settlement after a court found that keeping a permanent library of pirated books was not fair use—even though training its AI model on those same works was.
 
On this episode of The Briefing, Weintraub attorneys Scott Hervey and Matt Sugarman discuss the ruling, the settlement, and what it means for future copyright claims against AI companies.

Continue reading Anthropic Settles AI Training Case for $1.5 Billion +


Is the Bored Ape Yacht Club Trademark Claim Just Monkey Business?



The Yuga Labs v. Ryder Ripps case is shaking up NFTs and trademarks. In this episode of The Briefing, Weintraub attorneys Scott Hervey and Tara Sattler unpack the Ninth Circuit’s ruling on whether NFTs count as “goods,” why the First Amendment defense fell flat, and what it all means for the future of digital asset law.

Watch this episode on YouTube.

Continue reading Is the Bored Ape Yacht Club Trademark Claim Just Monkey Business?


Court Says “No Way” To 50 Cent’s Battle Over Skill House



50 Cent’s two-minute cameo in the horror film “Skill House” turned into a full-blown legal battle over credits, contracts, and control. In this episode of The Briefing, Weintraub entertainment and IP attorneys Scott Hervey and Tara Sattler break down what went wrong—and what Hollywood can learn from it.
Watch this episode on YouTube.

Continue reading Court Says “No Way” To 50 Cent’s Battle Over Skill House


The Doctrine of Foreign Equivalents: What It Means for Your Brand



You came up with a clever brand name in a foreign language—great! But did you know it might be refused by the USPTO? In this episode of The Briefing, Scott Hervey and Richard Buckley break down what a doctrine is, how trademark examiners apply it, and other important considerations for choosing foreign-language marks.

Watch this episode on YouTube.

Continue reading The Doctrine of Foreign Equivalents: What It Means for Your Brand


How “knockoff” Furniture Landed Kim Kardashian in an IP Lawsuit



How “knockoff” furniture landed Kim Kardashian in an IP lawsuitKim Kardashian faces a lawsuit from the Donald Judd Foundation for allegedly using and promoting knockoff furniture in her office tour video. While Kardashian’s counsel denies liability, the case underscores the importance of due diligence in endorsements. Scott Hervey and Jamie Lincenberg from Weintraub Tobin dissect the legal drama in this installment of “The Briefing.”

 

Get the full episode on the Weintraub YouTube channel here or listen to this podcast episode here.  

Continue reading How “knockoff” Furniture Landed Kim Kardashian in an IP Lawsuit


Navigating the Legal Risks for Brands in Social Media Marketing – Part 2



Safeguard your brand in the world of social media marketing, from IP infringement risks to FTC guidelines compliance.  Scott Hervey and Jessica Marlow from Weintraub Tobin continue the discussion on legal risks brands face in part 2 of our social media marketing series on “The Briefing.”

Make sure to catch Navigating the Legal Risks for Brands in Social Media Marketing – Part 1.

Watch this episode on the YouTube channel here Continue reading Navigating the Legal Risks for Brands in Social Media Marketing – Part 2

Safeguard your brand in the world of social media marketing, from IP infringement risks to FTC guidelines compliance.  Scott Hervey and Jessica Marlow from Weintraub Tobin continue the discussion on legal risks brands face in part 2 of our social media marketing series on “The Briefing.”

Make sure to catch Navigating the Legal Risks for Brands in Social Media Marketing – Part 1.

Watch this episode on the YouTube channel here Continue reading Navigating the Legal Risks for Brands in Social Media Marketing – Part 2