$41.9 million in damages against Yum Brands, owner of Taco Bell, for misappropriating idea of talking Chihuahua, via NY Lawyer.
Talking Dog audio clips here.
UPDATE: A take on the story from the new BUSINESS LESSONS blog.
While My Trademark Lawyer Gently Weeps
In 1989 Apple Computer paid Apple Corps. (the Beatles’ label) $27 million to settle a trademark lawsuit. I believe that Apple also paid several million in legal fees at the time (Apple’s unsuccessful attempt at getting insurance to pay its fees reported here). Without seeing the 1989 settlement agreement, I can’t comment on the
'A Nation of Copiers'
NY Times article (free registration required) on societal attitudes towards file sharing, plagiarism and buying ‘knock-off’ goods.
Al Fross
Al Fross, the Fross of Fross Zelnick, died a year ago yesterday.
"Can You Type?" "Yes, But Not Accurately."
'Exactly How To Get Your Name Copyrighted'
The legal advice in this eBook, ‘Name Copyrights’, namely that you can avoid getting tickets for moving violations by having your ‘name copyrighted’ is likely incorrect. To the best of my knowledge, no provisions of either the Lanham Act or the Copyright Act will provide protection against moving violations or parking tickets for that matter. Both
Report: 67% of Internet Users Who Download Music Disregard Copyright
The Pew Research Center has released a report in its “Pew Internet and American Life” series. The report is available here. The introduction states (emphasis mine):
“The struggle to enforce copyright laws in the digital age continues to be an uphill battle for content owners. Data gathered from Pew Internet & American Life Project
WhenU / U-Haul Decision Released
Via Internetnews.com, Judge Garlad Bruce Lee of the Eastern District of Virignia has released a decision holding that WhenU’s pop-up ads do not infringe the trademarks or copyrights of U-Haul. I have not gotten my hands on a copy of the decision yet.
Google Toolbar 2.0 that block some but all pop-ups (apparently neither
But Will the Record-Buying Public Grant the RIAA Amnesty?
Google news on the RIAA announcement on amnesty.
DMCA and WFUV
WFUV is my favorite radio station. Vin Scelsa’s Idiot’s Delight” is one of my favorite radio shows. You can listen to WFUV’s live streaming audio by clicking on “Listen Live” at www.wfuv.org here. If you are interested in why the station can’t reproduce its exact radio programming on the Internet, click on the “Why