The most complete coverage of today’s Eldred hearing is at Copyfight, including an in-person account.  With due respect to this viewpoint, it seems that at least two rationales, the first being the harmonization with Europe argument, and the second being the fact that there have been previous copyright term extensions which would implicitly be…

Someone other than the country of New Zealand registered newzealand.biz.  The country of New Zealand, or more accurately, its monarch, Queen Elizabeth, brought a STOP proceeding.  Anyway, the panel goes through some tortured discussion as to whether it can be said that New Zelanad owns common law rights in NEW ZEALAND as a trademark, and…

I would imagine that the owners of DISCOUNTMARLBOROS.COM (see background here) would cite the BARGAINBEANIES.COM case (see background here).  Of course in both situations, the “Aftermarket” distributors were using the domain name to point to a site where they sold all their goods of different brands and not just those under the…

(MADD (Mothers Against Drunk Driving) is protesting the use of DAMMADD (Dads and Moms Against Drug Delaers).  Via Newsday.

Suggested best practices for search engines, via Searchenginewatch.com.  Suggestions include avoidance of the sale of trademarks as keywords, and proper disclosure of paid results.

Nathan has hooked up Japan to the absolutely free Schwimmerlegal International Trademark Metasearch.  You can now conduct a combined dead-hit search from the trademark registries of the U.S., Canada,  Madrid (WIPO), EC (CTM) and Japanese databases.  I tested out the Japanese database with DRAGONBALL Z, TOYOTA, YOMIURI GIANTS, POCARI SWEAT and KONAMI (purveyor of YU-GI-OH!)…

Important domain name case from Seventh Circuit  (decision by Posner, J.) upholding use of bargainbeanies.com by third party (analysis to follow): Ty v. Perryman.

UPDATE:  You can use the domain name BARGAINBEANIES.COM if you are really selling bargain Beanies.  You cannot use it to sell competitive plush bean-bag animals.  Also, if you get caught…

The mainstream press coverage of the Supreme Court hearing on the Eldred copyright term extension case illustrated here with a cnn.com piece.

The man whose only tool is a hammer sees nothing but nails and I see nothing but the trademark ramifications of copyright expiration.