Apple wins trademark case over ‘iBooks’
Apple has won one of its many lawsuits involving “i” products — a federal judge threw out a case in which a New York publisher claimed that it, not Apple, has the rights to use “iBooks.” Read more »
Grumpy Cat shows claws, vows to sue infringers
photo: Grumpy Cat Incorporated
Grumpy Cat is the latest internet meme whose fame is growing by the day. The feline’s fame is valuable and her owners and lawyers have filed trademarks to protect it. Read more at paidContent »
Authors and publishers objects to Amazon’s “.book” and “.read” names; future process unclear
photo: Amazon
A flood of new website addresses with endings like “.book” and “.movie” are set to arrive in coming months. Companies like Amazon and Google are set to control the names but the terms under which they will do so are still undefined. Read more at paidContent »
Apple appeals iPhone exclusive trademark loss in Brazil
Are we in for a rerun of last year’s iPad trademark episode in China? It’s certainly shaping up that way. Read more »
Report: Apple loses exclusive iPhone trademark in Brazil
photo: Flickr / gaby_bra
A Brazilian company that registered the trademark in 2000 is also allowed to legally use the iPhone name in Brazil, according to a ruling reported Wednesday. Read more »
Feds scoop up 132 websites in annual Cyber Monday ritual
photo: Paul Matthew Photography
The Monday after Thanksgiving means online discounts for many people. To the federal government, it is a day to parade captured websites. Read more »
Village Voice sues Yelp for using “Best of”
The publisher of one-time counter-culture icon The Village Voice is expanding its legal campaign to own the phrase “best of.” Popular user review site Yelp is its latest target. Read more at paidContent »
Chicago cab companies sue ‘hip’ car service Uber for pocketing 50% of driver tips
Popular new car service Uber is in a fight with taxi lobbies in cities across the country. Cab companies hit Uber hard in Chicago this week with a lawsuit that claims it is deceiving customers. Read more »
Pinterest fights Chinese cyber-squatter
Cyber-squatting has been around for years but one Chinese man has especially aggressive in grabbing the names of popular US start-ups like Square and Etsy. More troubling for the companies, the man is also filing for trademarks. Read more »
Aereo’s Barry Diller sues to squash copycat BarryDriller
Aereo, a technology that uses tiny antennas to let people watch TV on the go, has already generated a flurry of lawsuits. Now the man behind Aereo is suing a copycat service for using his name. The disputes highlight disruptions to the traditional TV industry. Read more »
Apple digs in to protect ‘app store’ name
Apple is doubling down on efforts to protect the term “app store” at a time when it feels increasingly threatened by Amazon’s push into the app and mobile market. Amazon’s Appstore for Android is much smaller than Apple’s App Store but it brings in good revenue. Read more »
Apple plays with fire in Chinese trademark stick-up
photo: Andrey Armyagov
The problem with paying a ransom is that the hostage takers can come back for more — as Apple can now attest. The company paid $60 million to settle a spurious trademark suit in China only to be confronted with another claim as fishy as the first. Read more »
Chinese iPad trademark costs Apple $60m
photo: Apple
Apple has ended a long-running trademark dispute in China by agreeing to pay $60 million to use the iPad brand name in the country. But will its settlement open the door to a sequence of ransom demands from trademark squatters? Read more »
The White House wants your advice on fighting piracy
Having learned a lesson from the backlash its peers in Congress endured recently, the White House is trying, presumably, to develop an anti-piracy strategy that’s actually sane. On Monday, it announced an open call for comments on a new IP strategy. Read more »
Should Google and Amazon be allowed to control domains?
photo: Flickr user Fabio Venni
Google and Amazon have applied for dozens of new top-level domains — including .blog and .book, as well as .search and .cloud — and many of these will be for the exclusive use of the two companies, which critics say is bad for the web. Read more »
Man sues to have ‘Google’ declared a generic word
Arizona man David Elliott wants a court to declare that “google” is a word that means “search on the internet” and to cancel Google’s trademarks for the term. Read more at paidContent »
Facebook loses trademark fight against adult social network
A federal judge has refused to order a Norwegian website that describes itself as “the number one socializing porn and sex network” to turn over its name to Facebook. Read more at paidContent »
JibJab sues White Castle over social media campaign
photo: JibJab site
Humor site JibJab doesn’t think White Castle’s animation is very funny, and has filed a lawsuit to stop the fast food chain from using its name to promote “chicken rings” on Facebook. Read more at paidContent »
Burberry faces lawsuit for using Bogart image on Facebook timeline
photo: Danomyte
Luxury brand Burberry is in legal trouble for using an iconic image from the film Casablanca in a social media campaign to promote its trenchcoats. Read more at paidContent »
Apple, Proview in talks to resolve iPad trademark fight
Apple could be closer to resolving its legal troubles surrounding the iPad in China. On Friday, a report emerged that Apple and Proview Technology, the company that claims it owns the iPad trademark in China, have volunteered to meet outside of court to talk possible options. Read more »
Match.com sues ‘Adult dating’ site XXXmatch
A popular singles site that promises “Love is complicated, Match.com is simple” is taking issue with a website that claims “Love is complicated, sex is simple.” Read more at paidContent »
Update: Hasbro Can't Stop Sale Of 'Transformer Prime' Tablets
(Updated to include Hasbro response)
In a court ruling that reads at times like a pop culture or consumer gadget review, a federal judge ga… Read more at paidContent »
New York Promised At Least $3.6 Million For Sale Of .NYC Domain Names
photo: The Simpsons
New York City will receive millions from domain name sales at no risk to tax-payers, according to a spokesperson for NYC Digital. Read more at paidContent »
Update: Why New Yorkers Should Be Wary About .NYC Websites
photo: Victoria Peckham
(This post has been updated with New York City’s response)
Residents of the Big Apple (NSDQ: AAPL) learned this week that their city could… Read more at paidContent »
Ron Paul Fails Again To Identify YouTube, Twitter Impostors
A judge has once again rebuffed Republican Presidential candidate Ron Paul’s efforts to unmask the people who used his name to launch racist… Read more at paidContent »
Hulu Joins Trademark Battle Against Dish's 'TV Everywhere' Claim
Hulu has joined Time Warner (NYSE: TWX) Inc. and the nation’s five biggest cable service providers in a fight to stop Dish Network (NSDQ: DI… Read more at paidContent »
Judges Say No To Crack, Refuse 'Crackberry' Trademark
Embattled BlackBerry maker Research In Motion got a rare bit of good news this week after judges refused to let a gadget site trademark the… Read more at paidContent »
Justin Bieber Sued By App Maker ‘Joustin Beaver’
photo: Getty Images / Larry Busacca
What’s with Biebs and these lawsuits? Last year, a deranged woman took him to court, claiming she was his baby-moma. Now, the teenage celeb… Read more at paidContent »
Apple fights for iPad trademark in China’s largest city
Apple continued its trademark battle over iPad in China Wednesday in Shanghai, China’s largest city and one of the most important places for Apple to sell devices. Proview wants to ban the iPad from stores while Apple argues selling them is in China’s best national interest. Read more »
Paramount Sues Puzo Estate Over ‘Godfather’ Sequels
The studio behind the famous Godfather trilogy is asking a court to make the franchise’s literary heirs an offer they can’t refuse. Read more at paidContent »
More Stores In China Being Told To Remove iPads In Apple Trademark Dispute
photo: Getty Images / Mario Tama
Apple (NSDQ: AAPL) is no stranger to legal disputes around the globe over its mobile products, but it’s running into a problem that has noth… Read more at paidContent »
Village Voice To Stop Suing Over ‘Best Of’ Lists
photo: Flickr / Joey Parsons
The Village Voice is giving up on a scheme to force rivals to pay for permission to use the phrase “best of.” Read more at paidContent »
Five Ways Twitter Is Changing Media Law
photo: Shutterstock Composition: Bird via basel101658 / Gavel via Alexander A. Sobolev
Why does Twitter get involved in so many interesting lawsuits? In its short life, the company has kicked up legal hornet nests involving eve… Read more at paidContent »
Judge: Ron Paul Can’t Force Twitter, YouTube To Identify ‘Impostors’
Ron Paul’s campaign suffered a setback this week in its effort to identify who uploaded videos that appear to show the presidential candidat… Read more at paidContent »
Facebook And Timelines.com Propose 2013 Trial, Hint At Settlement
Facebook remains locked in a legal dispute with a Chicago website over who owns the word “timeline,” the name used by the social network to… Read more at paidContent »
Ron Paul Campaign Sues To Stop Unauthorized Web Videos
In an unusual move, the campaign team for Republican Presidential candidate Ron Paul has filed a trademark and defamation lawsuit against fo… Read more at paidContent »
Use of Brands In Video Games Is Free Speech — EA Lawsuit
In a new lawsuit, Electronic Arts (NSDQ: ERTS) says free speech rights permit it to use brand name helicopters in the hit game Battlefield 3… Read more at paidContent »
Steve Jobs Doll Legal In Most States, Not Indiana
Apple’s lawyers have a fearsome reputation for defending the company’s intellectual property. But it sure looks like they’re bluffing in the… Read more at paidContent »
Rupert Murdoch's Wife Won't Get Twitter Handle Back Any Time Soon
Wendi Deng, the wife of news baron Rupert Murdoch, must be fuming after an impostor fooled everyone — including Murdoch’s own company — wi… Read more at paidContent »
Louis Vuitton Sues Warner Bros For Using Fake Bag In Hangover II
A studio that has been a champion of stopping piracy is now facing awkward accusations that it showed counterfeit luggage in a hit movie. Read more at paidContent »
