Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®
- Institution
-
- Boston University School of Law (3)
- Georgetown University Law Center (2)
- Chicago-Kent College of Law (1)
- Maurer School of Law: Indiana University (1)
- Mitchell Hamline School of Law (1)
-
- Northwestern Pritzker School of Law (1)
- Selected Works (1)
- Suffolk University (1)
- The Catholic University of America, Columbus School of Law (1)
- University at Buffalo School of Law (1)
- University of Nevada, Las Vegas -- William S. Boyd School of Law (1)
- University of New Hampshire (1)
- University of Pittsburgh School of Law (1)
- Publication
- Publication Type
Articles 1 - 16 of 16
Full-Text Articles in Entire DC Network
Draft Of Product Design: The Misfit Of Intellectual Property Law - 2011, Wendy J. Gordon
Draft Of Product Design: The Misfit Of Intellectual Property Law - 2011, Wendy J. Gordon
Scholarship Chronologically
The collection of legal rights commonly labeled "intellectual property" does not reflect any comprehensive master plan. Indeed, the label itself does a disservice in suggesting a set of laws with some coherence, cohesion, or at least commonality. 1 In fact, the various laws governing so-called intellectual property have evolved to address disparate concerns, at different times, and through distinct legal tools. 2 As a result, the canvas of intellectual property laws looks more like a messy collage - with overlaps, unmarked or blank spaces, and jagged edges - than a neat landscape characterized by careful planning and harmony.
Calling Bulls**T On The Lanham Act: The 2(A) Bar For Immoral, Scandalous, And Disparaging Marks, Megan M. Carpenter, Kathryn T. Murphy
Calling Bulls**T On The Lanham Act: The 2(A) Bar For Immoral, Scandalous, And Disparaging Marks, Megan M. Carpenter, Kathryn T. Murphy
Law Faculty Scholarship
As the Lanham Act approaches the age of 65, it is a good time to take stock of its application to, and place within, the object and purpose of trademark law. Trademark law seeks to promote fair competition by reducing consumer search costs and preventing confusion in the minds of consumers as to the source of goods and services. However, Section 2(a) of the Lanham Act prevents registration of marks that are “immoral,” “scandalous,” “disparaging,” “deceptive,” or which “create a false association” with persons, institutions, beliefs, or national symbols. The 2(a) bar expands trademark law well beyond its basic goals. …
Causing Infringement, Mark Bartholomew, Patrick F. Mcardle
Causing Infringement, Mark Bartholomew, Patrick F. Mcardle
Journal Articles
Recent appellate decisions reveal a chaotic contributory infringement doctrine that offers little direction to entrepreneurs trying to balance digital innovation with legal strictures. Aware of the problem, both the Supreme Court and legal scholars urge a modeling of contributory infringement on common law tort rules. But common law tort is an enormous subject. Without further instruction, the subject area is too vast and contradictory to offer a realistic template for reform. Even when the narrower body of tort law for secondary actors is consulted, there is still too much variation in the existing precedent to provide the necessary guidance. Instead …
League Parity: Bringing Back Unlicensed Competition In The Sports Fan Apparel Market, David Franklin
League Parity: Bringing Back Unlicensed Competition In The Sports Fan Apparel Market, David Franklin
Chicago-Kent Law Review
Should professional sports teams and collegiate institutions have an exclusive right to merchandise their logos? Recent court decisions have effectively provided these organizations with a monopoly in the fan apparel marketplace, as retailers who are not "officially licensed" by the underlying team or university are likely to face trademark infringement liability. In some contexts, this extension of trademark law has prevented companies from selling merchandise that merely displays a team's color scheme. However, such a broad prohibition on the use of team logos is inconsistent with the goal of trademark law, which is intended to prohibit uses of a mark …
Naming, Identity, And Trademark Law, Laura A. Heymann
Naming, Identity, And Trademark Law, Laura A. Heymann
Indiana Law Journal
As the process of creation in the age of digital media becomes more fluid, one pervasive theme has been the desire for attribution: from the creator’s perspective, to receive credit for what one does (and to have credit not falsely attributed) and from the audience’s perspective, to understand the source of material with which one engages. But our norms of attribution reflect some inconsistencies in defining the relationship among name, identity, and authenticity. A blog post by a writer identified only by a pseudonym may prove to be very influential in the court of public opinion, while the use of …
On Nontraditional Trademarks, Kenneth L. Port
On Nontraditional Trademarks, Kenneth L. Port
Faculty Scholarship
This piece regards nontraditional trademarks like sound, color, scent or even the vertical opening motion of a Lamborghini car door. The protection of trademarks has, historically, walked a fine balance. Naturally, as a society, we want to protect trademarks so that transaction costs are lowered as purchasers make a quick and easy purchasing decision. You see Tide, you know Tide, you buy Tide. However, the protection of nontraditional trademarks upsets this fine balance. If we go too far in the protection we grant unwarranted monopolies to companies to stifle the precise competition the law was meant to encourage. Sometimes, we …
Top Tens In 2010: Patent, Trademark, Copyright And Trade Secret Cases, Stephen M. Mcjohn
Top Tens In 2010: Patent, Trademark, Copyright And Trade Secret Cases, Stephen M. Mcjohn
Suffolk University Law School Faculty Works
This piece discusses notable intellectual property decisions in 2010 in the United States. Viewed across doctrinal lines, some interesting threads emerge. The scope of protection was at issue in each area, such as whether human genes and business methods are patentable, whether a product idea may be a trade secret, and where the constitutional limits on copyright legislation lie. Secondary liability remains widely litigated, as rights holders seek both deep pocket defendants and a means to cut off individual infringers. The courts applied slightly different standards as to the state of mind required for secondary liability. Many of the cases …
'We Know It When We See It': Intermediary Trademark Liability And The Internet, Stacey Dogan
'We Know It When We See It': Intermediary Trademark Liability And The Internet, Stacey Dogan
Faculty Scholarship
The recent history of intermediary liability decisions in copyright and trademark law reflects a notable resistance to rules that might constrain judicial discretion to ferret out bad guys. Indeed, a dichotomy appears to be emerging between two types of defendants: those who want infringement to happen and those who do not. In both copyright and trademark cases, courts are developing two distinct sets of rules to deal with two different classes of intermediaries. Good-faith intermediaries — those with a core business model unrelated to infringement — have an obligation to address infringement upon notice, but need not go out of …
Looking At The Lanham Act: Images In Trademark And Advertising Law, Rebecca Tushnet
Looking At The Lanham Act: Images In Trademark And Advertising Law, Rebecca Tushnet
Georgetown Law Faculty Publications and Other Works
Words are the prototypical regulatory subjects for trademark and advertising law, despite our increasingly audiovisual economy. This word-focused baseline means that the Lanham Act often misconceives its object, resulting in confusion and incoherence. This Article explores some of the ways courts have attempted to fit images into a word-centric model, while not fully recognizing the particular ways in which images make meaning in trademark and other forms of advertising. While problems interpreting images are likely to persist, this Article suggests some ways in which courts could pay closer attention to the special features of images as compared to words.
Passing Off And Unfair Competition: Conflict And Convergence In Competition Law, Mary Lafrance
Passing Off And Unfair Competition: Conflict And Convergence In Competition Law, Mary Lafrance
Scholarly Works
No abstract provided.
Harvesting Intellectual Property: Inspired Beginnings And 'Work-Makes-Work,' Two Stages In The Creative Processes Of Artists And Innovators, Jessica Silbey
Harvesting Intellectual Property: Inspired Beginnings And 'Work-Makes-Work,' Two Stages In The Creative Processes Of Artists And Innovators, Jessica Silbey
Faculty Scholarship
This Article is part of a larger empirical study based on face-to-face interviews with artists, scientists, engineers, their lawyers, agents, and business partners. The book-length project involves the collecting and analysis of stories from artists, scientists, and engineers about how and why they create and innovate. It also collects stories from their employers, business partners, managers, and lawyers about their role in facilitating the process of creating and innovating. The book’s aim is to make sense of the intersection between intellectual property law and creative and innovative activity, specifically to discern how intellectual property intervenes in the careers of the …
The Liability Of Online Markets For Counterfeit Goods: A Comparative Analysis Of Secondary Trademark Infringement In The United States And Europe, Kurt M. Saunders, Gerlinde Berger-Walliser
The Liability Of Online Markets For Counterfeit Goods: A Comparative Analysis Of Secondary Trademark Infringement In The United States And Europe, Kurt M. Saunders, Gerlinde Berger-Walliser
Northwestern Journal of International Law & Business
Online trademark infringement and counterfeiting is a growing problem for luxury brands. In recent years, trademark owners have taken aim at the operators of online marketplaces and auction websites, asserting that these defendants are liable for contributory infringement due to sales of counterfeit goods on their sites. In addressing the scope of secondary liability for trademark infringement, the courts of the United States and European nations, including France, Germany, and the United Kingdom, have applied differing standards and reached inconsistent results. This article considers the question of secondary liability for trademark infringement from a comparative perspective and contrasts the rationales …
Towards Symmetry In The Law Of Branding, Rebecca Tushnet
Towards Symmetry In The Law Of Branding, Rebecca Tushnet
Georgetown Law Faculty Publications and Other Works
Companies sometimes want to abandon an old identity and rebrand with a new one. Trademark law probably does not have much to say about rebranding in itself. But we should be careful about how we think about rebranding and other undisclosed source relationships because, if not handled properly, law’s recognition of such techniques could end up reinforcing trademark owners’ ability to deter competition and control free speech.
Clarifying The Doctrine Of Inequitable Conduct, Elizabeth I. Winston
Clarifying The Doctrine Of Inequitable Conduct, Elizabeth I. Winston
Scholarly Articles
Addressing squarely the issue of the multiple standards of materiality in inequitable conduct litigation, Therasense v. Becton Dickinson raises many difficult issues that could be clarified through the lens of the analogous concept of fraud on the Trademark Office. The standards for finding fraud on the Trademark Office lack the ambiguity found in the doctrine of inequitable conduct, despite the parallel penalties of unenforceability and requirements of proof of materiality and intent. Informed by the many decisions of Judge Michel, this essay concludes that the standards for finding fraud before the Trademark Office, as set forth in In re Bose, …
Knowledge Curation, Michael J. Madison
Knowledge Curation, Michael J. Madison
Articles
This Article addresses conservation, preservation, and stewardship of knowledge, and laws and institutions in the cultural environment that support those things. Legal and policy questions concerning creativity and innovation usually focus on producing new knowledge and offering access to it. Equivalent attention rarely is paid to questions of old knowledge. To what extent should the law, and particularly intellectual property law, focus on the durability of information and knowledge? To what extent does the law do so already, and to what effect? This article begins to explore those questions. Along the way, the article takes up distinctions among different types …
The Problem With Intellectual Property Rights: Subject Matter Expansion, Andrew Beckerman Rodau
The Problem With Intellectual Property Rights: Subject Matter Expansion, Andrew Beckerman Rodau
Andrew Beckerman Rodau
This article examines the expansion of the subject matter that can be protected under intellectual property law. Intellectual property law has developed legal rules that carefully balance competing interests. The goal has long been to provide enough legal protection to maximize incentives to engage in creative and innovative activities while also providing rules and doctrines that minimize the effect on the commercial marketplace and minimize interference with the free flow of ideas generally. The expansive view of subject matter protectable via intellectual property law has erased the clear delineation between patent, copyright, and trademark law. This has led to overprotection …