While the Oscars aren’t technically a legal holiday, the spirit of the season does seem to fit in with my series on Holiday Trademarks. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences owns several Oscar-related trademarks, including: A design trademark for the image of the little gold man himself. OSCAR. OSCARS. ACADEMY AWARDS. OSCAR NIGHT. A.M.P.A.S. SUNDAY AT THE OSCARS. What about the names of the movies themselves? As if you didn’t already have it memorized, the Trademark Manual of Examining Procedure, 8th Edition, Section 1202.08 (stay with me here) states, in part: “The title, or a portion of a…
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Keep it Legal Blog
LINSANITY™
February 21, 2012
By now, everyone and their tiger mom has heard of Jeremy Lin, the Harvard-educated basketball sensation. My understanding is that the new version of the DSM (the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders) will include Linsanity as a medically-treatable condition. Before we all run out and get vaccinated, let’s consider the trademark issues. I promise to do my very best to avoid all of the various “Lin” puns.
Everything is a Remix
February 17, 2012
The fourth and final part of Kirby Ferguson’s outstanding video series Everything is a Remix was posted yesterday. Click here to watch the whole Everything is a Remix series. Click here for Part 4 of Everything is a Remix, which focuses on the history of copyright and patents and some current issues in these areas of law. Trust me – these videos are fascinating and are certainly much more entertaining than my descriptions make them out to be.
EA Takes on the Military-Industrial Complex
February 8, 2012
Electronic Arts (EA) is well known for the lifelike characters and realistic imagery found in its video games. While their state-of-the-art graphics has made them successful, EA is now entering a real-life court battle. Their opponent: Bell Helicopter’s parent corporation Textron. The case involves EA’s use of images of real world helicopters in the game Battlefield 3.
