On January 12, 2017, the U.S. Department of Justice and the Federal Trade Commission released updated Antitrust Guidelines for the Licensing of Intellectual Property (the “Guidelines”). These Guidelines replaced those issued on April 6, 1995, and state the agencies’ policies regarding the licensing of patents, copyrights, trade secrets, and know-how; the Guidelines do not cover … Continue Reading
The First Circuit recently issued an important interpretation of bankruptcy law that directly impacts trademark licensing rights. In In re Tempnology LLC, 559 B.R. 809 (1st Cir. BAP 2016), the First Circuit Bankruptcy Appellate Panel held that a debtor-licensor’s rejection of a trademark licensing agreement “did not vaporize” the licensee’s contractual right to use the … Continue Reading
The Ninth Circuit recently addressed the burden of proof applicable to the first sale defense to a copyright infringement claim. That defense provides that, once a copy of a work is lawfully sold or transferred, the new owner has the right to sell or otherwise dispose of that copy without the copyright owner’s permission. In Adobe … Continue Reading
In Kroma Makeup EU Ltd., v. Boldface Licensing & Branding, Inc., the Middle District of Florida held that a foreign licensee of a registered U.S. trademark could sue Kim, Kourtney and Khloe Kardashian for their alleged extraterritorial infringement of the trademark and further sue its licensor for refusing to share in the proceeds of a settlement regarding … Continue Reading
