Trademark Infringement

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By Charles River Associates (CRA)
Morning Docket

Morning Docket: 08.16.17

* Could this be the case that puts the nail in the death penalty's coffin? Justice Breyer probably hopes so. Neal Katyal of Hogan Lovells has asked the Supreme Court to hear an Arizona death row inmate's case, arguing that the state's death penalty law is unconstitutional and that it must be struck down. [BuzzFeed] * "[T]he Tiffany trademark is not something to be trifled with." Judge Laura Taylor Swain of the Southern District of New York has ruled that Costco must pay more than $19 million after selling rings and attempting to pass them off as a luxury brand by using and infringing upon the Tiffany trademark. Treble damages are a bitch, and Costco plans to appeal. [New York Law Journal] * After a special Senate primary, former Alabama Supreme Court Chief Justice Roy Moore, who was once removed from his post and later suspended from it, and Senator Luther Strange, who was appointed to fill the seat formerly occupied by AG Jeff Sessions, will face each other in a runoff for the state's GOP nomination. Voters seem thrilled with their options. [New York Times] * A former law firm partner who is accused of creating a fake Match.com account using the name of a real female attorney and allegedly signing her up for emails from a weight loss surgery company, the Obesity Action Coalition, and Pig International -- all from his law firm computer -- is facing discipline before the Illinois Attorney Registration and Disciplinary Commission [Law.com] * Joseph Amico, who was arrested back in April after threatening to blow up a Manhattan attorney who he allegedly referred to as a "n****r lover" has been rearrested, this time for allegedly harassing the judge in his divorce case. Amico, who was free on $50,000 bail, has an optimistic attorney who's confident his client will receive a "favorable bail disposition." [New York Daily News] * If you're searching for a job to take after law school that doesn't necessarily involve practicing law, then you may want to consider a career in policy work. After all, having a law degree when working in the policy world likely amounts to some sort of a JD Advantage-type job. [U.S. News & World Report]

By Staci Zaretsky
Morning Docket

Morning Docket: 08.24.16

* Ivanka Trump has responded to a lawsuit filed by fashion house Aquazurra, which accused her of infringing upon the luxury brand's shoe designs. Trump repeatedly denied copying the shoe designs in question, and asked that the suit be tossed out like a pair of last season's pumps. Will this keep on kicking until after the election? [Huffington Post] * A federal judge tossed a rather absurd suit that was filed against Starbucks, which alleged the company put a deceptive amount of ice in its cold drinks, writing, "If children have figured out that including ice in a cold beverage decreases the amount of liquid they will receive, the Court has no difficulty concluding that a reasonable consumer would not be deceived." [WSJ Law Blog] * Bad Boies, bad Boies, whatcha gonna do? Whatcha gonna do when they finance you? The Boies/Schiller Film Group, a small film finance company started by law firm founder David Boies and Zack Schiller (son of law firm co-founder Jonathan Schiller), is fronting the cash needed for comedy movie based on reality show "COPS." [Law.com] * Turing Pharmaceuticals, the drug company once led by disgraced pharma bro Martin Shkreli, has been accused of retaliation following the alleged sexual assault of its chief commercial officer at the hands of its interim chief financial officer. For his part in this mess, Shkreli is accused of sexist and vulgar behavior. [DealBook / New York Times] * "The allegations of the suit are ridiculous. We are confident that the suit will be dismissed in short order." Cassidy Recruiting is suing Holland & Knight partner Dean Schaner over a failed law firm placement, and it's seeking between $200K and $1M in damages, all because Schaner used another recruiter to join the firm. [Big Law Business]

By Staci Zaretsky
Morning Docket

Morning Docket: 06.29.16

* In case you haven't been keeping score like we have, these are the firms that recently raised salaries: Lowenstein Sandler and Venable (kind of). If you’re ever worried that you’ve missed any of our coverage on pay raises, you can check out our omnibus 2016 salary chart where we collect these stories. [2016 Salary Increase / Above the Law] * "Imitation is NOT the most sincere form of flattery." Not long after filing suit against Ivanka Trump on similar grounds, Aquazzura seeks to plant its dainty foot firmly up Steve Madden's ass with a series of trade-dress infringement suits for what the Italian company alleges are knockoffs of some of its most popular shoe designs. [Observer] * Will law school graduates be the next ones to have their student loans canceled? Thanks to the Department of Education's proposal of an expanded debt forgiveness rule last week, law school graduates may be able to qualify for a "defense to repayment" provision -- and escape their debt -- if they can prove they were defrauded. [BuzzFeed] * "I'm just not taking any chances with my legal profession. It's very difficult to qualify as a solicitor and I'm not willing to just give it up because the U.K. decides to vote out the EU." British attorneys specializing in antitrust law are registering as Irish solicitors for fear of losing their ability to practice EU law. Thanks, Brexit. [Big Law Business] * Blank Rome is adding Stacy Phillips's celebrity divorce boutique to its firm. Over the course of her career, Phillips has represented many "high-net-worth, high-end clients," the likes of which include Britney Spears and Bobby Brown. With the addition of her small firm, Blank Rome's family-law group will grow to 30 attorneys. [WSJ Law Blog]

By Staci Zaretsky
Bar Exams

Morning Docket: 09.16.13

* You skip over the footnotes when you’re reading for class, but Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg doesn’t think you should. She’s a proponent of the most important footnote in all of constitutional law. [New Yorker] * New York will modify its pro bono requirement for LL.M. students to allow public service completed outside the country. Well, so much for closing the state’s justice gap. [New York Law Journal (sub. req.)] * Everything’s bigger in Texas, including the government-initiated trademark infringement actions over “Don’t Mess With Texas.” Like “I <3 NY," the Lone Star State's slogans are off limits. [New York Times] * WUSTL Law Dean Kent Syverud didn’t mind advocating for halving professors’ salaries. He just stepped down to become Syracuse University’s president — for much higher pay. [National Law Journal (sub. req.)] * You can sue Lady Gaga for overtime pay all you want, but you do not want to face her wrath. The pop star is due in court in early November where she’ll tell a judge “exactly what f**king happened.” [Daily Mail]

By Staci Zaretsky
Biglaw

Morning Docket: 02.28.13

* Like any lawyers worth their salt, attorneys for the Obama administration are wasting precious time and procrastinating on whether they’ll weigh in on the Supreme Court’s Prop 8 case. [Wall Street Journal (sub. req.)] * The nation’s largest companies, on the other hand, filed a brief with the Supreme Court concerning the DOMA case. Of course, they care more about money than people, but that’s beside the point. [New York Times] * Lanny Breuer took his sweet time turning in his resignation from the top post of the DOJ Criminal Division, but his acting successor was named quite quickly. Welcome aboard, Mythili Raman. [Blog of Legal Times] * Francine Griesing, the ex-Greenberg Traurig partner who alleged the firm was a “boys club,” agreed to mediate her claims. Too bad, we hoped something would actually happen with this case. [Legal Intelligencer] * Hoping to get all your law school applications out before that looming March 1 deadline? Not gonna happen. LSAC’s site has been borked since Tuesday. Take this for the obvious sign that is is! [National Law Journal] * Surprisingly not from The Onion: the Vatican wants to call the retiring pontiff “Pope Emeritus,” but a California rapper that no one’s ever heard of is threatening trademark litigation to stop it. [Borowitz Report / New Yorker]

By Staci Zaretsky
Attorney Misconduct

Morning Docket: 11.14.12

* “[T]here is only so far you can go when representing clients.” David Tamman, the ex-Nixon Peabody partner who was “thrown under the bus” by the firm, was found guilty of helping a client cover up a $20M Ponzi scheme. [Thomson Reuters News & Insight] * You surely must remember former UT Law dean Larry Sager and his controversial $500K forgivable loan. Well, as it turns out, the school is now condemning the practice as inappropriate, and calling for its permanent suspension. [Texas Tribune] * Someone finally sued a power company over its horrendous response to Hurricane Sandy. Long Island Power Authority should’ve seen this lawsuit coming, but was woefully unprepared. Figures. [Bloomberg] * I can haz copyright infringement? Internet memes are all the rage — we even had our own contest — but you may find yourself wading into dangerous intellectual property waters with improper use. [Corporate Counsel] * Papa John’s is facing a $250M class-action lawsuit for spamming its customers with text messages advertising deals. With share prices dropping, it must suck to be Peyton Manning right now. [CNNMoney]

By Staci Zaretsky