Lego loses EU trademark on bricks, prepares for Clone Wars

The EU ruled this week that no, Lego can no longer claim trademark protection over the shape of its plastic bricks and their holes and struts. It's good news for rival Mega Bloks, which hopes to wipe the smirk off the faces of those little Lego people.

November 13, 2008 - 01:40PM CT - by Nate Anderson

Apple sends threat letter to computer school with apple logo

Earlier this year, Apple filed a trademark opposition against New York City's GreeNYC logo. Now, Apple lawyers are at it again, this time sending a complaint letter to the Victoria School of Business and Technology regarding its logo, which happens to look just like the Apple apple. Sort of.

October 07, 2008 - 08:43AM CT - by Justin Berka

Facebook yanks international access to Scrabulous

The popular Scrabble knockoff, Scrabulous, may have been removed from the US and Canada last month, but it was still accessible to international users... until now. Facebook has blocked access everywhere except India.

August 26, 2008 - 11:33AM CT - by Jacqui Cheng

No love for L'Oréal: EU courts waffle on eBay counterfeits

A Belgian court dismissed all of cosmetics maker L'Oréal's counterfeiting claims against eBay, saying that the auction giant had no responsibility to monitor everything listed on the site. The decision seems to be inconsistent with other European court rulings of late, though, and L'Oréal plans to appeal.

August 13, 2008 - 11:11AM CT - by Jacqui Cheng

MLB calls free Baseball iPhone app a foul ball

The creator of the free Baseball iPhone application has been asked by the MLB to remove the team logos, since they apparently violate MLB trademarks. The fact that the MLB is trying to sell an iPhone application of its own may have something to do with the claim.

July 21, 2008 - 08:55AM CT - by Justin Berka

Europe's highest court to weigh in on Google AdWords case

Fashion design house Louis Vuitton isn't happy with Google's willingness to sell AdWords to knockoff retailers using their brand name, and the French courts have sided along with him. Now, the European Court of Justice will rule once and for all whether Google's practices violate trademark laws by letting other companies bid on keywords for "Louis Vuitton replicas."

June 05, 2008 - 11:52AM CT - by Jacqui Cheng

Company cheesed off at Apple, CBS over Mighty Mouse mark

A Maryland company called Man & Machine has filed a lawsuit against Apple and CBS over the Mighty Mouse trademark. The suit accuses Apple of knowingly violating the trademark by creating its own Mighty Mouse, and also says that CBS should not have licensed its own trademark to Apple. Heeeerreeee I come to save the day!

May 21, 2008 - 09:04AM CT - by Justin Berka

"Negative keyword" ruling may have big impact on search ads

A Florida judge's ruling requires a mortgage company to buy "negative keywords" if it ever uses Internet advertising.

April 29, 2008 - 06:45PM CT - by Nate Anderson

Trademark lawsuit could put the squeeze on Google AdWords

Last week, an appeals court heard oral arguments in a case that pits Google against a company upset that its competitors could purchase ads using its name as a keyword. The case has important implications for the free flow of information online.

April 07, 2008 - 11:00PM CT - by Timothy B. Lee

Craigslist bullies unofficial blog over domain, trademarks

The unofficial Craigslist blog is getting free advertising with a side of legal threats, now that Craiglist has deemed the site's existence as a threat to its trademark. Excerpt from a future Craigslist San Fran. listing: "CEO would like tips on positive PR practices and conflict resolution..."

April 06, 2008 - 02:27PM CT - by Jacqui Cheng

Apple battling New York City environmental logo

In somewhat of a role reversal, Apple is opposing attempts by nonprofit NYC & Company to trademark a logo for New York City's new GreeNYC campaign.

April 04, 2008 - 08:43AM CT - by Justin Berka

Friday afternoon Apple links, fourth Friday of March edition

This Friday's Apple links touch on a couple celebs and their Apple products, some software released by Apple, a Photoshop booboo, Apple's experiments in the realm of fitness, and stock options.

March 28, 2008 - 02:11PM CT - by Jacqui Cheng

Cybersquatters have reached record numbers, says WIPO

Complaints about cybersquatters were higher in 2007 than ever before. Will new global top-level domains simply get raided by another round of cybersquatters? ICANN and WIPO are on the case, for what that's worth.

March 27, 2008 - 06:07PM CT - by Jacqui Cheng

No Gmail for Google in Europe, says EU trademark office

Google has lost its appeal to gain the trademark for "Gmail" across the European Union due to a previously-registered trademark in Germany for "G-mail." Google is free to appeal again, but it looks all but certain that the company is stuck with the "Google Mail" label in Europe.

March 18, 2008 - 11:10AM CT - by Jacqui Cheng

Sex, drugs, and dirty movies: CleanFlicks sues doppelganger

When the media began reporting that a CleanFlicks cofounder had been busted with 14-year old hookers, the moral superiority came out in force. One problem: the story was wrong. Now, CleanFlicks wants mad cash from the man who used the company's name.

February 05, 2008 - 05:20AM CT - by Nate Anderson

Fark.com trying to get trademark on "Not Safe For Work"

Fark.com has filed for a trademark application covering the phrase "Not safe for work." Given NSFW's wide usage, enforcement could prove to be very difficult if the mark is even granted.

December 09, 2007 - 08:03PM CT - by Eric Bangeman

Intellectual property laws abused in quest to shutdown Lowes-Sucks.com

Trademark and copyright laws are favored tools of corporate giants who wish to silence online critics, but such tactics often backfire, as they did in the case of one man. This time, "sorry" won't be enough.

September 26, 2007 - 01:05PM CT - by Jacqui Cheng

DualCor sues Intel over Dual-Core branding

DualCor, a small hardware company based in California, isn't a big fan of Intel's dual-core branding. The company has sued the CPU maker for trademark infringement and wants Intel's product line scrubbed clean of the label.

September 04, 2007 - 09:23PM CT - by Eric Bangeman

More iPhone Europe rumors, now with trademark worries, too

The European launch of the iPhone is expected before the end of the year, but Apple needs to sign a deal with a carrier first, as well as overcome possible trademark issues with the "iPhone" name.

August 13, 2007 - 02:14PM CT - by Justin Berka

Germany to Google: g-osh, g-et over G-mail trademark already

Google has been barred from pushing any further its fight for the Gmail trademark in Germany. Daniel Giersch emerges victorious in his clash with the Internet giant and gets the dubious distinction of keeping a trademark that makes everyone think of Google.

July 06, 2007 - 10:01AM CT - by Todd Haselton