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Trade Dress Appeals

McDermott Will & Emery

RAW Confusion? No Error Where Trial Court Declines to Clarify Agreed Jury Instruction

The US Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit affirmed a district court’s jury verdict that found trade dress infringement and liability under state deceptive practices law, and the court’s order entering a nationwide...more

ArentFox Schiff

It’s Not Easy Being Green (If You Are a Color Trademark for Medical Gloves)

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In refusing registration of the color green for “chloroprene medical examination gloves,” the Federal Circuit adopted — for the first time — a legal test for genericness of color marks. The decision underscores the high...more

Jones Day

Gloves Off: Court Says No to Green Trademark Protection

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The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit held that the test for determining whether a word mark is generic also applies to color marks....more

Knobbe Martens

Traffix Jam – Technical Functionality Prevents Trademark Protection for the Color Pink

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CERAMTEC GMBH v. COORSTEK BIOCERAMICS LLC - Before Lourie, Taranto, and Stark.  Appeal from the United States Patent and Trademark Office, Trademark Trial and Appeal Board. A utility patent may still be considered strong...more

Irwin IP LLP

Revving Up The Trade Dress Standard: Articulation First 

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Cardinal Motors, Inc. v. H&H Sports Protection USA Inc., No. 23-cv-7586 (2d Cir. Feb. 6, 2025) - On February 6, 2025, the Second Circuit held that the “articulation requirement” for a trade dress complaint—a pleading...more

Venable LLP

Out of the Doghouse? Jack Daniel's Marks Tarnished but Not Infringed by Bad Spaniels Toy

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On January 23, 2025, the United States District Court for the District of Arizona issued a final decision ending the intensely disputed, decade-long litigation between Jack Daniel's Properties, Inc. and VIP Products LLC....more

McDermott Will & Emery

Trade Dress Requires Separate Articulation and Distinctiveness Requirements

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The US Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit vacated and remanded a district court’s dismissal of a complaint for trade dress infringement and unfair competition, finding that the district court erred in requiring the...more

Morrison & Foerster LLP

Thatchers v. Aldi: A Bitter Battle over Cider Branding

On 20 January 2025, the Court of Appeal handed down its judgment in the trade mark dispute between Thatchers Cider Company Limited (“Thatchers”), the largest family-run independent cider producer in the UK, and Aldi Stores...more

McDermott Will & Emery

Untwisting the Fixation Requirement: Flexible Rules on Moveable Sculptures

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The US Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit reversed and remanded a district court’s dismissal of a claim of copyright infringement for kinetic and manipulable sculptures, finding that movable structures were sufficiently...more

McDermott Will & Emery

Chill Out: Request for Profit Disgorgement Isn’t Entitled to Jury Trial

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The US Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit affirmed a district court ruling that a plaintiff was not entitled to a jury trial regarding its trade dress infringement claim and that the plaintiff failed to prove that its...more

Erise IP

What’s Trending in Trademarks, October 2024: T.I., Tiny Win $71.5M Verdict for OMG Girlz, Second Circuit Holds Against 1-800...

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Every month, Erise’s trademark attorneys review the latest developments at the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, in the courts, and across the corporate world to bring you the stories that you should know about: Third...more

Snell & Wilmer

Federal Circuit Clarifies Legal Doctrines in Trade Dress and Litigation Privilege: Key Takeaways from Toyo v. Atturo

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The Federal Circuit recently issued a nonprecedential decision in Toyo Tire Corp. v. Atturo Tire Corp., concerning Toyo’s alleged trade dress in its tires, and Atturo’s counterclaims premised on Toyo’s settlement negotiations...more

McDermott Will & Emery

Don’t Tread on Illinois’ Absolute Litigation Privilege

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Addressing when Illinois law’s “absolute litigation privilege” bars certain counterclaims, the US Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit affirmed a district court’s summary judgment finding that the plaintiff lacked a valid...more

McDermott Will & Emery

It’s an Old Tune: Third-Party-Use Evidence From Long Ago Can Support Genericness

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The US Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit found that the district court abused its discretion in wholesale exclusion of evidence on the issue of genericness. The evidence was offered to show prior use of a trade dress...more

McDermott Will & Emery

Sole Searching: Trade Dress Hopes Booted as Functional, Nondistinctive

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The US Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit affirmed a district court’s summary judgment grant in a trademark dispute, finding that the district court did not err in concluding that a subset of design elements lacked...more

Dorsey & Whitney LLP

Wavy Baby’s Shoes Not Entitled to Special First Amendment Protections

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40 years ago, I was the new kid in 6th grade – truly a terrible age in a young girl’s life to try and “fit in” at a new elementary school in a small town. But, one of my best memories from that year was procuring my first...more

ArentFox Schiff

Reflecting on the Interplay Between Real Estate and Intellectual Property in 2023 - Landmark Trademark Cases and Copyright...

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As 2023 came to an end, it offered a prime opportunity to examine significant legal developments in intellectual property case law and implications for the real estate industry in the year to come. Among other things,...more

McDermott Will & Emery

Parody of Iconic Sneaker Isn’t Entitled to Heightened First Amendment Protection

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The US Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit upheld a temporary restraining order and preliminary injunction enjoining use of a trademark and trade dress associated with an iconic sneaker design over a First Amendment...more

McDermott Will & Emery

Just How Similar Must Competing Marks Be to Survive Dismissal?

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After a de novo review, the US Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit affirmed in part and reversed in part a district court’s motion to dismiss, finding the competing marks sufficiently similar to avoid dismissal, and the...more

McDermott Will & Emery

Watermelon Sugar: Candy Shape and Color Deemed Functional

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The US Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit upheld a district court’s decision that a candymaker cannot trademark the shape and colors of watermelon candy, finding that the combined colors and shape of the candy are...more

Schwabe, Williamson & Wyatt PC

Latest Federal Court Cases - September 2023 #2

Columbia Sportswear North America, Inc. v. Seirus Innovative Accessories, Inc., Appeal Nos. 2021-2299, -2338 (Fed. Cir. Sept. 15, 2023) - In a decade-old case that has raised a number of issues relating to design patents...more

Ladas & Parry LLP

TTAB Confirms that Building Design Marks Lack of Distinctiveness

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In In re Palacio Del Rio Inc (Serial Nos 88412764 and 88437801), the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board (TTAB) has issued an opinion affirming the refusal of two building design mark applications by Palacio Del Rio Inc (PDR) –...more

McDermott Will & Emery

Lanham Act Liability May Apply to Copyrighted Material

The US Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit found that liability under the Copyright Act and liability under the Lanham Act are not mutually exclusive and that liability under the Copyright Act does not negate trade dress...more

McDermott Will & Emery

On the Road Again: Alternative Designs May Impact Trade Dress Functionality Analysis

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The US Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit reversed and remanded a summary judgment ruling, finding that there were genuine disputes of material fact regarding whether the plaintiff’s alleged trade dress was functional and...more

Sterne, Kessler, Goldstein & Fox P.L.L.C.

2022 Design Patents Year in Review: Analysis & Trends

Last year, in our inaugural issue of “The Year in Review,” we reported that since the landmark jury verdict in the IP litigation between Apple and Samsung in 2012, which awarded more than $1B to Apple for infringement of...more

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