Foley Hoag Launches Trademark & Copyright Blog

Boston, MA - April 21, 2010

Written by firm’s IP lawyers, blog reflects importance of trademarks, copyrights, and other forms of IP as core assets on par with patents; postings tackle developments in the law copyrights, domain disputes & unfair competition; early content covers Google Books lawsuit, “trademark bullies,” proposed ICANN changes; recent trademark disputes

Law firm Foley Hoag LLP has gone live with its sixth blog written by firm lawyers, addressing trademark and copyright issues. The Trademark & Copyright Law Blog presents news and perspectives on trends and developments in trademarks, copyrights, domain disputes, unfair competition, legislation, and other intellectual property issues.  

The blog arrives just ahead of the 2010 annual meeting of the International Trademark Association (INTA), which meets in Boston this year from May 22-26.  Foley Hoag is an active member of INTA as well as a member of Lex Mundi, the world's leading network of global law firms. 

The architect of the new blog is Julia Huston, a noted trademark litigator and IP partner who chairs Foley Hoag’s Trademark, Copyright & Unfair Competition practice.  The blog is accessible here.    

Live since mid-April, the Trademark and Copyright Law blog has already delved into issues such as: 

  • A trademark infringement suit brought by outdoor clothier The North Face against cheeky clothing upstart The South Butt, and the subsequent settlement reached by the two companies. 
  • The action brought by photographers and visual artists against Google over its controversial Google Books project – at the same time Google and publishers/writers work on settling their own dispute. 
  • The tricky notion of trademark bullies – comparing companies legitimately protecting their trademark rights with those using trademark lawsuits expressly to intimidate smaller firms; new legislation is too broad and too vague, the blog says. 
  • Tire-maker Bridgestone’s opposition to Federal Corp.’s MILANZA trademark application, which Bridgestone alleged was too close to its POTENZA and TURANZA marks. Bridgestone said consumers would be confused by the similar “nza” endings, but the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board disagreed. 
  • The trademark protection implications of the proposal by ICANN (Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers) to greatly expand domain names beyond the familiar “.com,” “.org,” and “.net” to more personalized ones – say, “.foleyhoag.”


Boston and Washington DC-based Foley Hoag’s IP practice has a robust national profile, particularly in life sciences patent prosecution and litigation, as well as in IP due diligence, and copyright and trademark prosecution. 

“This blog is a natural expansion of our ongoing efforts to educate clients and interested IP watchers to issues and news coming from the world of trademarks and copyrights.  To the surprise of no one, we had no shortage of compelling topics to cover from the moment we created our first post,” Ms. Huston said. 

She continued, “Like patents, trademarks and copyrights are core, strategic assets for branded companies.  Relevant issues range from the world-changing to the whimsical and we hope to keep a close watch on what’s happening in the world of trademark and copyright law.  We’re excited to have launched just ahead of this year’s INTA gathering in Boston.  Our goal is to make our new blog essential reading for anyone following these critical segments of law.” 

In addition to Ms. Huston, Foley Hoag attorneys posting to the blog include Michael Boudett, Charles Weinstein, Jenevieve Maerker, Sam Hudson, Gabriel Helmer, and Joshua Jarvis, who is the site’s editor.  

Trademark & Copyright Law blog posts include links for additional information, and space for reader comments as well.  Archived older entries are also accessible.  

The blog joins five others practice group blogs written by Foley Hoag lawyers:  Healthcare Law & Policy; Law & the Environment; Security, Privacy and the Law; the Emerging Enterprise Center blog; and, out of the Boston office, Massachusetts Noncompete Law.

About Foley Hoag LLP

Foley Hoag is a dynamic law firm that represents public and private clients in a wide range of disputes and transactions worldwide. We have expertise in industries such as life sciences and healthcare, technology, energy and renewables, investment management, and professional services. We also offer our clients market-leading international litigation and arbitration and corporate social responsibility services. From our offices in Boston, Washington, D.C. and Paris, and our Emerging Enterprise Center in Waltham, Massachusetts, we provide strategic legal advice that is tailored to each of our clients' unique goals. Foley Hoag combines powerful regional, national and international practices that share a common emphasis on client service. We are focused on what we do best: helping our clients succeed through the delivery of exceptional legal service. For more information, visit www.foleyhoag.com.

CATEGORIES

Trademark, Copyright & Unfair Competition, Intellectual Property