Get Smart: Why Cost Cutting Should Not Elevate Forms Over Substance
In 1994, a computer scientists named Nick Szabo—a man many believe to be the creator of Bitcoin—outlined, in a blog post, how the need for corporate counsel would eventually be eliminated and replaced by a concept similar to vending machines. Now, two decades after Szabo’s original post, cutting-edge clients have begun to ask whether legal
#FyreFestival, the Music Festival that Never Was
Fyre festival, vigorously promoted by “social media influencers” such as Kendall Jenner, Gigi Hadid, and Emily Ratajkowski as a “luxury” music festival with tickets ranging in price from $1,200 to over $100,000 per person, was scheduled to take place over two weekends in April and two weekends in May on the “private” Bahamian island of
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Eleanor M. Lackman Named a Law360 “Rising Star” for second consecutive year for Media and Entertainment
Cowan DeBaets, Abrahams and Sheppard LLP attorney Eleanor M. Lackman has been named a Law360 Rising Star for the second consecutive year. A Partner at the firm, Eleanor is among one of 156 attorneys included in the full list and one of only 4 attorneys recognized for their dedicated work in the practice area of
Partner Eleanor M. Lackman Wins “Best in Copyright” at 2017 Euromoney Americas Women in Business Law Awards Dinner
The best female lawyers from across the Americas came together at Essex House on June 8th to celebrate Euromoney Legal Media Group’s 6th Annual Americas Women in Business Law Awards. The audience of in-house and private practice attorneys gathered to celebrate the achievements of those firms setting the standard in terms of female friendly work
Supreme Court Curtails Patent Holders’ Ability to Enforce Post-Sale Restrictions, Overturning Longstanding Federal Circuit Precedent
In a nearly unanimous opinion, the Supreme Court recently limited the rights of patent holders to enforce post-sale restrictions on how patented products may be used, reversing a prior decision by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit. The case involved a dispute between Lexmark International, Inc., a manufacturer of toner cartridges used
Band Not Banned: High Court Finds Unconstitutional Trademark Office’s Basis for Refusal to Register THE SLANTS Trademark
On June 19, 2017, the U.S. Supreme Court handed down its much-anticipated decision in Matal v. Tam, 582 U.S. __ (2017), issuing a ruling that clarifies that the door is open to trademark registration to a new category of trademarks: trademarks that may disparage others. The facts that the Court looked at are relatively simple:
Writers Engaged in “Additional Capacities” – Article 14 Basics
WGA writers, particularly as they advance in their careers, often end up engaged in both their capacity as writers as well as in an additional non-writing capacity, such as executive producers. Article 14 of the WGA Minimum Basic Agreement (MBA) is therefore an important provision to understand for both writers and anyone engaging them; it
Elliot v. Google, Inc. (9th Cir. May 16, 2017): Internet Search Giant Dodges Grammar-Based Genericide of Its Ubiquitous Trademark
A panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit ruled this month that Google’s trademark has not lapsed into the public domain by becoming generic even though today’s digital vernacular uses “google” as a verb synonymous with searching the Internet. As a general rule, generic terms used as trademarks are not protectable
Chambers USA 2017 Ranks Partners Lackman and Wolff as Top IP Attorneys; Recognizes Two Cowan, DeBaets, Abrahams & Sheppard LLP (CDAS) Practice Groups
Cowan, DeBaets, Abrahams & Sheppard LLP is proud to announce that partners Eleanor M. Lackman and Nancy E. Wolff and both CDAS’s Entertainment and IP, Copyright and Litigation Practices have been recognized by Chambers and Partners in the Chambers USA 2017: America’s Leading Lawyers for Business guide. This is the fourth consecutive year Ms. Lackman
“Marijuanaville” Mark Goes Up In Smoke: Jimmy Buffet’s Margaritaville Empire Riding High After TTAB Throws Out “Marijuanaville” Trademark Application
Enterprising corporations looking to join the “green rush” and cash in on the marijuana boom have found a loophole in the United States Patent and Trademark Office’s (USPTO) refusal to register trademarks for products that contain cannabis. By registering a trademark for ancillary products not related to marijuana, such as clothing or accessories, corporations can