Washington Journal of Law, Technology & Arts

Check out the latest blog by Drew Carlson! The owner of the Orange Crush Festival is suing people and businesses who use his festival’s name without permission. #orangecrushfestival #trademarkinfringement #trademarks #wjlta https://lnkd.in/gbpMp4NA

Check the latest blog by Caroline Dolan!  The viral and well-loved Squishmallow is allegedly under attack. Kelly Toys, the creator of Squishmallows, alleges that Build-A-Bear's new plushy Skoosherz line infringes on Squishmallow's trade dress. This lawsuit speaks to the critical role of branding in the plushy toy industry. #trademark #tradedress #intellectualproperty #squishmallow #UWlaw #WJLTA https://lnkd.in/gkN_CCMT

Check out the latest blog by Patrick Paulsen! This post investigates the next looming legal issue in college football: the battle over the ACC. This blog examines the recent litigation filed by Florida State University and Clemson Universities against the ACC and its trade practices and contractual foundation. The consequences of these suits will determine whether the ACC goes the way of the Pac-12 or continues existing as a major college athletics conference. #collegefootball #antitrust #ACC #GrantofRights #wjlta #uwlaw https://lnkd.in/gdBd69RH

Check out the latest blog by Stella Haynes Kiehn! Since 2018, Dr. Stephen Thaler has been entangled in a copyright dispute with the U.S. Copyright Office regarding the refusal to acknowledge authorship to his AI creation, the “Creativity Machine” for the work,  A Recent Entrance to Paradise . The legal battle reached its climax with a ruling from the District Court for the District of Columbia, where Judge Beryl A. Howell dismissed Thaler's argument of the U.S. Copyright Act's alleged unconstitutionality in denying authorship rights to nonhuman entities. #WJLTA, #UWlaw, #AI, #Copyright, #CopyrightOffice, #AIArt https://lnkd.in/g8CTAAWw

Check out the latest blog by Anushka Parihar! The City of Oakland seeks to rename its airport to “San Francisco Bay Oakland International Airport”, a move that San Francisco claims infringes on the trademark of San Francisco International Airport and could mislead Bay Area travelers. The outcome of this local dispute could have broad implications for trademark law and how geographic names are used in branding and marketing. #sfo #oak #trademark https://lnkd.in/gBmR-XTF

Check out the latest blog by Sofia Ellington! After the Supreme Court legalized sports betting in 2018, states were quick to capitalize on a lucrative market. For many, including Washington State, that meant utilizing existing regulations to make compacts with Tribes to offer betting exclusively on reservations. However, a recent lawsuit brought by a non-Tribal affiliated casino enterprise could jeopardize the future of sports betting for everyone. https://lnkd.in/gXwMKTAA #wjlta #uwlaw #tribalgaming #sportsbetting

Check out the latest blog by Sam Kuper! Polygraph tests, often considered 'junk science,' are commonly used for pre-employment screening and in criminal investigations, despite their questionable scientific validity. While federal and state laws restrict polygraph use in private employment, some sectors, like law enforcement, still rely heavily on them to filter out applicants with ostensibly questionable honesty. In this blog, Sam Kuper explores the history of the polygraph in the legal system, and whether entrance into the legal profession will ever require such a nerve-wrenching test. https://lnkd.in/dZqQN3Pr #wjlta #uwlaw #EmploymentLaw #TheBar #polygraph #BarAssociation

Check out the latest blog by Stella Haynes Kiehn! Momofuku's attempt to trademark "Chili Crunch" sparked a debate between federal trademark law and cultural significance, leading to a public apology from Momofuku founder David Chang amidst accusations of trademark bullying. Momofuku's decision to no longer enforce the mark reflects the impact of public opinion, particularly within the AAPI community, on trademark disputes in the age of social media. https://lnkd.in/ggMRZzbu #WJLTA, #UWlaw, #Momofuku, #Trademark, #ChiliCrunch, #ChiliOil, #Cooking

Check out the latest blog by Mackenzie Kinsella! The Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival is arguably one of the most iconic music festivals in the world, however its litigation history showcases the level of intentions brands have to have in order to maintain their trademark protection. #Coachellalitigation #Coachellatrademark #IPCoachella #wjlta #uwlaw https://lnkd.in/gQNWYYTx 

Check out the latest blog by Drew Carlson! The studio behind The Batman (2022) has just defeated a lawsuit claiming the film had ripped off a proposed comic story from thirty years ago. This blog focuses both on that case, and the legal requirements for character infringement in copyright law. #copyright #batman #copyrightinfringement #film #comics #UWlaw #WJLTA https://lnkd.in/gnRZHRRx