If you were to find yourself in Warsaw last week, you might have thought you stumbled onto the set of a V for Vendetta sequel. The crowds of people donning Guy Fawkes masks were actually protesting the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA); an international trade agreement which seeks to create uniform standards for enforcing intellectual property [...]

Recently, a YouTube video attacking ex-presidential contender Jon Huntsmen surfaced on the Internet.  The insulting footage refers to Huntsmen as the “Manchurian Candidate,” while playing “Chinese style” music in the background; it shows Huntsmen doing Chinese activities (speaking Chinese, interviewing with the chinese media…) and asks whether the candidate’s true country of allegiance is the [...]

It’s a plot straight out of a James Bond film.  There is a super villain called “Dr. Evil,” fast cars, exotic locations, beautiful women, and an international criminal enterprise.  Only 007 is missing. On Friday, January 20, police in Auckland, New Zealand, arrested Kim Dotcom (formerly Kim Schmitz), founder of the popular file-sharing website Megaupload.com, [...]

IPLJ BLOG FEATURE: From the Desk of the Editor Each month, Editor-in-Chief Jacqueline McMahon weighs in on topics and legal issues covered in the IPLJ. This month Jacqueline looks back on the key stories the IPLJ focused on this past year. “In keeping with the situation”… what better time to recap the exhaustive year of [...]

For the past several weeks, the tech world has been up in arms about the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) that was introduced in the House of Representatives by Lamar Smith (R-TX) on October 26.  More recently, the House Judiciary Committee held a hearing on SOPA on November 16, highlighting the camps for and against [...]

Nowadays, the “Occupy Wall Street” movement is more than just a political protest against Wall Street bankers and big-wig CEOs; it’s becoming a brand-name. And brand names need protection. Enter: the trademark. In recent weeks, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office has been flooded with applications from “enterprising merchandisers, lawyers and others seeking to win [...]

Amazon spins off Kindle Fire into a separate company called Seesaw. A major copyright case against UCLA was dismissed last Monday. A federal judge ruled “that the plaintiffs lacked standing to sue and that sovereign immunity as well as the university’s explicit licensing agreement afforded the defendants protection from charges of copyright infringement.” The publisher [...]

“Apple said in a press release that it was ‘deeply saddened’ to announce that Mr. Jobs had passed away on Wednesday. ‘Steve’s brilliance, passion and energy were the source of countless innovations that enrich and improve all of our lives,’ the company said. ‘The world is immeasurably better because of Steve.['] Mr. Jobs stepped down [...]

A Manhattan judge officially approved revised terms for Barnes and Noble to purchase Borders Group’s intellectual property. To protect the privacy rights of 48 millions customers, Barnes and Noble will hold an opt-out program for former Borders customers to be able to choose to not have their personal information transferred as part of the sale.

In response to FTC allegations that Reebok made false claims about the health benefits of its EasyTone shoes, Reebok has agreed to a $25 million settlement to refund purchasers.  Anyone who purchased a pair of EasyTone shoes beginning in December 2008 may now apply for a refund through the FTC. Despite these allegations and this [...]