Patent Pending May Mean Patent No More - U.S. Government Introduces New Collaborative Forum for Reporting Evidence of Prior Art

One year after President Obama signed America’s patent reform bill into law, the U.S. Patent and Trademarks Office (USPTO) has introduced a new way for third parties to file evidence and comments on patents currently pending approval by the USPTO.

Neelie Kroes: Copyright and Innovation in the Creative Industries

The following is an excerpt from a speech given by Neelie Kroes at the 2012 Intellectual Property and Innovation Summit, hosted by The Lisbon Council in Brussels.

Mon Dieu: Chanel Accused of Counterfeiting

France is known for its fashion.  Perhaps more importantly within the fashion world, France is known as being one of the last remaining champions of the petites mains: highly skilled tailors and seamstresses that are the “behind the scenes” technicians to Europe’s most notorious haute couture fashion houses.  In a surprising David v. Goliath decision, […]

Louboutin v. YSL Forced to Agree to Disagree

The fashion law community has been carefully watching Christian Louboutin and Yves Saint Laurent battle over red-soled shoes. At first, the twitter-verse heralded this decision as a definitive win for Christian Louboutin. However, on closer examination this appears to be more of a win-win (or a lose-lose) situation. Ultimately, co-existence is the name of the […]

Diamonds are Forever: New Diamond Patents May Influence Market Development

The extremely variable pricing of diamonds has made them a historically difficult and unstable commodity to trade. However, recent advents in diamond technology have been patented, and industry insiders such as Martin Rapaport have suggested that diamonds will become akin to gold from an economic standpoint.

No More Pennies; No More Royalties

Musician David Gunning’s new album entitled “No More Pennies” features images of the Canadian penny as part of its album art. The album features a picture of a young man with a pile of spare change (including pennies), an image of a setting sun/penny, and an image of a steam train with pennies for wheels. […]

Bell Shooting for the Stars: CRTC Holds Hearing on the Purchase of Astral Media

In a time where the price for cable TV and Internet subscriptions seem to be ever-increasing, a bid for Astral Media Inc. by Bell Canda Enterprises Inc. (BCE) in March, 2012 for $3.38 billion has roused the concerns of a number competing corporations and consumer groups.

EU Adopts Public-Use Policy for Orphan Works

On Thursday, September 13, 2012, the European Parliament adopted a new directive stating that cinematographic and audiovisual works as well as phonograms that are protected by copyright but whose rights holders cannot be found could be made available to the public across the EU.

U.S. Court of Appeals Stands Tall on the Subject of Gene Patents in the Wake of the Mayo v Prometheus Ruling

The United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, in the case Association for Molecular Pathology (AMP) and ACLU v. USPTO and Myriad Genetics (Myriad), held in August that isolated genes are a patent-eligible subject matter. The Court of Appeals reaffirmed its prior ruling on the matter, which was recently covered by IP Osgoode.

Trademarks: Louboutin’s Sole Rights Affirmed

In a recent victory for French design house Christian Louboutin, a New York appeals court has ruled that Louboutin can trademark its shoes’ iconic red sole since it is a defining feature of an authentic Louboutin product.