A sad little trademark tale (with a dash of ‘cultural appropriation’ thrown in for good measure)
The National Park Service has announced — amidst considerable public outcry — that as of March 1, the names of several iconic buildings and historic landmarks inside Yosemite National Park will be changed: the Ahwahnee Hotel — a name it has had since 1927 — will be known as “The Majestic Yosemite Hotel”; “Curry Village” (1899) will henceforth be “Half Dome Village”; the “Wawona Hotel” will become “Big Trees Lodge”; “Badger Pass Ski Area” — California’s first ski resort — will be renamed the “Yosemite Ski & Snowboard Area”; and “Yosemite Lodge at the Falls” will become the “Yosemite Valley Lodge.”
Read more at: https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/volokh-conspira
YouTube stars U-turn on trademarks after online fury
The makers of one of YouTube’s biggest channels have dropped plans to trademark terms for a popular video format – after facing outcry from fans.
The Fine Brothers’ “reaction videos” show people responding to online clips.
But a plan to license “react” to other video-makers was met with a digital backlash, costing the brothers hundreds of thousands of subscribers.
Read more at: http://www.bbc.com/news/technology-35470159
Samsung ruling points to challenging patent contest
Nokia shares plunged after an award from a Samsung Electronics Co. patent dispute fell short of analysts’ estimates, in a sign that rights holders will struggle to extract more royalty revenue from smartphone makers as global demand for handsets slows.
Read more at: http://www.sltrib.com/home/3487053-15
Crypto Colonizing: B of A’s Blockchain-Patent Strategy
Bank of America’s blockchain patent push shows how bankers’ attitudes toward the technology of cryptocurrencies have changed over the last few years — from dismissing it, to sizing it up to trying to protect their interests in it.
Read more at: http://www.americanbanker.com/news/ba
What the U.S. Should Be Doing to Protect Intellectual Property
The U.S. invests vast amounts in innovation – $135 billion from federal government sources alone in 2015 – yet it lacks a coherent intellectual property strategy to ensure that the investment pays off. Is the U.S. naïve? Negligent? It’s puzzling.
Read more at: https://hbr.org/2016/01/what-the-u-s-should-be-doin
Intellectual Property 2015 Year In Review
-As discussed in greater detail below, there were a number of notable developments in intellectual property law in 2015.
Patent eligibility challenges to the validity of software, business methods, and medical diagnostic methods continued at a record pace. 2015 also saw the introduction of a new pleading standard for patent suits, which require plaintiffs to file complaints that are more detailed about the alleged infringement. By the end of 2015, we also concluded three years of operation of the new statutory framework provided by the America Invents Act (AIA), which introduced new post-grant procedures for challenging the validity of patents at the U.S. Patent Office. Inter partes review continues to be used as a potent weapon against patent owners. Policymakers also continued to focus on standards-essential patents, with the IEEE adopting new rules designed to curtail inflated valuations and abusive licensing practices.
Read more at: http://www.jdsupra.com/legalnews/intellectual-prope
Intellectual Property And Trade Secrets Must Be Protected At Home And Abroad
Manufacturing plays a critical role in Pennsylvania, employing more than 569,000 workers and contributing nearly $80 billion to the state’s economy. Pennsylvania’s economy, like many manufacturing-intensive states, also relies heavily on foreign markets, exporting over $36 billion in manufactured goods in 2014. Speaking at Glaxo SmithKline, Timmons shared his vision for how manufacturing in America can reach its full potential and highlighted how government policies can help or hinder those efforts.
Read more at: http://www.shopfloor.org/2016/02/intellectual-property-and-trad