Category Archives: IP Litigation

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The Hound’s-Tooth Bites Back: The Ghost of Paul “Bear” Bryant

Recently, a District Court judge issued a scathing rebuke to the United States Patent and Trademark Office in Board of Trustees of the University of Alabama et al. v. Houndstooth Mafia Enterprises LLC, (N.D. Alabama February 23, 2016).  Judge Proctor’s memorandum opinion upbraided the USPTO’s Trademark Trial and Appeal Board (“Board”) for ignoring his earlier-issued order … Continue Reading

In re Tam: Section 2(a) Unconstitutional Under The First Amendment

In a landmark First Amendment decision relating to the Lanham (Trademark) Act, the Federal Circuit, en banc, struck down § 2(a) of the Lanham Act, 15 U.S.C.  § 1052(a), the statutory provision barring registration of “disparaging” marks.  By a 9-3 vote, the Court held that § 2(a) violates a trademark applicant’s free speech rights.  In … Continue Reading

It Ain’t Over ‘Til It’s Over: 6th Circuit Confirms That Post-Trial Motions Toll The Deadline To File Attorneys’ Fees Motions And Extends Octane Fitness To Trademark Litigations

In Slep-Tone Entertainment Corp. v. Karaoke Kandy Store, et al., No. 14-3117 (6th Cir. April 6, 2015), the Sixth Circuit confirmed that post-trial motions toll the deadline for filing motions for attorneys’ fees under Rule 54.  Moreover, the Court held that the Supreme Court’s interpretation of the phrase “exceptional case,” as that phrase is used … Continue Reading

Fourth Circuit Dispenses Comity and Limits Relief in Paper Towel Dispute

The Fourth Circuit recently ruled on several important issues regarding the scope of relief that may be granted for trademark infringement.   The backdrop for the decision in Georgia Pacific Consumer Products LP v. Von Drehle Corp. was a 2012 jury verdict that a North Carolina company was liable for contributory trademark infringement for designing and … Continue Reading
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