UPDATED: Chick-Fil-A Claims Public Likely to Confuse Vegetable With Chicken
I hate kale, but will defend to the death your right to sell it.
Intellectual Property
How to Comply With a Cease-and-Desist Letter But Still Win
It appears that the Freetail Brewing Company, a brewpub in San Antonio, recently got a nastygram from lawyers for a company in some other state demanding that it cease and desist from using the mark "HOPASAURUS REX" in connection with one…
Anti-Piracy Anthem Allegedly Pirated
Boing Boing reports that a Dutch musician is claiming somebody has pirated the anthem he wrote for an anti-piracy video by also using it in DVDs, which he says he didn't authorize and hasn't been paid for. Melchior Rietveldt, who should…
Kellogg Settles “Toucan Sam” Dispute With Archaeologists
As I reported previously, Kellogg North America sent a cease-and-desist letter to the Maya Archaeology Initiative in July, complaining that the non-profit group was using a toucan on its logo that some might confuse with Kellogg's "Toucan Sam." MAI's lawyer responded that…
Gaga Defeats Goo Goo
A court in London has issued an injunction against the Moshi Monsters website and its parent company, Mind Candy, which prevents defendants from releasing a single purporting to be performed by Lady Goo Goo, a cartoon character that some seem…
Hooters Suing Twin Peaks, Which Previously Sued Grand Tetons
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports that Hooters of America, which you will not be surprised to learn is the operator and franchisor of Hooters restaurants, has sued a former vice-president and his new company for allegedly stealing Hooters' trade secrets. The…
“This Is Not a Joke Patent,” Declares Patent for Method of Making a Snowman
"The following is not a joke patent," says the priority claim of U.S. Patent No. 8,011,991 B2. "Its [sic] completely serious and is a serious undertaking to obtain a patent." That may be (and it was successful), but it's also…
Patent No. 7,117,611: The Chair That Dries Your Business
The body hair and feet drying chair has a base portion having a generally hollow interior, there being a motor-driven fan contained within the hollow interior. A seat is disposed on the top of the base portion. … A plurality…
Cereal Maker Claims Non-Profit’s Bird Looks Too Much Like Toucan Sam
The Maya Archaeology Initiative is fighting back against claims by Kellogg North America that a bird depicted in MAI's logo is too similar to "Toucan Sam," the fictional spokesbird for Froot Loops cereal. MAI, a non-profit that supports education for…
In Defense of Monkey Copyright [Updated]
Thanks for your responses to my question about who if anyone owns the legal rights to a monkey photographer's work. The responses varied, although none were too favorable to the monkey. Here are some thoughts, with the disclaimer that I'm…