April 2015 -

Bob Marley’s Heirs Take on Intellectual Property Infringers

On behalf of The Myers Law Group posted in Intellectual Property on Tuesday, April 28, 2015. Celebrity product endorsements can create a number of interesting intellectual property issues. Take, for example, the common image of Bob Marley on T-shirts and other merchandise, many of which are printed without permission of the owners of Bob Marley's likeness - his children. Tired of their father's over-exposure, and wanting to protect their father's image, the children of Bob Marley and their licensee (one company is licensed to use the image and likeness of the famous Rastafarian) have sued various companies for using Mr. Marley's image on clothing [...]

Nicholas D. Myers2021-10-13T17:47:55+00:00April 28th, 2015|

Downloading Images to Your Website and Potential Copyright Infringement

On behalf of The Myers Law Group posted in Copyright on Thursday, April 23, 2015. You're updating your website and find a few nice photos on Google Images. No harm in downloading them and putting them on your website, right? Wrong. And a Washington, D.C. patent lawyer has just learned the hard way that using stock photos without permission can be costly. Masterfile Corp., a photo supplier, alleged that the lawyer illegally used two files of people dressed in suits on his website. The licensing company sought $150,000 in damages for using the photos without permission. The suit settled for a small sum. While [...]

Nicholas D. Myers2023-08-16T10:02:31+00:00April 23rd, 2015|

Can an Heir Sue for Copyright Infringement?

On behalf of The Myers Law Group posted in Copyright on Tuesday, April 21, 2015. A new case involving the intellectual property rights of the heirs of the composer of a popular television show may test the limits of who may sue for copyright infringement. In late March 2015, the children of Morton Stevens, the award-winning TV and film music composer who created the theme music for the show Hawaii Five-0, sued CBS for copyright infringement in federal court in Los Angeles. The original Hawaii Five-0 television show ran from 1968 to 1980. Mr. Stevens created an iconic theme song, and he created it [...]

Nicholas D. Myers2023-08-16T10:06:18+00:00April 21st, 2015|

What are Trade Secrets?

On behalf of The Myers Law Group posted in Trade Secrets on Friday, April 17, 2015. Trade secrets are information of any kind, including a formula, pattern, method, technique, or process, with two specific qualities. First, the information must have "independent economic value from not being generally known to the public." Second, the trade secret's owner must take "reasonable steps to maintain the secrecy of the information." A judge or jury would likely analyze this information, examining such factors as sensitivity, who needs access to the information, and whether employees of the company with the trade secrets were actually following internal procedures for protecting [...]

Nicholas D. Myers2021-10-13T17:55:15+00:00April 17th, 2015|

Innovation Act: Congress To Stand Up to Patent Trolls?

On behalf of The Myers Law Group posted in Patents on Thursday, April 9, 2015. Patent law in the U.S. might change once again: as of February 2015, Congress is reconsidering the "Innovation Act," a bill that could implement several changes, including making it difficult for non-practicing entities (also known as "patent trolls") to claim their patents have been infringed upon. Patent trolls usually buy up patents and then use them against unsuspecting businesses, without contributing anything to the economy themselves. Often, defendants will simply settle the case as a way to avoid further costly litigation. It is easy to see, then, why many [...]

Nicholas D. Myers2021-10-13T17:55:34+00:00April 9th, 2015|

Bull vs. Ox: Red Bull Takes on Beer Company to Protect Its Intellectual Property

On behalf of The Myers Law Group posted in Trademarks on Tuesday, April 7, 2015. A small Virginia-based beer manufacturer called Old Ox Brewery is defending itself in a trademark challenge against energy drink company Red Bull - all because Red Bull argues that the word "ox" could cause consumer confusion. Trademark infringement occurs when there is an unauthorized use of a trademark or service mark in connection with goods or services in a way that is likely to cause confusion, deception, or mistake about the source of the goods or services. Here, Red Bull is concerned that consumers who know and purchase their [...]

Nicholas D. Myers2021-10-13T17:55:47+00:00April 7th, 2015|