As China’s laws get tougher, it becomes that much harder to win trademark disputes.

The Sports Blawg with the Fordham Sports Law Forum On March 2, it was revealed that members of the New Orleans Saints coaching staff, including former defensive coordinator Gregg Williams, implemented a “bounty program” where defensive players would be compensated $1,500 for “knockout” hits that rendered specific players unable to return to the game, and [...]

Facebook has sneakily snuck a line into its new terms of service whereby users agree not to use any terms similar to Facebook’s signature words (including ‘book’) in a manner that might cause brand confusion.  Essentially, this is an attempt to create a contractual trademark over material over which the PTO is unlikely to grant protection.

From New York Magazine: “In the wake of the outcry over his killing, ‘Trayvon Martin’ merchandise has been selling through the roof: T-shirts, buttons, pins, CDs, DVDs, and more. Now Trayvon’s mother, Sybrina Martin, has filed papers to trademark two phrases based on her son’s name: ‘I Am Trayvon’ and ‘Justice for Trayvon.’ ” “Trayvon’s parents warned [...]

Ladies and gentlemen, introducing a new element to Jeremy Lin’s trademarking woes: “Linsanity Marijuana.” Whoa man. That’s Lintense.

Facebook has warned employers who plan on asking prospective hires for their Facebook passwords that they run the risk of getting sued.

Although Michael Jordan retired from the NBA over eight seasons ago, he remains one of the most visible and marketable athletes in the world.  His “Jumpman” logo, the recognizable black and white silhouette of Jordan sailing through the air, has been helping to sell Nike’s Air Jordan brand sneakers for almost 25 years.  Forbes estimates [...]

Here are some links on a recent Supreme Court decision on the Prometheus blood monitoring patents or personalized medicine patents: Link 1, 2, and 3. Thank you to staffer Pavarthi Kota for the links!

Pinterest, the increasingly popular website that allows its users to keep track of what inspires them on the Internet, has a mission: “to connect everyone in the world through the ‘things’ they find interesting. We think that a favorite book, toy, or recipe can reveal a common link between two people. With millions of new [...]

The Sports Blawg with the Fordham Sports Law Forum On February 23rd, Ryan Braun, last year’s National League most valuable player, saw his 50-game suspension for violating Major League Baseball’s drug policy overturned. Here are the facts. Braun had a urine sample collected after the first game of the Milwaukee Brewers 2011 postseason by an [...]