The Licensing Plate

Navajo Nation sues Urban Outfitters for trademark infringement

The lawsuit, filed on Tuesday in a district court in New Mexico, alleges trademark violations and violations of the federal Indian Arts and Crafts Act, which makes it illegal to sell arts or crafts in a way that falsely suggests they were produced by Native Americans.

The Guardian (full story)

Regarding Bella’s Jacket

…Trademark law today very often involves parties that don’t produce goods licensing their marks for use by parties that do produce goods.  So Pixar might license a toy maker to make toys for it.  If an unlicensed entity were to make a toy bearing the Pixar brand and a customer were to buy that toy due to Pixar’s reputation for quality, the consumer could be harmed if the unlicensed good had inferior qualities to those that Pixar would guarantee.

That’s not the case here…

madisonian.net (full article)

Trademark wars heat up. Be ready.

A trademark can be a company’s greatest asset. It can also be one of its biggest challenges — especially lately.

Some 3,652 trademark cases were filed in U.S. courts in 2010, up 8% over the previous year, according to FTI Consulting’s latest figures. That’s the biggest percentage increase in the last 10 years.

CNN (full article)

Harvard Licensing holds up FCC shirts

“After a week of us navigating the licensing bureaucracy to little avail,” Kohrman said, “Harvard ultimately told us that they in fact took issue with our use of celebrity names in conjunction with their name.”

Yale Daily News (full story)

Jackson brothers sue over ‘Thriller’ jacket deal

Three of Michael Jackson’s brothers claim in a lawsuit filed this week that they’ve been “duped” by a company selling replicas of jackets worn by the pop icon.

CNN (full article)

‘Provocative’ Dakota Fanning perfume advert banned

The Advertising Standards Authority has banned a perfume advert featuring teenage actress Dakota Fanning, saying it could be seen to sexualise a child.

BBC (full article)

Hendrix Plaintiffs Appeal Pyrrhic Victory in Washington Right of Publicity Lawsuit

Plaintiffs Experience Hendrix, L.L.C., and Authentic Hendrix, LLC, are appealing to the Ninth Circuit their Pyrrhic victory over HendrixLicensing.com, Ltd., HendrixArtwork.com, and Andrew Pitsicalis.

Seattle Trademark Lawyer (full story)

Procter & Gamble Settles Trademark Dispute With Small Company

A Connecticut mother and businesswoman has won the right to name her company after her daughter, Willa, despite the objections of the nation’s largest consumer products company.

The New York Times (full story)

Tiger Woods Signs Rolex Endorsement Deal

The arrangement with the watchmaker comes after a slew of sponsors, such as AT&T, Tag Heuer and Gillette, ended their relationships with the golfer following an infidelity scandal.

The Hollywood Reporter (full story)

A Start-Up Takes On Procter & Gamble Over a Name

A light bulb went off for Christy Prunier while giving her 8-year-old daughter, Willa, a bath. The girl complained that she didn’t like “babyish” soaps anymore.

Ms. Prunier got to work, and after three years of research, introduced a line of skin care products aimed at preteenage girls. The name? Willa, of course.

The New York Times (full story)

Lady Gaga sues co. over trademark bids in her name

The Grammy Award-winning pop star sued Excite Worldwide LLC on Monday. The lawsuit says the company applied without her permission to trademark the names “Lady Gaga” and “Lady Gaga LG” for makeup and baubles.

Sacramento Bee (full story)

Chanel files Internet trademark lawsuit in Vegas

Chanel Inc. has filed a sweeping cyberpiracy and trademark infringement lawsuit in Las Vegas against 399 websites it accuses of selling counterfeit items bearing the luxury retailer’s trademark.

Marlon Brando Estate Sues Over ‘Brando’ Sofas

Brando Enterprises, the entity that controls Marlon Brando‘s estate, has filed a lawsuit alleging that Rooms to Go, a Fla.-based retailer, is infringing the late actor’s name, likeness, and trademarks in sofas and sectionals known as the “Brando.”

The Hollywood Reporter (full story)

Louboutin fights to keep red sole trademark

Christian Louboutin’s shoes sell for thousands of dollars a pair, but the luxury designer recently argued in court that the trademark for his shoes’ red soles is priceless. However, a New York judge wasn’t convinced that his lawsuit against rival fashion house Yves Saint Laurent had merit.

CBS (full story)

The Marketing of Moore Is a Team Challenge

In May, Moore became the first female basketball player to sign an endorsement deal with Jordan Brand, the popular sneaker company owned by Nike that is centered on Michael Jordan.

The brand has deals with some of the best basketball players in the world, including Dwyane Wade, Chris Paul and Carmelo Anthony, as well as with baseball players like Derek Jeter and C. C. Sabathia…

The New York Times (full story)

George Lucas Loses U.K. ‘Star Wars’ Copyright Case

A prop designer who made the original Stormtrooper helmets for “Star Wars” has won a legal battle with the director over his right to sell replicas.

The Hollywood Reporter (full story)

The struggle to make logos a no-go for art

From Andy Warhol’s “Campbell’s Soup Cans” to the Belgian conceptual artist Wim Delvoye tattooing Disney characters on to live pigs, corporate logos and trademarks have long been a mainstay of modern art.

For the most part, businesses have left the artists to it; sometimes they are even flattered by the attention. Other companies have fought back with varying degrees of success – raising the question of how best to handle such cases.

Financial Times (registration may be required)

Designers Revisit Copyright Protection

Let’s see here. On Wednesday, ABS by Allen Schwartz began selling a series of royal-wedding-inspired dresses that includes a fairly good copy of the Alexander McQueen gown worn by Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, for $1,100. That same night, Representative Bob Goodlatte, a Virginia Republican, reintroduced legislation seeking to grant copyright protection to designers, presumably discouraging exactly that kind of knockoff fashion. And on Friday, the Proenza Schouler designers Jack McCollough and Lazaro Hernandez went to Washington to plead their case before Congress.

The New York Times (full story)

Justin Bieber’s perfume rakes in over 3 million

Justin Bieber’s debut perfume looks set to become the top-selling perfume of 2011.

The 17-year-old singer’s women’s scent, Someday, generated more than $3 million in retail sales at Macy’s in New York in under three weeks and experts are already hailing its debut on June 23 as the most successful celebrity fragrance launch in history.

Frost Magazine (full story)

Kanye West and Louise Goldin to set up womenswear label

American musician Kanye West and British fashion designer Louise Goldin are collaborating on a ready-to-wear label.

Professor Louise Wilson, the director of the MA in fashion course at Central Saint Martins, confirmed she had advised West and said he had recently made a donation to the college.

The Guardian (full story)