Common Copyright Myths & “Don’ts”
Of the areas we focus our practice on, perhaps none is more misunderstood than copyright law. That’s unfortunate, because copyright is the area of IP law that everyday individuals are most likely to run afoul of. With that in mind, we thought it would be helpful to point out some of the most common myths/misconceptions […]
Can Someone “Trademark” the Term SEO?
In the past week, there’s been a lot of hullabaloo about someone attempting to file a U.S. trademark application for registration of the term “SEO.” The applicant in question here has identified a long litany of advertising related services in connection with which the SEO mark has been used. As surely as the phases of the moon […]
Twitter Username Lawsuit Gone as Quickly as it Came
St. Louis Cardinals manager Tony Larussa filed in May a lawsuit against Twitter, claiming that the company’s allowance of the username “TonyLaRussa” was a violation of his rights. In particular, LaRussa claimed that the account and its use constituted a violation of his trademark rights, misappropriation of his name and likeness, and an invasion of […]
Business Lessons from the Facebook Terms of Use Mess
Just over a month ago, and all in the span of a single week, Facebook.com announced a set of drastic changes to its Terms and Conditions, a massive revolt ensued, and just as quickly as it all started, Facebook retreated. As the dust settled, many great legal analyses of the events quickly made their way […]