Deborah Lodge

Firm/Organization: Squire Patton Boggs
Blogs: Global IP & Technology Law Blog

Latest Articles

On April 9, 2019, my IP colleagues Kerry Lee and Matt Jones published an informative post about using the ® and ™ trademark symbols – which are internationally used and recognized to signal trademark registration. As their post had a UK perspective, we thought it would be useful to provide a US perspective as well. US trademark law is governed by the federal Lanham Act, 15 U.S.C. §§ 1051 et seq.  The Lanham Act does…
The Copyright Act often seems to lag behind technology, with infringements rampant on the Wild Internet.  Not so, as was evidenced by the robust discussions at the third public meeting on Developing the Digital Marketplace for Copyrighted Works, hosted by the US Department of Commerce’s Internet Policy Task Force on March 28, 2019. The Internet Policy Task Force was established in 2010 to identify and review key public policy and operational issues for economic growth…
Yesterday, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in Matal v. Tam, 15-1293 (June 19, 2017), that the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution prevents the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (“PTO”) from declining to register trademarks deemed offensive or disparaging.  While the decision concerned the PTO’s rejection of an application to register the name of the Portland-based band The Slants, the decision signals that the Washington Redskins’ controversial quest to maintain its name as a…
Please click here to read the latest data privacy alert from the Squire Patton Boggs Data Protection & Cybersecurity team. This week’s alert covers news from France, Germany, the UK and the US. France French Data Protection Authority Launches Discussion Group Germany ZITiS Starts Work in Munich UK ICO Responds to Ofgem’s Call for Evidence on Smart Energy System US Federal Trade Commission Releases Report on Cross-Device Tracking For more information on any of these items,…
For those of us who wonder how that Dream Vacation ad follows us from our initial Google® search on our PC to our subsequent iPad searches: the US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) Staff Cross-Device Tracking Report has some answers, as well as some advice.  Released on January 23, 2017, the Report gives insight into legal issues presented by cross-device tracking, which associates multiple devices with the same consumer, and so links a consumer’s online activity…
A recent Federal Trade Commission (FTC) settlement is a reminder that companies should make sure that they live up to their privacy policies and that their opt-out procedures work as promised.  If not, the FTC is likely to claim that the company violated Section 5 of the FTC Act by engaging in unfair and deceptive practices. That is what happened to Turn Inc., a digital media company that provides targeted digital advertisements to consumers.  According…
Please click here to read the latest data privacy alert from the Squire Patton Boggs Data Protection & Cybersecurity team. This week’s alert covers news from: EU EU Council Adopts the Network and Information Security Directive The Court of Justice of the EU Advises that IP Addresses are Personal Data France The CNIL Publishes Blanket Authorisations for Data Controllers in the Healthcare Sector Germany Bundesrat Debates Criminal Prosecution of  “Gawkers” US U.S. Supreme Court Issues…
Mobile apps that collect and report health-related data have increased consumers’ knowledge and tracking of their individual health issues in inventive ways– a consumer can count her daily steps and caloric intake, monitor blood pressure, and track many other variables.  Some apps are interactive and are capable of transmitting data to health professionals—or other third parties – with or without the consumer’s knowledge.  These apps are subject to a myriad of privacy and data protection…
The presidential campaign is well underway in the U.S., even though the election is over 6 months away.  Many candidates reach out to the public through automated phone calls or texts, often referred to as “robocalls,” and prerecorded voice calls. To remind candidates and their campaigns that those calls and texts are regulated under the federal Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA), the Enforcement Bureau of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) released a detailed Enforcement Advisory on…
A bill recently introduced in the US Senate, the Cybersecurity Disclosure Act of 2015 (S. 2410), is additional evidence that cybersecurity and data protection should be viewed as critical issues in corporate governance.  The legislation has not been passed, but is under review by the Senate Banking Committee. The bill would apply to “public companies,” i.e., those with stock or securities traded on a U.S. stock exchange or in over-the-counter markets. Public companies would…