San Diego, CA – Ron Voss is suing Gillette and EA Sports for copyright infringement and unfair competition, but judging from the facts of the case, he should have asserted an idea submission or an implied in fact contract claim. People mistakenly believe that a copyright registration protects the “idea”…
The Trademark Examining Attorney refused registration of Gardenlife, Inc.’s application for the trademark EZ GRO for “living flowers and plants and plant seeds” in light of the previously registered EEZY-GRO trademark for “flower pots and planters” under 15 U.S.C. §1052(d). The examining attorney also required a disclaimer of the word…
San Diego, CA – Brighton Collectibles designs and manufactures fashion accessories, including a watch sold under the Laguna trademark. Brighton registered the copyright in its Laguna watch design in March of 2000. Defendant Pedre Watch Company is accused of making a less expensive imitation. As a result, Brighton claims that…
Santa Ana, CA — The jury in the Mattel v. MGA battle over the Bratz dolls determined that MGA did not infringe any copyrights and did not steal the idea or concept from Mattel. Instead, the jury has awarded at least $88.5 million to MGA for Mattel’s misappropriation of MGA’s…
Los Angeles, CA – Genentech and City of Hope are the owners of U.S. Patent No. 7,923,221 (“the Cabilly III patent”), entitled “Methods of Making Antibody Heavy and Light Chains Having Specificity for a Desired Antigen,” issued on April 12, 2011. Plaintiffs wasted no time suing GlaxoSmithKline, Human Genome Sciences,…
Los Angeles, CA – Starclipz sued Stargreetz and its principals in Los Angeles Superior Court for unfair competition, trade secrets misappropriation, interference with prospective advantage, conversion and other causes of action, none of which specifically included a federal cause of action. Starclipz alleges that it conceived and developed a business…
Los Angeles, CA – Jose-Luis Orozco is accusing Sesame Workshop of using his copyrighted song in its Dragon Tales television program without authorization. According to the complaint, Orozco wrote the music and lyrics to the children’s song El Chocolate in 1971, which was based on his travels and experience to…
Los Angeles, CA – Zumba Fitness has filed several lawsuits accusing eBay sellers of counterfeiting its fitness DVDs and infringing its trademarks and copyrights. Zumba® Fitness is a Latin-inspired dance-fitness program that combines international music with dance steps to create an aerobic exercise regimen. Plaintiff alleges that over 10 million…
Los Angeles, CA – Screenwriter Jake Mandeville-Anthony is suing Disney and Pixar for allegedly infringing his copyrights through their release of the animated motion picture “Cars”. Plaintiff claims that beginning in 1992, he drafted screenplays, treatments, synopses, and character lists documenting his cartoon car characters’ stories. His “Cookie & Co.”…
Los Angeles, CA – The late Evel Knievel was a motorcycle daredevil whose crashes made him more famous than his successful jumps. Lawsuits continue regarding ownership of the copyrights in his pictures and film clips. In 2005, Gary Schreiber sued Knievel in Nevada District Court for a declaration of validity…