You may have noticed some faux gravity in media outlets of late dealing with cheese. If you’ve been tuned to Olympic coverage, you are forgiven for having missed such rollicking headlines as: “Judge Won’t Give Gruyere the Champagne Treatment.”[i] Or Planet Money’s “cheesy story” on radio trying to decipher a label with a trade
California Enacts a New Law about Olive Oil Labeling
The new year is unfolding, and we are unexpectedly back in our kitchens, or should be, as we minimize socializing in indoor restaurants and bars. A downer, to be sure, but also an opportunity to reflect on some legal issues affecting food and wine. With apologies to those who prefer a classic menu, I’ll be
Booking.com Gets a Green Light, but Other Online Platforms Should Proceed with Caution
The Wall Street Journal heralded the Supreme Court’s decision in the Booking.com case with the headline “Supreme Court Eases Trademark Rules for Websites.” (United States Patent and Trademark Office et. al. v. Booking.com B.V., decision by J. Ginsburg.) The Court “gave online companies broad latitude to trademark their website names,” it proclaimed
Booking.com Goes to the Supreme Court
It’s that time of year again, when people are traveling hither and yon. If you haven’t made your reservations by now, or the French strikes have you worried, it’s likely you will find yourself at midnight scrolling through online travel sites to snag a last-minute, 20% off deal. Booking.com may be just the ticket.
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In an IP State of Mind
I’m from Billy Joel country, so you will forgive me if, despite living in Los Angeles, I am often in a “New York State of Mind.” But when I travel, I can’t help but notice that I get into an “IP State of Mind.” An example: I was in Buenos Aires a few years ago
Section 2(a) of Lanham Act Trimmed Again
The Brunetti Case
The United States Supreme Court decision in Iancu v. Brunetti issued June 24, 2019 held that the Lanham Act provision barring federal registration of immoral and scandalous marks violated the First Amendment. The majority opinion, by an odd fellows grouping of justices (Kagan, Thomas, Ginsburg, Alito, Gorsuch and Kavanaugh) explained that this