Infringement

Memoji

Apple iOS 12 Bug: Memoji Trademark Dispute

Here in The Tree, we love Apple products. We anxiously await any new updates to the hardware or software. We are also goofballs, so we were very excited to download iOS 12 and use the new Memoji feature. “Memoji” is a portmanteau of “me” and “emoji”. The feature allows you [...]
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lots o pot leaves

Weed Spectator sued by Wine Spectator

There is no doubt that the marijuana business is a budding industry. Negative public opinions about marijuana have faded and more and more states are legalizing its medical and recreational use. New businesses are seeking the pot of gold at the end of the legal marijuana rainbow by pushing marijuana [...]
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Bourbon Barrels

Trademark Hell: Knockin’ on Heaven Hill’s Door

As Trust Tree’s resident bourbon expert* (sorry Bill & G) and Guns N’ Roses fan, I must uncork a post about the trademark dispute between Heaven Hill Distilleries, Inc. and Heaven’s Door Spirits, LLC that recently spilled over into a federal lawsuit. Heaven’s Door is named after the famous song [...]
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9th Circuit in Empire State of Mind

Today, the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals ended Empire record label’s trademark infringement lawsuit against 20th Century Fox Television over the name of the television show “Empire,” on First Amendment grounds. The record label, Empire Distribution Inc., which reps hip-hop artists like Kendrick Lamar and Snoop Dogg (and is not […]

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Sons of Trademarchy

It is now an undisputed fact that bikers love trademarks. I have twice written about the intersection between outlaw motorcycle clubs and trademark law. First, I wrote about how many of these clubs own and litigate federally registered trademarks. The following week, I wrote about how the feds are trying to […]

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Don’t Play with Fireball

If you are from the South and ever leave your house, you’ve heard of Fireball. Fireball is a cinnamon flavored whiskey distilled by Sazerac. In addition to being a great drink to sneak into football games on cool, fall days, it’s also replaced Jägermeister as the go-to drink for your buddy who buys everyone […]

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North Coast Brewing Sues Corsair Over Old Rasputin Trademark

The legendary Rasputin is synonymous with a variety of immoral and evil practices. You wouldn’t normally build a brand around a guy known as the “Mad Monk,” but that didn’t stop North Coast Brewing from naming a beer after him or Corsair Artisan Distillery from naming a whiskey after him. North Coast Brewing’s Old Rasputin beer is supposedly […]

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