Intellectual Property


UPDATE: More on Your Freedom to Tebow

As I mentioned the other day, many media outlets have been reporting incorrectly that Tim Tebow had been granted a trademark on the act of "Tebowing," not just the term. To some extent this may have been a misunderstanding of…


Tebow Trademarks “Tebowing”?

Photo: AP Various reports, like this one at the Washington Times, have said that Jets quarterback Tim Tebow has trademarked the act of "Tebowing," but I don't think that's true. He has certainly trademarked the word "Tebowing" for use in a variety…


Justin Bieber Wins First Round Against “Joustin’ Beaver”

Well, this exists: Needless to say, this drew a cease-and-desist letter from Bieber's lawyers, and the company selling the app responded with a declaratory judgment action against Bieber in Florida, where it's located. It portrayed the app as a "parody…


Ecce las Velas (Behold the Candles)

Following up on yesterday's post about the lady who painted over Jesus and now wants royalties—according to a Reddit post, these are currently on sale in Los Angeles: Looks like Ms. Jiménez (or the artist's heirs, or both) may need…


Ecce Abogado (Behold the Lawyer)

You may recall the incident last month in which an elderly parishioner of the Sanctuary of Mercy church near Zaragosa, Spain, decided on her own to try to restore a deteriorating fresco of Jesus, with unfortunate results: According to one…


“Your Honor, First of All, I’m Not Smoking Crack”

This is something you'd really prefer to get through your entire legal career without having to say. From a report today in Ars Technica: SAN JOSE, CALIFORNIA—Testimony in the giant Apple v. Samsung patent trial is entering its final hours, and nerves…


Patent No. 5,443,036: Method of Exercising a Cat

Some days I'm just too tired to jiggle a piece of string. If only there were an easier and more convenient way to get my cat to engage in voluntary aerobic exercise…. Utilizing the method set forth in this patent,…



Hooray for Jack Daniels (and Its Lawyers)

Especially given the recent Charles Carreon nastiness, it is nice to get a reminder that many lawyers are not (and need not be) assholes. Cease-and-desist letters are a frequent source of evidence to the contrary. These are often necessary in…